Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Utah / High Uintas

Kings Peak via Henrys Fork

High Uintas Wilderness, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (Mountain View Ranger District)

Kings Peak, at 13,528 feet, is the highest point in Utah, and the most common way up is the long walk from the Henrys Fork Trailhead on the north side of the High Uintas. Backpacker calls it a three-day trip to the state high point, with a base camp at Dollar Lake and a summit day over Gunsight and Anderson passes.

Most of the mileage is gentle. The hard part is the last few miles above treeline, where afternoon storms build quickly.

The hike

From the Henrys Fork Trailhead, Backpacker’s route follows the Henrys Fork Trail for about 5.5 miles, crosses the stream on a log bridge, and continues about 2.1 more miles to camp just past Dollar Lake, roughly 7.6 miles in. Stav is Lost describes the first five miles as mostly flat and forested, with the creek alongside. CleverHiker puts Dollar Lake at 7.5 miles and Henrys Fork Lake, a quieter alternative, at 9.1 miles.

Summit day starts early with a light pack. The trail climbs one set of switchbacks to Gunsight Pass, then drops briefly into Painter Basin. Backpacker’s route keeps right at the fork onto the Highline Trail and climbs about 3.5 miles to Anderson Pass, the high point of the Highline Trail, then follows what it calls a straightforward ridgewalk to the summit. Wikipedia’s Highline Trail article puts the summit about 0.7 miles south of Anderson Pass.

Many hikers skip the descent into Painter Basin by taking a social trail from Gunsight Pass that stays high on the slopes and rejoins the main trail just below Anderson Pass. Stav is Lost says it saves a few miles and some climbing but is rocky and slower going, with a short Class 2 section above a cliff band. Noah Lang, who tried it by headlamp, found the true line hard to locate and climbed over an unnamed peak by mistake.

Backpacker also describes an emergency descent, a gully called The Chute northeast of Anderson Pass, which drops about 1,000 feet of loose talus and calls for expert navigation. The point is to have a plan before storms arrive. Noah Lang’s group left camp at 2:20 a.m. and still saw lightning and hail reach camp later that day.

Henrys Fork is also the start of a shorter lakes loop past Dollar and Henrys Fork lakes, and CleverHiker describes a rough connection over to the Red Castle Lakes. Kings Peak is also a side trip on the full Uinta Highline Trail.

Tips

Camping

There are no marked sites or permits. The High Uintas order (04-19-26-723, effective May 5, 2026) bans camping within 200 feet of any occupied campsite, trail, lake, pond, stream, spring, or other water source where terrain allows, limits groups to 14 people and 15 stock, and limits stays to 14 days in one drainage. A separate 2026 order bans campfires and wood stoves within 1/4 mile of Dollar Lake and Henrys Fork Lake, so carry a stove. Backpacker suggests choosing an existing impacted site near the Dollar Lake sign, at least 200 feet from shore.

Inside Intel: Noah Lang, who based at Dollar Lake, says the best sites are on the north and west sides, and that fishing was better on the far east side where the lake deepens. It was the busiest lake in the area, but private spots were still easy to find.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Dinner at a Dollar Lake base camp:

With fires banned within a quarter mile of the lake, a stove-cooked meal is the reward before a 2 a.m. start for Kings Peak. See the meals testers like.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.