I've been wanting to summit Lone Peak since I first moved to Utah in 2012. Since then I've become an avid climber/mountaineer and decided that the only way I'm gonna stand on top is if I climb the 500' cirque walls to the top! These collection of primitive campgrounds is the base camp for any such climb and for people that can't do the standard hiking trail in a day or just want to spend some time in a glorious alpine cirque! The trail up is steep, dusty and downright loose, but the payback at the top is unlike any other Wasatch hike I've done! When you arrive in the cirque you're greated by 270 degrees of granite wall towering up to 600' tall!
The campsites are scattered along the trail with the first coming about a mile for the cirque proper on the right in a meadow. More campsites pop up as you head up to the right off the standard hiking trail and up to the cirque. Once in the cirque you can toss your tent up or simply lay on the ground with a bivy as it is soft and flat enough. Be warned however to bring a lot of water (at least 3 L each) and a filter if you plan on staying overnight in the cirque. All water is runoff so also make sure there is still snow up there as that is your only water supply. Water typically runs dry in mid July but in fat snowpack years like this last one, the snow looks like it'll last into the first couple weeks of September! Just remember to be safe and keep an eye on the weather to the west, this ain't your typical Wasatch outing!
