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Route: Uinta Crusher Loop (UT)

Location
Utah, US
Distance
46.4 km
Vertical Gain
3,850 m
Description

Submitted by Ron Winsett:

Ridge traverse Including Agassiz, Spread Eagle, Lamotte, A-1, Kletting, and Hayden Peak as a loop, starting and ending at Hayden Pass.

Why?  I have been hiking those mountains for over 10 years linking them up, finding the way to make it a loop.  I completed the loop six years ago in a 2 day stretch, and swore I would never do it again.

Well…3 years ago I wanted to do it in a day, failed first attempt, 2nd attempt I had back problems. So this year after training and completing the Great Divide, I thought why not.  So I went for it and completed it.  

Ron completed the loop in just over 16hr, but did not return to the TH - ended at a camp by McPheters Lake instead.  The complete TH-to-TH FKT awaits completion, and is about 47km.

GPS Track
Uinta-crusher-loop.gpx1.44 MB

FKTs

Comments

brendangibson
Wed, 06/24/2020 - 10:06am

Can this loop be done in either direction? And it doesn't go up Ostler Peak, does it?

User Picture
Profile picture for user anastrom

anastrom
Fri, 07/17/2020 - 10:24am

Heading out tomorrow (7/19) for a little adventure. Will be using a spot tracker and garmin watch

btfleming
Fri, 08/07/2020 - 07:07pm

My friend and I are going to check out this loop tomorrow (8/8) morning.  Using watches, following the gpx track posted on this page, looks like fun!

ben ditto
Mon, 07/13/2026 - 10:45pm

Hey all, what a treat to find this loop.  

In late August 2021 (?) Myself, Tim Wagner, and Aaron Gutwein started in the early morning from Christmas Tree Meadows Campground.  We took the Stillwater trail up to the Ostler Fork before getting off trail and gaining the ridge and summit of 11993.  From there we stayed on the ridge and tagged Lamotte, Ostler, Spread Eagle,  Agassiz, Hayden, Kletting, and A1 before boot skiing down lingering snow and back to our cars at Christmas Tree Campground.  At the time we called the traverse the 7-11 traverse since there were 7 named peaks along the route over 11k (most are over 12k but not all).  None of us really know how long it took us, but it was basically dawn til dusk.  Needless to say, we were tired at the end.  

I had tried the traverse twice before after having initially envisioned it through staring at paper maps of the area dreaming about cool routes to do.  The first time I tried it solo and the second time with a good friend Jon 'El Famoso' Webb.  We made it about half way.   

On our send burn, I was really motivated to get it done and Aaron and Tim were along for the ride and good partners.  Aaron and his girlfriend had stashed some water along the ridge somewhere for us.  I don't know how or where. 

Tim and I being mostly rock climbers and skiers, this was just another day out in the mountains linking a ton of great terrain and possibly a human first.  I don't think any of us had a way to publicize the route or let the internet know what we had done.  Today a friend sent me a link to this page asking:  didn't you guys do this '+ a bit' back in the day?  Yes, we had.  After a few phone calls and pouring over some old journals, I decided to write these notes just to fill in the history a bit more about this logical and stunning bit of mountain ridge.  

Starting and ending at Hayden Peak is a good idea to reduce the amount of driving.  Starting at Christmas Tree Meadow makes for a longer day on the ridge but a very obvious loop.  

Enjoy,

Ben Ditto 
Bishop, CA

 

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