9 Attachment(s)
My First Trip Report! Simpson Springs Utah and regions West.
Well, here it is. My first Trip Report! Feel free to give any feedback and/or suggestions.
So, after much discussion and a little bickering with my my wife about camping on Memorial Day weekend. We decided on heading about an hour West of us and make camp at the Simpson Springs campground on the Pony Express trail. With four kids ages 3, 4, 11 and 13, camping is well, interesting. And to make things even more interesting, we don't tow around one of those fancy campers either, we tent it. So, we packed up my trusty 4-Runner and the Rogue headed out.
Its always entertaining to hear the kids get excited about a camping trip. Its a short lived bit of excitment, followed by the realization they are stuck in a vehicle. Fortunately, the monotony was broken up quickly when we turned off of Highway 73 onto the Pony Express Trail Road where we found a constant series of potholes mixed with sections of road that were completely gone and filled with gravel. Things greatly improved once we crossed Hwy 36 and continued on the Pony Express Trail Road, which turned to gravel within 3 miles. It was about 25 miles of gravel road to the campground. Lookout pass was filled with large RV's and campers plus all kinds of ATV's parked around them, what a zoo. Fortunately, it thinned out once we were out in the valley floor. We found the campground and setup camp with minimal issues.Attachment 66434
What an area. You realize how small you really are when you look out over the vast basin regions between the mountain ranges. From our camp we were able to see Michael Air Force Base in the Dugway Proving Grounds far off to the North, The Simpson Buttes and Mountain ranges to the West and the Simpson Mountains just to the East of us. To my surprise, the campground filled up not more than 2 hours later. ATV traffic was as the campground rules stated it should be, they are allowed to drive on the roads within the campground if they are enroute to ride outside the campground. There is a 1/4 mile buffer zone around the campground where ATV traffic is not allowed. Which was nice. Attachment 66431
Once camp was setup we headed out to do a little exploring. Heading Southwest on the Pony Express Trail Road I was suprised by the amount of traffic coming from the opposite direction. We turned off on Flint Springs Road and found a jeep road that went up the Western flank of Table Mountain, it was a small test of the Rogue's minimal off road capabilities. We continued South on Flint Springs Road, immediately we encountered about a half mile worth of that VERY fine and soft dust, which was about 8 inches deep. We powered through it which created a very thick and BIG dust cloud behind us which the kids thought was fun. Once the kids had enough of being bounced around we headed back to camp. Attachment 66432
We had enough time before the sun started to drop behind the mountains to explore the immediate area around the campground, which included many ruins, a reconstructed cabin and the Pony Express Trail marker. Attachment 66433Attachment 66438Attachment 66439
It was windy! From the time we got there to the time we left we had a constant and gusting wind from the south. We had a fire long enough to heat up our Boyscout dinners and to let the lil ones cook their hotdogs. We put it out shortly after we had ate. For as many people there was at the campground, it was suprisingly quiet. The sunset was amazing. I was limited to taking pictures from my phone, so the pictures don't do it justice. Attachment 66435
All in all a very nice and relaxing overnighter. I would highly suggest checking out the area if you like getting away from everything and don't mind NOT having cell service. Just a side note. This is a a VERY remote area, especially if you head further to the west. So make sure you take plenty of water, bring tools, spare tires(s) and even some extra gas. Just in case. Hope you all enjoyed reading what has turned into a novel of a trip report. I look forward to the next adventure!
