The La Sal Mountains sit on the arid Colorado Plateau, near such famous desert landmarks as Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park. However, due to their height, the La Sals are heavily forested and usually snow-capped until early summer (there is one snowfield on the north side that usually lasts year round).[6] Mount Peale can be seen on a clear day from the Wasatch Plateau of central Utah, near Orangeville, over 115 miles (190 km) away.
Mount Peale can be accessed from various directions, but is most commonly climbed from the area of La Sal Pass, 10,125 ft (3,086 m), about 3 mi (5 km) to the southwest of the peak. La Sal Pass is accessed from the southeast via a graded gravel road. From the pass, the summit is obtained by a short but steep off-trail hike of about 2.5 mi (4.0 km) with about 2,600 ft (800 m) of elevation gain. The route often involves some travel on snow, even in summer.[5][6]
Climate
Mount Peale has an alpine dry-summer subarctic climate (Dsc) with cold, snowy winters with temperatures under freezing all day, and mild and moderately rainy summers with cool nights. The large amount of rain for Utah, as well as the cold overall temperatures are a result of the mountain's altitude of over 12000 ft.
Due to the cold climate, temperatures aren't consistently above freezing until July, and snow often remains on the mountain until then.
Climate data for Mount Peale 38.4436 N, 109.2271 W, Elevation: 12,093 ft (3,686 m) (1991–2020 normals)
^ abMichael R. Kelsey, Guide to the World's Mountains (third edition), Kelsey Publishing, 1996, ISBN0-944510-02-7, pp. 682–683.
^"PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University. Retrieved October 2, 2023. To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.
