Sundial Peak is the highpoint on a sharp ridge that juts north off of the Cottonwood Ridge. The peak towers over Lake Blanche, one of the more popular hiking areas in the Central Wasatch. From the lake, the peak resembles the knife-edge of a sundial, hence its name. The Lake Blanche area is very popular year round, but few people venture beyond the lake to climb the surrounding mountains. One of the reasons might be that there are no maintained trails beyond Lake Blanche.

The Wasatch Mountain Club has used Sundial Peak as its club symbol since its formation in the early 1900's. The club placed a register on its summit in 1964, which remains there to this day.

The most common route to the summit is a 4th class route through the hanging valley on the West Face of Sundial. Both the Northwest Ridge and the Northeast Face have various 5th class trad climbing routes to the summit.