Getting to the trailheads, all on the far side
Mendon side Up SR-23 Plus Rattlesnake off US-89
The thing to understand before you lace up is that you do not start a Wellsville hike in Wellsville. The east face, the wall you see from town and from the freeway, is too steep and roadless to climb directly, so the maintained trailheads sit around on the north and west sides of the range. From central Wellsville that means driving north on SR-23 to Mendon, the small farm town at the foot of the range, and then west to the mountain on a short dirt road. Give it fifteen to twenty minutes to the Mendon trailheads.
There are three trailheads worth knowing. Deep Canyon, just northwest of Mendon off 300 North, is the smoothest and least abrupt of the climbs and the one most people picture when they think of hiking the Wellsvilles; the last two miles of the approach are dirt, with parking at the road's end. The Coldwater or Maple Bench trailhead is the other Mendon option: from SR-23 you turn onto Main Street, then immediately right onto a gravel road that you follow to its end. It is the shortest line to the Wellsville Cone. The third, the Rattlesnake trailhead, is on the opposite side of the range, off US-89 in Sardine Canyon about half a mile north of the Sherwood Hills turnoff, between mileposts 13 and 14; it gives the best access to Box Elder Peak and the Cone from the south.
Whichever you pick, the pattern is the same: a gate where the road ends, a sign marking the wilderness boundary, and a trail that starts climbing almost at once. There are no services once you leave town and no cell coverage to speak of up high, so fill the tank, carry water, and tell someone your plan.
The three trailheads
- Deep Canyon, off 300 North near Mendon. The classic climb to the crest; the last couple of miles of road are dirt.
- Coldwater or Maple Bench, off Main Street in Mendon onto a gravel road. The shortest route to the Wellsville Cone.
- Rattlesnake, off US-89 in Sardine Canyon near Sherwood Hills. The south approach to Box Elder Peak and the Cone.
- All three end at a gate; the wilderness begins just beyond it, so bikes and motors stop at the sign.
The named trails, from Deep Canyon to the Cone
Three ways up Deep Canyon, the Cone, the traverse
The Wellsvilles are backcountry routes, not signed park loops, so distances are approximate and the trails can be brushy by late summer. Here are the three that matter, from the straightforward climb to the ridge to the full crest traverse.
Deep Canyon to the divide
Deep Canyon is the introduction to the range and the route that made it a hiking destination. From the trailhead near Mendon the trail climbs steadily up the canyon, gaining close to 3,000 feet in about three miles to reach the divide of the crest at roughly 8,100 feet. Most fit hikers reach that saddle in around two and a half hours. It is a grind, but a fair one, on the gentlest grade the range offers, contouring below Mendon Peak and Scout Peak as it climbs. From the top the ridge opens both ways, and you can turn a straightforward out and back into a longer day by linking south along the crest.
The details
Coldwater and Stewart Pass to the Wellsville Cone
The Wellsville Cone is the sharp, pointed summit at the south end, 9,356 feet, and the one many people mean when they picture the range. The shortest way up is the Coldwater or Maple Bench route from the Mendon side. It climbs to the crest at Stewart Pass, passing near the small Coldwater Lake, which is honestly more of a mucky pond than a water source. From Stewart Pass a good ridge trail runs about 1.6 miles south to the summit, gaining roughly 980 feet on that final push. The whole outing runs somewhere between 8 and 10 miles round trip with about 3,200 feet of climb, a long day with real bushwhacking through brush in a couple of stretches. Box Elder Peak, the range high point at 9,372 feet, sits about another mile along the ridge for anyone with the legs left.
The details
The Wellsville Ridge Traverse
For strong hikers with a car at each end, the crest itself is the prize. The Wellsville Ridge Trail #037 runs about 11 miles point to point, from the Deep Canyon trailhead near Mendon along the high divide to the Rattlesnake trailhead off US-89 in Sardine Canyon. It links the named summits, stays high and narrow with big drops on both sides, and delivers the range's full character in one committing day. There is no water on the ridge and no quick way off it once you commit, so most people run a shuttle, leaving one vehicle at Rattlesnake and starting up Deep Canyon. It is the classic way to say you have done the Wellsvilles.
The details
Backcountry skiing off the range
Expert terrain Steep couloirs No lifts, no patrol
The same steepness that makes the Wellsvilles a hard hike makes them a serious ski. In winter the range draws experienced backcountry skiers for its couloir lines, the narrow chutes that drop off the crest into the canyons below, with lines into the west side of Coldwater Canyon among the best known. Slope angles here average around 45 degrees, which is the pitch that puts couloirs squarely in avalanche territory. There is no lift, no groomed run and no patrol; you earn every foot on skins and you accept the risk yourself.
This is not beginner ground, and it is not a place to learn. The Wellsvilles are among the more avalanche prone zones in northern Utah, so skiing here means reading the forecast, carrying beacon, shovel and probe, traveling with partners who know how to use them, and being willing to turn around. If that sentence gives you pause, the range is telling you something.
The details
Season, water and avalanche safety
Roughly June to October Dry crest, steep ground
The hiking window runs about June through October, once the crest sheds its snow, and fall is the sweet spot for the higher routes: cool air, dead-back brush, and the long clear light that makes the ridge worth the climb. Mid-summer can be hot and exposed, and some trails, the Cone route in particular, get choked with undergrowth that hides the tread. The upper stretches hold snow into early summer, so a June climb can still meet drifts near the top.
Water is the other planning fact. The crest is dry, there is no reliable source once you leave the canyon bottoms, and Coldwater Lake is a pond you would not want to rely on. Carry all of it, roughly three liters per person for a summit day and more for a dog. In winter the calculus changes entirely, from heat and water to snow and avalanche, and the range earns its reputation for both.
Treat this as a strenuous, exposed climb, not a stroll. Reaching the Wellsville crest means gaining roughly 3,000 feet with long stretches of steep, open trail, no reliable water, and no quick way down once you are on the ridge. Start early, carry all your water and layers, watch the afternoon weather on an exposed ridgeline, and turn back if the day runs late.
In winter, respect the avalanche danger. The Wellsvilles are among the more avalanche prone zones in northern Utah. Anyone skiing or climbing here in snow should read the Utah Avalanche Center Logan area forecast, carry rescue gear and know how to use it, and remember there is no patrol on this range.
The view from the top
The payoff Two valleys at once
The reason the climb is worth it is the crest itself. Because the range is so thin, standing on the divide puts two worlds in front of you at once: Cache Valley spread out to the east with the Bear River Range behind it, and the country dropping away west toward the Great Salt Lake and Box Elder County. The ridge is genuinely narrow, with steep ground falling off both sides, so the summits feel far more remote than their short distance from Logan would suggest.
It is also the vantage that made the range famous among birders, though that story, the fall raptor migration and the count that has run here for decades, belongs to the region survey rather than this trail guide. What the hiker takes home is simpler: a hard-earned ridge, a big two-valley view, and the quiet that comes from a range most people only ever look at from the highway.
