Several of our friends have used the Gardner Peak Trail to reach the rocky outcrop that overlooks Pine Valley. All of them said it was an interesting and rewarding hike. So, we were a little surprised to find that Tom had never climbed this peak . . . seems he was well aware of it, but had shied away due to the bushwhacking that was reportedly involved to make it to the summit.
Kent called Tom to see if he would be interested in doing a hike on Saturday. Before he could tell him where we were going, Tom answered, "Yes, let's go . . . what time do you want to meet?" Then Kent told him we were doing Gardner Peak . . . too late for Tom to back out . . . he was committed!
We enjoyed a good trail to the base of the peak, but once we encountered the steep ascent that was covered with snow and deadfall, we all agreed the summit wasn't that important . . . we were satisfied with a good long hike, that gave us and our dogs plenty of exercise!
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| It was fun watching the sunrise on our way to the trailhead . . . pink, purple and orange! |
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Picturesque Pine Valley is located 35 miles north of St. George . . .
The Gardner Peak Trail starts in the Pine Valley Recreation Area on the east side of town |
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| The Santa Clara River originates in the Pine Valley Mountains and flows through the valley |
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| We had a good trail all the way to Jodes Flat |
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| This high elevation meadow took us by surprise |
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| A change of seasons |
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| Chipper wears his pack well |
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| Rock cairns guided us through large sections of huge boulders and Ponderosa pines |
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| We weren't expecting to come across a spring so high up the mountain |
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We had a short search for the trail in the burnt remnants of the 2020 Gardner fire
(It actually wasn't too hard . . . we split up to find the next cairn and moved on) |
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| Gardner Peak starts to come into view . . . it does look steep! |
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This interesting craggy formation stood out . . . we could see it both coming and going
(Several hikers have commented that it is a good reference marker to use when hiking this peak) |
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Someone obviously carved this for a reason . . . take heed, it's for real!
(If you choose to go farther, be prepared for a 900 ft ascent in ½ mile . . . without a trail!) |
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There really is such a thing as 'tree huggers!'
(There were many enormous Ponderosa pines on this trail) |
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Ascending the peak was not easy . . . too much deadfall, forest litter and rocks under the snow
(We certainly could have made it, but our safety and lack of desire to summit,
just didn't seem to justify the risk) |
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Lola and Chipper wait patiently as Tom looks for an easier way up . . .
We decided to turn back with no regrets |
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| This poor tree with its' roots growing around the rocks couldn't escape the fire |
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| Mountain Mahogany fuzzy tails disperse seeds into the wind |
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| There were several fun rock formations along the trail |
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| Chipper rarely sits still . . . so Allison decided to take a quick selfie |
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| Tom and his best buddy Lola taking a lunch break and sheltering from a chilly breeze |
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| We came across a few small pools of water in the rocks from recent storms |
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| Who could resist a picture with Dino or Dina the Dinosaur . . . not us! |
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| Heading back down the trail and into the snow on the northwest side of the ridge |
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Soon, we crossed a saddle and were on the sunny south side enjoying the Fall afternoon
We had nice views of Pine Valley, which is surrounded by the Pine Valley Mountains |
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| Back to where we started . . . the dogs enjoyed a drink from the river |
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There it is . . . Gardner Peak (9,488)
Whether you reach the summit or not, this hike has a lot to offer |
There are many places we would like to visit in the Pine Valley Mountains, but all seem to require miles of hiking rugged terrain to reach our desired destinations. This hike certainly reinforced our feelings of just how much effort is needed to reach the top of these mountains . . . no wonder you find so few people up there, even though they are a hop, skip and a jump from St. George!
This hike gained approximately 2,600 ft over 4.5 miles (9 miles r/t). If you would like a topo map, along with GPS tracks, you can click
here for Tom's Peakbagger.com entry. Another article that we found very helpful and gives a lot of historical information, was written by Sue Birnbaum and can be accessed by clicking
here.
