Backpack Mount Beulah via East Fork of the Bear River Trailhead

Getting there

This trip could be crammed into a really long day or even two days, but give yourself three days to really enjoy the area and not be too pressed for time.

Your departure point is the East Fork of the Bear River Trailhead on the north slope of the Uintah Mountains. For most, this will be a bit further drive than other destinations in the range, but you are rewarded with beauty and less traffic. The ideal timing is late summer, early fall between when the snow melts and it starts to fly again in the higher elevations. 

The trail begins heading south, following the East Fork of the Bear River Trail. After approximately 3.7 miles, the trail splits, with the right fork heading towards Priord and Norice Lakes and the left fork heading towards Allsop Lake. The trail makes a couple long switch backs to rise to the foot of the Allsop Lake valley.

Around the 5 mile mark, you will start to have better views of the north ridge and west face of Mt. Beulah. Anywhere in the next half mile to a mile is a great place to find a camping space. 

Climbing Mt. Beulah

Now you are in position to head for the ridge line and on to the summit. There are several variations of the route you could take, but the route described here is pretty clear to find when looking at the rugged west slope of the mountain. 

The route is outlined visually in one of the images provided. It starts by making your way to the base of the main gully on the north end of the ridge line, just below North Mt. Beulah. Once you make your way through the dense forest growth and through the boulder field at the bottom, start climbing directly up the gully. This is the most challenging portion of the hike as you will gain about 1,400' in close to 4 tenths of a mile. 

Once you reach the ridge line, you can take a quick jaunt over to the very mild summit of North Mt. Beulah, before turning back south along the ridge line to the primary peak. 

As you move along the ridge line you will want to pass the 100ft tall pinnacle on the west side. The ridge consists mostly of scrambling, with some very brief sections of 3rd class and maybe one or two small sections of 4th class climbing required. No ropes are needed if you simply pick out your route along the ridge line. 

Before long you will be on the summit with fantastic 360 degree views of many of the other prominent peaks of the Uintahs and beyond. You may even be privileged to see a bald eagle soaring in the winds around the peaks.

To descend, you can follow the same route you ascended, or you can choose one of the gullies on the west face to go down. This is much faster than staying on the ridge and working through all of the boulders, but only go where you feel comfortable as the gullies contain a lot of loose rock and could be dangerous if not navigated carefully.

Make your way back to camp and spend the rest of the day fishing the stream for the native brown trout that are plentiful.