Shingle Creek Trail - Western Uinta Mountains - Utah

 

SHINLGLE CREEK TRAIL

WESTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS, UTAH

“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees”

Henry David Thoreau

 

Hiker snow shoeing up the Shingle Creek Drainage - Western Uinta Mountains, Utah - JDJ Photo

East of Salt Lake City, Utah in the north east corner of the State lie the mighty Uinta Mountains. This range is peculiar because it runs east to west rather than the north to south orientation of the Wasatch and the Great Basin Ranges. There are two National Forests on the range – The Wasatch-Cache National Forest and the Ashley National Forest which was established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908. The Uinta Mountains contain over 1,000 lakes, 500 of which support game fish. There are 400 miles of streams and these mountains contain the largest wilderness area in Utah, the High Uintas Primitive Area – a vast contiguous 460,000-acre roadless area. The peak contains dozens of high peaks that rise above the tree line and a handful that attain a height of 13,000 feet. The tallest of these giant peaks is Kings Peak at 13,528 feet. When viewed from the north along Interstate 80 near Fort Bridger and the Lyman area, the High Uinta peaks, often darkened by clouds, retain large snow fields and drifts on the ridge edges making a beautiful scene that can be seen from a great distance. The mountains around the periphery of the Wilderness are very accessible and

Route Marker along the Shingle Creek Trail - JDJ Photo

easy to visit. UT Highway 150, better known as the Mirror Lake Highway, starts in Kamas and winds its way through the Western Uinta Mountains 42 miles to Evanston, Wyoming. Along this stretch there are numerous campgrounds, trailheads, picnic areas and viewpoints. The road caps out at 10,715-foot Bald Mountain pass and then descends through a giant alpine basin past dozens of lakes on the way to Evanston. I have hiked and enjoyed the wild splendor of these mountains for decades and have hiked Kings Peak 3 times. The higher summits are not very accessible unless you are a strong back packer and have several days on your hands because that is what it will take to bag the highest summits. However, a short trip from the Salt Lake area to the Western Uintas can be extremely rewarding and a much easier proposition from an accessibility standpoint. One of the best all around trails in these Mountains is the Shingle Creek Trail located approximately 10 miles east of Kamas on the north side of the road. This is a well-defined trail that can be hiked year-round if you throw snow shoeing into the mix. The trail starts out at 7,500 feet and over a distance of 5.6 miles it reaches the Upper Setting and East Shingle Creek Lake at around 9,700 feet. The trail is relatively gradual but it does have its short steep pitches and a few ups and downs. The elevation gain from the trailhead to the lake is 2,200 feet so it is not a terribly difficult hike.

View looking south along the Shingle Creek Trail - JDJ Photo

What makes this hike attractive is that for most of its length it follows the course of Shingle Creek and as you walk through the woods the sounds of the stream will be consistently with you. Last week my wife and I decided to take a quick trip to the Uintas on a Saturday morning. It was a bright, sunny, April day and the temperature at the trailhead was about 40 degrees. I had planned on snow shoeing up the Yellow Pine trail to the Castle Peak area but when we arrived there the sun was doing its work of thawing the mountains and the place was a boggy mess so we paid for our pass at the kiosk and continued up the canyon to Shingle Creek. There was plenty of snow at the trailhead so we parked and got our snow boots and snow shoes on and headed up the trail. In the winter time, which it still was in April up here, you won’t have to fight the crowds on this trail and once you get away from the main highway, the forest is silent and the calming drone of the water in the creek makes for a very pleasant experience. After a short pitch and then an abrupt decline into the bottom of the creek bed, we came upon a wooden bridge in the pines that crosses over the stream. The bridge deck was packed at least 3 feet deep with snow and we had to sort of balance beam our way across it on our snow shoes to avoid falling into the stream that was swollen with runoff. The trail then wound its way up through some Ponderosa on the warm, south facing slope that was snow free in a few areas and then it turned back west into the dark pines and deep snow. Some areas of this trail are very narrow and the slope down to the creek bed is very steep so you must watch your step. These narrow portions of the trail in my opinion make this trail less than optimal for cross country or touring skiing. We continued for a few miles until we reached a meadow ringed by white bark aspen. We stood there for a bit in the winter wonderland, admiring the scenery of the high country and commented on how pretty this area, a dense band of aspen on the west slope, would be in fall when the leaves were golden. It was completely silent up there except for the crunch, crunch of our snow shoes, an occasional kaw kaw of a raven and echoing knock, knock, knock of a woodpecker somewhere in the trees. I decided to turn back at this meadow because like a knuckle head, I forgot to throw my

Hiker along the Shingle Creek Trail - Western Uinta Mountains, Utah - JDJ Photo

backpack in the truck before we left the house and as we got deeper into the woods, I got an un easy feeling that it would not be wise to venture further up the drainage in deep snow without adequate supplies, fire starting material etc. We were however thankful that we were able to access these mountains so easily on a Saturday and enjoy the splendor of nature. On the way out, the sun was higher in the sky and the large clumps of snow piled in the boughs of the trees from the last storm were breaking up and cascading down in crystal snow particulate showers. Truly a beautiful sight to see against the green backdrop of the Fir Trees and feel it pelt your hat and coat when it falls on you. This trail can be busy in the spring and summer time so you are likely to encounter a lot more people, some of whom may be on horse back or riding mountain bikes so be alert. Another thing that makes this trail attractive is that dogs are allowed so you can bring your furry friend with you on this hike. While you must be prepared in the winter on this trail to make your experience safe and enjoyable, you also need to prepare appropriately for a visit here in the summer time. Even at this elevation, it can get down right hot on the sunny spots of the trail so bring sun screen. The good thing is that the trail follows the creek for the most part so if you bring a water filter you will not have to pack as much water. DO NOT drink any water in these mountains without filtering or boiling it because there is giardia in the water and you will be enrolled in a wicked, gut-wrenching weight loss program if you drink this water untreated and get giardia. Another troublesome pest to consider are mosquitos. The Uinta Mountains are famous for large amounts of mosquitos due to all the marshes, lakes, streams and ponds. Be certain that you pack insect repellant. The worst thing in the World is to backpack 5.6 miles in to a lake basin for an overnight camp and discover you forgot your insect repellant. It will be fine during the day while temperatures are warm but when it begins to cool off towards evening, the blood suckers come out in force! During the summer months, you are practically guaranteed some kind of precipitation in the form of a sprinkle, shower or downpour so be prepared for that with some kind of jacket. It is always a good idea to take a few more snacks and food than you think you will need because you never know what may happen on the trail – a sprained ankle makes for a much longer visit to the woods than you may have planned. All these precautions aside, a quick trip from the Wasatch Front up to the Western Uinta Mountains is an easy and most enjoyable thing. The Shingle Creek Trailhead is located between the Upper Setting Road to the west and the Norway Flats Road to the east. The National Forest does charge a use fee in this area of $10.00 that is payable in the kiosk at the Forest Boundary. This pass allows access and recreation for 3 days. Dense forest, a rolling stream, alpine lakes, and a chance to see a moose, mule deer, elk or marmot await you if you decide to take a hike up this trail and at the end of your hike you will be refreshed and feel as tall as the trees.