We were on a short vacation to Moab with my mother (Jackie) and father-in-law (Ken). On day 1, we visited Arches National Park. Day 2 we headed to Canyonlands National Park.

On day 3, we had planned on introducing Jackie and Ken to a high peak. Since the La Sal mountains were only 45 minutes from our condo, I picked a relatively easy peak for the 4 of us.

Day 3 dawned clear and on the previous day I saw that our peak was snow-free. It was all systems go... until I found out my father-in-law had smashed his big toe that night and was not going to be able to hike. They were feeling a bit sore from the previous 2 days of hiking anyway. That left Carrie and I to go and they insisted we did.

We drove the road to Geyser Pass. The road was in good shape and we soon were on our feet hiking.

The initial section of hiking is complex, as there are roads and trails heading every which way. The key is to just head north and get to the pass between Burro Ridge and Haystack Mountain.

Once at that saddle, turn left and climb the steep east ridge of Haystack Mountain. This is borderline class 3 climbing in places. The talus isn't bad, but some of the rocks (even the big ones) are loose.

After you get to around 11,500', the angle eases and the talus is more stable.

The summit ridge overs great views of the Canyonlands, Moab, Arches, and the surrounding La Sal Mountains. It was a bit hazy, but we could make out the higher and snowy San Juan Mountains in Colorado!

Great peak for a quick alpine outing with tremendous views!

Simply type "Geyser Pass" into Google Maps on your smartphone and follow the directions. It is a paved road to begin with, then excellent gravel. The last mile is more narrow, but still in good shape.

From Geyser Pass, follow the road heading north. This road eventually turns into a trail. The trail is hard to follow through the trees right at the beginning of the trail. Once out of the trees, you can follow the trail to the saddle between Burro Ridge (11641' on the Mount Waas quad) and Haystack Mountain.

From the saddle, follow the east ridge to the summit.