Cherry Peak

Cherry Peak, also known as Cherry Creek Peak, is a mountain peak east of Richmond in the Bear River Mountain Range. It is the official symbol of Richmond City and Cherry Peak Ski Resort. It is the fourth highest peak in the Bear River Mountain Range at 9,765 ft / 2,976 m.

Its associated creek, Cherry Creek, received its name from the wild cherry choke trees that grow around it. Because the creek ran from the canyon, Cherry Peak received the same name.1 The peak is located within the Mount Naomi Wilderness, an official protected land of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

Description

"Cherry Peak ...is probably one of the more dramatic peaks in the Bear River Range because of the 700+ ft. vertical drop on it's North Face.... From the West it appears to be a near perfect pyramid and from the North a giant wall of rock. It is the third highest officially named peak in the Bear River Range and the fourth actual highest. (Bullen Hole Peak is higher at 9,828 ft. but the name is unofficial.)...

"...It is difficult to see from other areas in Cache Valley because Prater Mountain blocks the view to the North and City Creek Peak blocks it on the South. It is not visible from the Bear Lake Valley to the East as it is situated on the Western side of the range."

Travel

There are only three main routes to get to the top of Cherry Peak. Motorized vehicles are prohibited from taking the trek.

• Tony Grove Trailhead is the shortest and safest route to get to Cherry Peak. Starting at the well-known Tony Grove at 8,100 feet, a 4.42-mile hike will take you 1,665 ft above sea level.

• High Creek is the longest route up Cherry Peak and possibly the most scenic. Staring in Cove, a trail will take you 5 miles up about 3,700 ft above sea level.

• Cherry Creek Route is by far the most difficult of all the routs to get to Cherry Peak. Starting in Richmond at Cherry Peak Ski Resort, in less than 5 miles up about 4,000 ft.

Geology/Orology

Cherry Creek is located in the eastern portion of Richmond, Utah, along the western flank of the Bear River Range. It flows westward from the higher elevations of the range into Cache Valley, cutting a scenic canyon through a series of ancient rock formations. The area is part of the broader transition zone between the Basin and Range Province to the west and the Middle Rocky Mountains Province to the east. The landscape is rugged and steep, with narrow ridges and deeply incised stream channels. 

The orology—or mountain-related geological structure—of Cherry Creek reveals a rich tectonic history. The canyon itself has been carved through layers of sedimentary rock that dip eastward, reflecting their position on the western limb of the Logan Peak syncline, a broad fold that defines much of the local geology. The lowest exposed unit in the canyon is the Mutual Formation, a Precambrian quartzite that forms smooth slopes and weathers purple and brown. Above it lies the Brigham Formation of Early Cambrian age, which forms steep cliffs along the canyon walls. Overlying the Brigham is the Middle Cambrian Langston Formation, composed of alternating dolomites, limestones, and shales.

Several geologic structures affect the Cherry Creek area. Bedding-plane thrust faults—low-angle compressional faults—occur within the Langston Formation and have locally eliminated the basal Naomi Peak Limestone Member. These faults indicate eastward tectonic movement during the Sevier orogeny, a mountain-building episode that began in the Late Jurassic and extended into the early Tertiary. Normal faulting, associated with Basin and Range extension, has also affected the region. A nearly vertical normal fault runs along the base of the Bear River Range, bringing the younger conglomerates of the Salt Lake Formation into fault contact with the older Precambrian Mutual Formation. This faulting has created dramatic elevation contrasts and contributed to the canyon’s current relief.

In the north fork of Cherry Creek, several minor normal faults trend northeast and offset the Brigham, Langston, and Ute Formations. These faults are small but significant, and they provide evidence of continued tectonic activity into more recent geologic time. The presence of fault scarps, breccia zones, and changes in stratigraphic continuity further emphasize the dynamic nature of this landscape.2