Bonneville Peak, Snow Peak and Haystack Mountain can be climbed together as a long, north-to-south day hike. Class 2.
Leave a vehicle on Robbers Roost Canyon Road and shuttle the second vehicle to the Pebble Creek Ski Area. Start your climb out of the parking lot on the cat track. Follow the track to the 3rd ski lift station. Continue past the black diamond runs on the right and look for a forgiving spot to ascend on the left. “Forgiving,” because if you do this climb in late Summer, it can be quite a bushwhack to the summit.
The Bonneville Mountain/Snow Peak/Haystack Mountain traverse follows the ridgeline from left to right. Steve Mandella Photo
Keep heading upward and look for a fairly large opening in the vegetation. When you reach this point, you’ll be able to see the ridge. Hike to the ridge and then to the summit of Bonneville Mountain. From the summit, continue south by descending a short, steep talus slope to reach the saddle between Bonneville Mountain and Snow Peak. Follow the ridgeline south to the summit of Snow Peak. From the marked summit of Snow Peak, follow a trail that continues south to Haystack Mountain. As you approach Haystack Mountain, note the junction for the Robber’s Roost Trail. Continue toward Haystack and pick your way up to the summit of Haystack via the East Side of the ridge.
After you summit Haystack, there are 2 options back to your vehicle. Backtrack to the Robber’s Roost Trail junction and take it west (which we didn’t but maybe should have) or be adventurous and climb partially down Haystack’s West Face and then bushwhack northwest to intercept the Robber’s Roost Trail. The track on the map below shows the second option. The round-trip route covers 12.5 miles.
Our 12.2-mile route that bags 3 high peaks.