Mount Peale is the highest point in the La Sal Mountains of San Juan County, in the southeastern part of Utah, United States. It is also the highest point in Utah outside the Uinta Mountains. It is located about 20 mi southeast of Moab. The summit is the highest point in the Manti-La Sal National Forest and the Mount Peale Research Natural Area. Mount Peale was named for Albert Peale, a mineralogist on the Hayden Survey of 1875. The La Sal Mountains sit on the arid Colorado Plateau, near such famous desert landmarks as Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park. However, due to their height, the La Sals are heavily forested and usually snow-capped until early summer (there is one snowfield on the north side that usually lasts year round). Mount Peale can be seen on a clear day from the Wasatch Plateau of central Utah, near Orangeville, over 115 mi away. Mount Peale can be accessed from various directions, but is most commonly climbed from the area of La Sal Pass, 10125 ft, about 3 mi to the southwest of the peak. La Sal Pass is accessed from the southeast via a graded gravel road. From the pass, the summit is obtained by a short but steep off-trail hike of about 2.5 mi with about 2600 ft of elevation gain. The route often involves some travel on snow, even in summer.

Climate

Mount Peale has an alpine dry-summer subarctic climate (Dsc) with cold, snowy winters with temperatures under freezing all day, and mild and moderately rainy summers with cool nights. The large amount of rain for Utah, as well as the cold overall temperatures are a result of the mountain's altitude of over 12000 ft. Due to the cold climate, temperatures aren't consistently above freezing until July, and snow often remains on the mountain until then.