Thurston Peak is a nice Wasatch Mountains hike with a trail nearly to the summit. Along the way are views the entire time and a bonus peak half way there if you decide to stop early. Thurston Peak is the highest point in Morgan and Davis Counties so it gets a fair amount of traffic because of county high pointers. Most people will probably know this mountain as Francis Peak with the big white domes on the summit but Thurston is the highest point of Francis Peak over 3 miles to the north. Views are quite nice, north to Mt. Ogden, east down to Morgan, west into Farmington Bay and Antelope Island.
The route starts out continuing on the old road, now more of an ATV trail. It is possible to drive a high clearance 4WD to the very end of the ATV trail but few decide to do so. Most people are comfortable stopping at the 2WD highpoint on the south ridge of Francis Peak. From there, a super easy hike would be to walk up the gated road to the summit of Francis. For Thurston, walk the road on the east side to the 4WD start. Here there is a road split. The east route goes down to some small lakes. Take the west side road traversing around a small peak with some old structure on the summit. Soon the ATV road ends and a simple hiking trail is encountered the rest of the way. This is also the Great Western Trail. The route drops a bit then climbs to just a hundred feet or so below peak 9491. An easy walk will take you up to this un-named summit. After peak 9491, the trail drops to a saddle before the final climb up Thurston. The Great Western Trail traverses around the peak around 500 feet below the summit. An easy scramble will get you to the top. On top is a monument to a guy that settled the area.
Distance: 3.5 miles one-way
Elevation Gain: 1,500+ feet
Summit Elevation: 9,706 feet
Kid Difficulty Rating: Moderate
Thurston Peak
Davis & Morgan County Highpoints
WillhiteWeb.com
Access:
Route:
From Main Street in Farmington, get one block west on N 100 E. Follow this north until the road goes into Farmington Canyon. Follow this road 12 miles up Farmington Canyon. It is a good dirt road and although it can get a bit bumpy, you'll see all kinds of cars driving up. In early season there is a gate so go during summer or fall.
Just after passing point 9491 working toward Thurston Peak
The final hike and climb over to Thurston Peak
Looking north from Thurston Peak
View South along ridge from Thurston to peak 9491 and Francis Peak
Thurston Peak from Peak 9491
Monument on top for the guy the peak is named after
Great Salt Lake, Layton, Antelope Island area from Thurston
