Uinta 50-Miler Recommendations

[FONT=Verdana]I want to take my kids on a 50-mile backpacking trip in the Uinta

Your best bet is to do the Highline Trail if you are going to do a long one out there. I would enter off the North Slope by Vernal, as that would be your drop off point, and hike to Mirror Lake, west, to HWY 150 for extraction.

This site had some basic info:

http://www.summitpost.org/area/range...gh-uintas.html

And here is a full page of Google results for you on this trail:

http://www.google.com/search?q=Highl...ient=firefox-a

Good luck. You are going to want to bring a fishing pole for sure. And you are going to have to figure out your food situation for a week. Keep these things in mind. As well, this trail rides the backbone of the Uinta. You are rarely going to be below 10,000 ft, and thunderstorms are common and frequent up there. You will have not cover if one comes in on you.

Just some advice- "It is better to travel well, then to arrive."

I'm currently planning a solo, 50-mile, loop trek in the Uinta's during the very last week of this month. I'm pretty sure I have cemented my route going from the Grandview trail head up to Grandaddy lake, then east out to intersect with the Rock Creek Trail up to Squaw basin (Squaw, Shamrock, and Rock Lake), then to Jack and Jill lakes area, down Rocky Sea pass back into Grandaddy basin. Using just a string and ruler method, I believe the route to be barely under 50 miles. I am tempted to purchase some mapping software to nail down the mileages better but am not too worried about it. Hope this helps =)

You can get a pretty good idea of distance just mapping it out on google earth and it's free.

I played with Google Earth for a few minutes the other day in hopes it would do that; I couldn't figure out how to make it do what I was thinking (I didn't think it was supported). I need to go back and actually delve into it a little more. Thanks for the suggestion, ibenick.

The ruler does it, you just have to change the measurement from LINE to PATH. You can also do it with Google maps online.

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Favorite loop hikes and one way hikes:


1. East Fork Bear River to Allsop Lake, over the pass to Deadhorse Lake and down West Fork Blacks Fork. Return to East Fork Bear River via the Bear River Smiths Fork Trail. Approximately 30 miles.

2. East Fork Blacks Fork to Red Castle Lake, over the pass to the South and return via Little East Fork.

3. China Meadows to East Red Castle Lake, over Smiths Fork Pass, Yellowstone Basin, over Anderson Pass and return to China Meadows via Henrys Fork and China Meadows Trail.

4. Hayden Pass to Rocky Sea Pass, Upper Rock Creek, over Priord/Ostler Pass, down Right Hand Fork Bear River to East Fork Bear River. Approximately 26 miles.

Some might seem short, but all of those can easily be made into 50 milers by doing side trips.

Other great loops that are longer than the above:

1. East Fork Bear River to Priord Lake, over East Oslter Pass to Upper Rock Creek, over the pass to Deadhorse Lake and down West Fork Blacks Fork. Return to East Fork Bear River via the Bear River Smiths Fork Trail.

2. Unita River to Chain Lakes to Lake Atwood to Kings Peak to Kidney Lakes, down Uinta River. This one would be the longest of the bunch, but you will pass many, many nice lakes and other attractions.

I'd suggest a route that would take you through Naturalist Basin, but I'm not sure of the loop. That area though is spectacular.

A very popular route is to start at Highland Trailhead, over Rocky Sea Pass to upper Rock Creek, past Anderson Lake to Squaw Basin and out at Moon Lake. Advantage is you start high and finish low.
I like the idea of the loop from Grandview. You can also start at Upper Stillwater and get a loop through Rock Creek counter clockwise, ending up over Rocky Sea Pass and Granddaddy, then back to Upper Stillwater. That one is rough the first few days, then you top out and have some nice hiking. (I did that one two years back)
You won't get any "easy" 50 mile hiking. There will always be passes to climb.