Uintah Recommendation

[Mudcat]

Since living in Utah I've spent most of my outdoor time in the canyons down south. But I have a short weekend (one night) coming up and wonder if anyone can recommend an overnight backpack trip in the Uintahs. Looking for beauty and solitude. Thanks all.

[Scott Card]

Since living in Utah I've spent most of my outdoor time in the canyons down south. But I have a short weekend (one night) coming up and wonder if anyone can recommend an overnight backpack trip in the Uintahs. Looking for beauty and solitude. Thanks all.

For a one nighter, solitude may be hard to come by. Depends on how far you want to hike. I think one of the prettiest lakes up there is Kamas. Hike to Scout lake off the Mirror Lake Highway and up and over the pass down into Kamas. Since school has started, the scouts are gone(?) and they are never there on weekends.

[Mudcat]

Good question. I guess hiking in 3-10 miles is fine.

[goofball]

all the west side hwy 150 th's i've hiked out from have great scenery along them. as scott siad though, solitude is harder to come by. lots of day hikers. if you got off hte trail though you could ahve some peace, and definitely over night i bet you would have some solitude. i hi9ked around naturqalist basin recently as well and while not near as pretty as the west side of hwy 150, it had its charms. everman lake was a real nice spot w/ huge meadows nearby and lots of places to camp away from teh lake.

have fun !

everman meadows

[Caddis]

My wife and I really enjoyed Amethyst Lake and Ostler Lake. It is only six miles. There was a little traffic from day hikers into Amethyst, but we didn't see anyone at Ostler Lake. The fish are bigger at Ostler Lake if you are into fishing.

[brookiekiller]

I go on weekend backpacking trips all the time. People have the misconception that the Uintas are only included around the Mirror Lake Highway. The Mirror Lake Highway, IMHO, is an overcrowded, over rated place. Stay away from the trails in that area if you are looking for solitude.

An EASY weekend trip is to go to the Grand View Trailhead and go to Marsell Lake - it is a 4 mile hike on a busy trail, then a cross country hike for 1/2 mile. Every time I have been there I have seen a lot of people on the hike in, but never anybody at the Lake. It does have the potential to be crowded as the Granddaddy Lake area is the most used back country in the Uintas.

I also Like Ostler Lake, but it can be crowded - if you consider 3 other groups crowded. Every time I have gone there, I have seen 2 or 3 other tents, but never any people.

I go further East on the North Slope - Little East Fork Blacks Fork, Burnt Fork Lake Drainage above Spirit Lake, Beaver Creek drainage - including Beaver Lake. These hikes get to great scenery and fishing with only 6 miles of hiking, and the crowds are non existent. The trail heads are 120 - 150 miles from SLC, so a little further, but only by about 20 - 50 miles. I also grew up in Lyman, WY so am a little biased and know this section of the Mountains very well.

The Mirror Lake Highway covers a very, very small peice of a Mountain Range over a Hundred Miles Long, but yet that area recieves most of the visitation.