The Pfeifferhorn is the 11,331 feet (3,454 m) triangularly-shaped peak located in the most isolated part of the Lone Peak Wilderness Area of the Wasatch Mountains in northern Utah, United States. This rugged Utah mountain, commonly referred to as the Little Matterhorn, is the fifth-highest peak in the Wasatch Range. The summit can be reached by hiking, though some scrambling is required. There are several technical rock climbing routes with the north ridge being the most popular. This summit also makes an excellent winter mountaineering adventure.[3]
| Pfeifferhorn | |
|---|---|
 Pfeifferhorn as seen from the ridge just below and east of the summit | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 11,331 ft (3,454 m) NAVD 88[1] |
| Prominence | 766 ft (233 m)[1] |
| Coordinates | 40°32′01″N 111°42′22″W / 40.5335613°N 111.7060385°W[2] |
| Geography | |
  Pfeifferhorn Location in Utah | |
| Location | Salt Lake / Utah counties, Utah, U.S. |
| Parent range | Wasatch Range |
| Topo map | USGS Dromedary Peak |
Routes
edit| Pfeifferhorn (Via Red Pine Lake) Hiking/Backpacking Details | |
|---|---|
| Summit: | 11,331 feet (3,454 m) |
| Estimated Starting Elevation: | 7,700 feet (2,347 m) |
| Average Total Distance: | 9.2 miles (14.8 km) round-trip |
| Time Needed: | 1–2 days |
| Rating: | Difficult |
The easiest and most popular route is the East Ridge via Red Pine Lake trail up Little Cottonwood Canyon. The trail is approximately 3 miles (5 km) to lower Red Pine lake and roughly 1⁄2 mile (800 m) to the upper Red Pine Lake. From here, climbers proceed southwest up the steep talus slope to the top of the 'false summit'. A well-defined trail is visible here in the absence of snow. Climbers continue west along the ridge through a series of large boulders to a second steep slope. They can either wrap around this slope to the south and switch-back up to the summit (easier) or just continue west until they reach the summit (steep).
Another way to climb Pfeifferhorn is to hike in through Maybird Gulch. A small foot bridge breaks off to the right from the Red Pine Lake trail and will take you into Maybird. You will pass three small lakes nestled under the Hogum Divide with the Pfeifferhorn rising straight ahead. Once past the uppermost lake you will find yourself in a large boulder field (granite talus) which is difficult and slow to cross. At the other side, a steep scramble will take you to the summit base. A loop trip can be made starting at Maybird Gulch, climbing to the peak, then down by way of upper/lower Red Pine lakes or vice versa.[4]
Climate
editWhite Baldy, 11,321 ft (3,451 m),[5] is a peak 1 mile (1.6 km) to the east of Pfeifferhorn. White Baldy has a subalpine climate (Köppen Dfc). There is no weather station at the summit, but this climate table contains interpolated data for an area around the summit
| Climate data for White Baldy 40.5325 N, 111.6867 W, Elevation: 10,692 ft (3,259 m) (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 27.2 (−2.7) |
27.3 (−2.6) |
32.1 (0.1) |
37.4 (3.0) |
47.1 (8.4) |
58.8 (14.9) |
68.2 (20.1) |
66.7 (19.3) |
57.7 (14.3) |
44.6 (7.0) |
33.5 (0.8) |
26.9 (−2.8) |
44.0 (6.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 18.4 (−7.6) |
17.5 (−8.1) |
21.9 (−5.6) |
26.7 (−2.9) |
35.9 (2.2) |
46.8 (8.2) |
56.0 (13.3) |
54.8 (12.7) |
46.2 (7.9) |
34.4 (1.3) |
24.4 (−4.2) |
18.1 (−7.7) |
33.4 (0.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 9.5 (−12.5) |
7.8 (−13.4) |
11.8 (−11.2) |
16.0 (−8.9) |
24.8 (−4.0) |
34.8 (1.6) |
43.8 (6.6) |
43.0 (6.1) |
34.8 (1.6) |
24.1 (−4.4) |
15.4 (−9.2) |
9.3 (−12.6) |
22.9 (−5.0) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 7.96 (202) |
6.51 (165) |
6.60 (168) |
6.58 (167) |
4.83 (123) |
2.01 (51) |
1.31 (33) |
2.04 (52) |
3.26 (83) |
4.80 (122) |
6.06 (154) |
6.74 (171) |
58.7 (1,491) |
| Source: PRISM Climate Group[6] | |||||||||||||
Gallery
edit-
Pfeifferhorn as seen from the south side of the Lone Peak Ridge above the Dry Creek trail -
Pfeifferhorn from Maybird Gulch -
Pfeifferhorn summit -
Pfeifferhorn in the distance from Mt. Superior -
Little Cottonwood ridge line and Red Pine lake from ridge east of the Pfeifferhorn which is the easiest route to the summit. -
North ridge of Pfeifferhorn
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References
edit- ^ a b "Pfeifferhorn, Utah". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
- ^ "Pfeifferhorn". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
- ^ "Pfeifferhorn 11,326' - Personal Account of Winter Accent". Climb-Utah.com. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
- ^ "Pfeifferhorn". SummitPost.org. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
- ^ "White Baldy". Summitpost.org. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University. Retrieved November 6, 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.
External links
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Media related to Pfeifferhorn at Wikimedia Commons