Recreation - Wilderness Areas
Twin Peaks Wilderness Area
Location: |
North Central Utah, adjacent to Salt Lake City, Utah |
USGS Quad: |
Sugarhouse, Mount Aire, Draper and Dromedary Peak |
Difficulty: |
Moderate to severe with elevations from just under 5,000
feet to over 11,000 feet. Trails are easy to follow, but may
cross extremely rough terrain at high elevations. |
Use: |
Light to heavy, especially heavy on weekends and near lakes. |
Weather: |
Summer temperatures can range from near 90 degrees in the
daytime to below 40 degrees at night. Occasional summer thunderstorms
can be expected. |
In a Nut Shell
The Twin Peak Wilderness was established by Congress
in 1984 with the passage of the Utah Wilderness Act. Located within
the central Wasatch range, the Twin Peaks
Wilderness consists of approximately 11,796 acres and is generally
bounded on the north by Big Cottonwood Canyon, on the south by Little
Cottonwood Canyon, on the west by the Salt Lake Valley, and on the
east by Mineral Fork of Big Cottonwood Canyon.
The Twin Peak Wilderness provides a spectacular
backdrop for the Salt Lake Valley and is dominated by rugged terrain,
narrow canyons, and high peaks, including Twin Peaks, Superior Peak,
and Dromedary Peak. The geologic structure of the area is varied
and complex, consisting of granitoid rock masses and several sedimentary
formations. Carving of the present alpine topography is due to glaciation
with erosion the current dominant force in the land sculpturing
process. Much of the higher elevation is alpine, characterized by
large, open cirque basins, and exposed rocky ridges. A few small
natural and reservoired lakes add to the scenic beauty.
Vegetation
includes dense mountain brush mixed with sagebrush and grass.
Patches of various firs and aspen are common in isolated patches
on north facing slopes. Snow remains in some areas until mid-summer.
Twin Peaks Wilderness is heavily used by just
about everybody. It covers two drainages, Mill B South (Lake Blanche)
and Broads Fork, with the Mill B South area being the most popular.
Many hike Broads Fork in route to Twin Peaks, while Mill B South
is visited for its lakes. As in the Red Pine area, the three small
lakes attract an inordinate amount of campers and hikers who must
also obey watershed regulations. Needless to say, a hike to Lake
Blanche during the weekend may bring over 75-100 public contacts,
several of which will be large groups. The Boy Scouts regularly
use both the Twin Peaks and Lone Peak Widernesses for backpacking
training trips.
To preserve and protect the physical and aesthetic environment,
National Forest wilderness areas are closed to motor vehicles, mechanized
equipment, hang gliders, and bicycles. In addition, parts of this
wilderness lay within the culinary watershed for
Salt Lake County and special restrictions concerning camping, swimming,
and domestic animals apply. Please help protect wilderness for future
generations by learning and practicing "No-Trace" camping and hiking techniques.
The following acts are prohibited in
the Twin Peaks Wilderness Area: Group sizes exceeding 10 persons,
camping within 200 feet of lakes, streams, springs, or other water
sources, camping within 200 feet of trails, camping for more than
3 days at one site, short cutting a trail switchback, and disposing
of garbage, debris, or other waste. No open fires are allowed in
the Mill B South Fork (Lake Blanche) drainage within the Twin Peaks
Wilderness.
For further information contact
the Salt Lake Ranger District at (801) 236-3400
or our Outdoor Recreation Information Center at (801)
466-6411.
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