Reynolds Peak (W7U/SL-011) SOTA Activation
Reynolds Peak (left) amid fall leaves.
Reynolds Peak is a great half-day hike just nine miles up Hwy 190 from Salt Lake City. The first time I ventured to this area was back in April when I activated Gobblers Knob and Raymond Peak on the same day. With the difficulty of reaching those peaks in hip-deep snow still fresh in my mind, I looked forward to climbing this relatively easy peak to take advantage of its beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.
My participation in Summits On The Air over the past summer led me to attempt a few double-summit days. Reynolds offered me a chance for a shorter and relatively easier ~6 miles round trip hike. I venture to say this is a great hike to do year-round, and is a very alluring 8-point summit for anyone visiting the Salt Lake City area.
Getting There
The parking lot is located at:
40° 38’ 58.6”N, 111° 38’ 53.2”W
40.649609, -111.648106
*Overnight parking allowed
Summit Info:
40° 39’ 43.6”N, 111° 38’ 45.2”W
40.6621, -111.6459
The Hike
There are several routes to reach Reynolds Peak. Many people approach from the north via the Mill Creek Canyon Road and the Lower Big Water Trailhead. I chose to start from the south from the Mill D trail off of Hwy 190. My friend Morgan (non-ham) and I arrived at the trailhead at 7:45am with the temperature near freezing and fall colors in full effect. This is a popular area with hikers and mountain bikers so expect a busy parking lot most days of the week.
The first 1.8 miles of the trail is an easy grade that follows a creek up into the mountains. From the Desolation Lake intersection it is another half mile to Dog Lake, which is more the size of a pond. The trail from the lake up to the summit is a lot less traveled and not immediately identifiable amongst the trees and fall leaves on the ground this day. If the trail up to here was ‘easy’, from here on up is a moderate to strenuous climb up approximately 700 vertical feet. Cresting the summit was amazing as the mountains of Big Cottonwood canyon came into view.
The weather was about perfect on this day. There was just a light breeze out of the west. I had pulled ahead of Morgan and reached the summit five minutes before him. I’m always cognisant of hiking with my non-ham friends and try to expedite my time with the dits and dahs of Morse coding with other like-minded individuals. The
My antenna ready for action on Reynolds Peak (looking west).
peak is void of trees but the summit cairn served as a great base for my expandible mast. Within ten minutes I was on the air. Conditions we very good this day. Within an hour I had twenty contacts including two summit-to-summits. Not bad for a Thursday morning.
After the activation we returned the same path back to the parking lot. As we passed Dog Lake again we heard a bull moose calling from over a nearby hill. Cool to hear but glad we didn’t meet face to face.
Gear:
1.5 Liters of H2O
Lite Windbreaker/stocking cap/gloves
Radio Gear:
HF: Elecraft KX-3
Antenna: SOTAbeams, Linked dipole (40, 30, 20 meters)
HT: Kenwood DH-72 (for APRS)
Trail (Mill D to Dog Lake):
Great condition. Mild, steady ascent to Dog Lake.
Trail (Dog Lake to Reynolds Peak):
Head southwest from the lake and you will find your way to the termination of the ridge that leads up to the summit. This section is moderately steep as it steps up the mountain and plants you centerstage to a beautiful panoramic of the surrounding mountains.
Looking east along the final ascent up Reynolds Peak.
My log for the day’s activation.
73 and safe hiking!
KH7AL