Posts

Posted on

Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest

We recently drove home from Dillon, Colorado, but had to divert from our normal route due to massive mudslides in Glenwood Canyon.  I’m sure I could have made it through with a pickup truck…right?

We decided to drive north into Wyoming and headed west towards Park City, Utah.  We wanted to do some hiking along the way, so we took the long way from Evanston, WY by driving through the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.  This is our second time visiting this area, and we wanted to see more of it.

It was interesting that shortly after crossing the state line into Utah the mountains started creeping up around us.  Utah definitely got the better part of this border!

The first spot we hit was Ruth Lake.  The trailhead was jam packed with cars, so it must be a decent hike!  We found a parking spot across the street, and noted that you had to pay a National Forest fee or risk getting a ticket.  Fortunately we had the exact fee in cash, $6.  Keep this in mind if you visit.  There was no option to purchase from a human and get change!

The hike to Ruth Lake is fairly short at 1.5 miles, 2 miles if you loop around the lake (which we did).  This is the view of the approach.

You have arrived!

On the far side of the lake we ran into 2 pairs of Yellow-bellied Marmots.  The first pair were quite shy, but these two didn’t seem to care about us.

Here is a beautiful view from the west side of the lake, with water lillies and my lovely wife in the foreground!

We drove a little further and decided to repeat a hike we did last time we were here, Mirror Lake. It’s an easy 1.5 mile hike.  Such a gorgeous spot!

One last stop on the way out of the National Forest was Upper Provo River Falls, right off the main road.

If you happen to be in the Park City area, or just passing through the southwestern part of Wyoming, this is a worthwhile visit!

We are supposed to fly to Milan on September 5th, just 16 days from now!  We have every digit on every appendage crossed!

 

 

Posted on

Ruby Mountains, Nevada

It’s been a long time since I felt we had done something worth posting about!  Watching Netflix for hours on end isn’t usually worthy of anything except shame, but I may do a post of what we have found were decent shows to stream.

We just drove from Livermore, CA to Dillon, CO, and on the way we revisited what has become our favorite hike outside of Yosemite….in Nevada!  I hear you asking, “Hiking in Nevada?  In July no less?”  Yes, I know, shocking!

Along the 80 freeway through Northern Nevada is the “beautiful” armpit of Elko.  Definitely more armpit, less beatiful!

Elko is truly a depressing place all on it’s own, but just 40 minutes south of Elko sits the Ruby Mountains, and the grand entrance to this jewel is Lamoille Canyon.

Trust me, the photo doesn’t do it justice.  This glacially carved canyon is just stunning!  At the end of the canyon is the trailhead for the epic hike to Liberty Pass.  Here is Kim near the beginning of the trail.  I told you this place is beautiful!

The hike is 6 miles roundtrip, with the trailhead starting out at an elevation of 8,800′.   Liberty Pass is 10,450′, so this is a pretty strenuous hike, particularly if you aren’t acclimated to the altitude.  Yet we made it!  Our calves are still mooing 3 days later, but I digress.

You will pass several lakes along the way.  I think this one is called Dollar Lake….didn’t really look worth more than 50 cents IMHO.

Lamoille Lake is 2 miles from the trailhead, so it’s a popular destination for those that want a more mellow hike (ie why are you here?).  The last mile to Liberty Pass is definitely the steepest portion of the hike!

Looking back at Lamoille Lake.  Come on man…I’m old and I’m still doing Liberty Pass!

This is the view looking back down Lamoille Canyon about a quarter mile from the top of the pass.  The glacial carving of the valley is quite evident.  There was a lot of snow along the way….this is still Nevada?  In July?

Your reward at the top of Liberty Pass is this incredible view of Liberty Lake!  If you expand the photo you can see Farve Lake in the background.  This is the perfect lunch spot.  If you are adventurous you can continue on the trail down to the lake, which is absolutely filled with trout if you are into fishing.

We stayed the night in Elko so we could get on the trail fairly early the next morning.  Thunderstorms tend to show up in the early afternoon, so an early start is a must.  We got caught in one the last time we did this hike.  I can still feel the hail on my thinly haired head from that one!

If you decide to try this out and stay in Elko, I highly recommend the Ledgestone Hotel, which is fairly new, clean and comfortable.  They even have free chargers for electric cars!  We also had an excellent Italian meal at Luciano’s….far better than we expected given how many so-so meals we’ve had in Elko over the years.

As for future travels, we are supposed to be flying to Milan on September 4th for six weeks of travel in Northern Italy.  Fingers crossed that some new variant of the “Chinese Flu” doesn’t come out and screw us once again!  Pray for us!