Looking north on ascent up to Perry Benchmark.

Father’s Day, 16 June 2019

In the quest to find new and adventurous places to go hike, I recently discovered Perry Benchmark resting unassumingly just south and east of Bringham, Utah. This summit immediately appealed to me for three reasons. One, it was relatively close; less than thirty minutes from my house to the trail head. Two, I knew it would be isolated and offer great vistas. And three, this 8,500’ Peak had not yet been activated for Summits On The Air (SOTA). Time to get after it.

My best guess why this is a lesser visited summit, so close to Brigham and Ogden is likely due to access. Although there are interconnected ATV trails there is not a defined trail. Before I hike anywhere I typically spend at least two hours researching as much as I can about trails and the best approaches. I easily doubled that on this hike. The weekend before my son and I even drove to Perry, UT to scout two routes I was considering. One, from several of the neighborhood streets in Perry that terminate at the foothills. The second, and the one I chose, was from a access road that requires 4-wheel drive and a creek crossing.

Getting There

The “parking lot” I used is located at:

41°27’18.0”N 112°01’05.9”W

41.454997, -112.018307

The Hike

I started my hike from Perry Canyon Basecamp. It is designated as a campground on Google Maps but only seems to be a wide spot on the Perry Canyon Trail. You can access this trail from West 3000 South that terminates at Geneva Rock quarry. Turn right at their gate and follow the gravel road up into the canyon. Be on the lookout for off road enthusiasts as this is a common area to find motorbikes and UTVs. Do not attempt this road in your Honda Civic. I definitely needed my 4-wheel drive on the creek crossing. Although the water was not too high, the trail leading into and out of the creek is steep. After 0.8 miles on this route you will arrive at the basecamp. For those we more adventurous tastes and a specialized off road vehicle, you can attempt the route that takes you up to the Perry Bench to gain a few hundred feet.

From where I parked I found a sub-ridge to go directly uphill until I came across the second switchback in what appeared to be a un-designated MTB trail. I followed that west to the bench and then north, steeply uphill, to get on the ridge line to follow up to the summit. This route is a steep, strenuous, cardio workout but I made it to the summit in just over two and a half hours. The number of mosquitos I encountered was unexpected but did not hinder me enjoying this hike immensely. The spring flowers were in full bloom along with a sea of green grass on the hills.

29 contacts later it was time to head home feeling accomplished that everything came together for a great activation.