White Pine Lake near Tony Grove

[Sombeech]

I call upon my fellow bogleys once again.

This friday I'm looking at either backpacking, hiking, or biking up to White Pine Lake near Tony Grove:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=h&msa=0&msid=100749669156101003180.00048dd605b0824ecbcde&ll=41.908537,-111.649847&spn=0.033471,0.066175&z=14


I've never been there but I'm driving past Tony Grove a lot on my way to Bear Lake so I know exactly where it is.

Depending on which of my friends can make it, we'll be backpacking in or biking in with packs. I'm assuming we should park at Tony Grove Lake parking lot? Would this be a decent trail for a bike?

Thanks.

[cachehiker]

It's a great trail for a bike but be mindful of the foot traffic. If you can clean the big hill coming back out you'll have done something I've yet to pull off. I've come close but have always had one obstacle or a slower rider forcing a step off.

Too bad I'm going to be camping on the Alpine Loop watching the Tour of Utah ride by or I'd join you. I still need to cross Mount Gog of my list of summits remaining to be climbed. There's also a couple of smaller caves above the lake that I'd like to mark some waypoints for.

[accadacca]

Yeah you could do either bikes or pack. I think it would be a decent place to backpack and camp. I have never had any luck fishing in that lake. I hope you do better then me... :rope:

[Dr. Nebz]

Damn, if I was not already scheduled to go to the Uintas this weekend, I would backpack that for sure. Looks sick!

[neilether]

I don't have too much to add to this, but I really like this trail. Both backpacking and biking are fantastic. I've never done the "bikepacking" thing but it should be cool. The climb in is quite reasonable and not very long. The climb out of White Pine would be significantly tougher, especially with a bunch of gear strapped to the bike. We tend to do a shuttle ride from the Tony Grove parking lot. Up to White Pine, and then down Bunchgrass to the highway. Very cool ride. Here's the route:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=41.915755,-111.623325&spn=0.051925,0.111494&t=h&z=14&msid=107942267772270744381.00048e05dcc23917e3774

Other than that, here's some pictures. Enjoy!

Trailhead
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h206/neilether/Bunchgrass/P1080097.jpg

Early on the climb
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h206/neilether/Bunchgrass/IMG_3949a.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h206/neilether/Bunchgrass/P1080098.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h206/neilether/Bunchgrass/P1080102.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h206/neilether/Bunchgrass/IMG_3950a.jpg

REgrouping at the top of the climb
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h206/neilether/Bunchgrass/IMG_3959a.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h206/neilether/Bunchgrass/IMG_3967a.jpg

Does it get better than this? Descent Time!
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h206/neilether/Bunchgrass/IMG_3969a.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h206/neilether/Bunchgrass/P1080106.jpg

White Pine Lake
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h206/neilether/Bunchgrass/P1080112.jpg

Descending the Bunchgrass Trail
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h206/neilether/Bunchgrass/IMG_3974a.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h206/neilether/Bunchgrass/IMG_0058.jpg

Can get a little dusty this time of year...
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h206/neilether/Bunchgrass/IMG_0055.jpg

2.25 miles of climbing, and then 8 miles and 2500 vertical feet of descending. Awesome Trail.

[Shan]

Neil has a good suggestion for adding on to your trip, and it's a great ride. If you don't have a second car you can also just park at the Tony Grove turnoff, off the highway, bike up the 7 mile paved TG road, then do the trail. The start of the White Pine trail can have a lot of embedded big rocks that I have to walk.

TG trailhead up at the lake has a parking fee now. $3?

[cachehiker]

I'd just ride the 1/4 mile over to the Tony Grove turnoff, leave somebody with the bikes, and stick my thumb out. You'd probably get picked up by somebody eager to hear where you've been and how the ride was. Better send your best storyteller.

My mother would faint. You never know when a mass murderer might pick you up on their way to a picnic. :crazycobasa:

[Sombeech]

NICE! Thanks for the advice. I think we'll definitely have two vehicles so that the Bunchgrass option looks great. I guess that way we wouldn't have to climb back out of White Pine then. Those pictures and map help a lot. Thanks.

So then we'd park a car on the highway at the Tony Grove turnoff, or nearby?

[Shan]

You do have to back track a tiny bit out of White Pine to get to the Bunchgrass trail, but you are right you don't climb all that way out as if you were returning to TG.

At the end of the Bunchgrass trail, there is a large gravel turnout on the opposite site of the highway.