Heading for High Ground

KAVU athlete, Steph Davis heads for the Lasal mountains when the heat of summer hits the red rock

By KAVU

August 15^th, 2017

seasons

…one of the most magical parts of life on earth! And one of the nicest things about living somewhere for a long time is learning how to work the seasons. In a place like Moab, you really have to learn to do this, because from June to early September it’s often over 100 degrees every day. As soon as it starts to get roasting hot in the desert, it’s time to switch gears from red rock to higher elevation.

Everyone who has visited Moab has seen the Lasal Mountains. They add to the beautiful panoramic view over the red rock, especially when they are snow-capped against a deep blue sky.

the Lasals

....are a surprisingly little known mountain range. Although they are the second highest in Utah and include 10 peaks over 12,000 feet, they are rather confusing, even for people who have lived in Moab for years. There are so many peaks close together that it can be hard to pick out which is which, or even keep the names straight! The main summits you can see from Moab are Peale, Mellenthin, Tukuhnikivatz and little Tuk, Waas, Manns, Tomasaki, Haystack, and South Mountain. And then, there are a bunch of smaller summits like Laurel, Pilot, Green, Castle and Gold Knob. Those who are interested in reaching summits in the Lasals quickly discover that there generally aren’t any marked trailheads or even trails, and it’s hard to figure out which side of the mountains to drive up for the different peaks, with dirt roads winding up and around from all sides. As with so many things in Moab, you have to take the time to learn the place and discover.

These mountains

....are also known for endless steep piles of granite talus—often you’ll hike straight up for 1000 feet or more on shifting rock. It was a great surprise as the summer season hit this year to find that our late snow pack allowed some snowfields on Mount Peale, Tuk, Mellenthin and Haystack into June. So, this summer has definitely been a great opportunity to get up there and take advantage of the snow which covered a lot of that talus….the south side of Tuk even required crampons in the first week of June, which was a real treat when the temperatures in Moab were already hitting 100!

cajun

....has summitted every peak in the Lasals. Often it’s just the two of us up there tromping through the aspens and up and down talus. But sometimes we're lucky and Ian comes....

This summer we trekked up Peale several times, Tuk from the south side, Little Tuk to Big Tuk from the north side, Manns to Tomasaki, Mellenthin, Haystack and Manns a few more times. It's hard to not want to be up in the high country! Cajun's got her own "built in" crampons!

The Lasals don’t have sheer rock walls to climb or jump off, but they have endless beauty, solitude and elevation gain. Instead of roasting in the canyons during Moab summer, you can be enjoying cool air and mountain views all the way into Colorado and the Swell on these beautiful summits.