Sawtooths or Uintas?

markoboston

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I am flying to Salt Lake City next week and renting a car, planning a 1-week wilderness solo trip from there. I had been planning to drive up to the Sawtooths in Idaho because I had read that it might be the most beautiful US wilderness area (outside of Alaska anyway). I have even more or less figured out where I think I want to camp there (Upper Redfish Lakes). But then I read a trip report elsewhere online from a Utahan who felt that the Sawtooths were mosquito-infested and overrated and that he'd rather backpack in the Uintas. I hadn't heard much about the Uintas before that (living in New England), so I looked into it, and they look pretty nice, too. Can anyone who's been to both mountain ranges comment on which of the two I should visit? I don't mind a couple extra hours driving (after flying all that way), so that is not a big consideration. Which mountain range is more likely to awe me? Which mountain range is less likely to horrify me with clouds of mosquitoes? And if you recommend the Uintas, can you recommend a beautiful spot or two where I might head? Since I will be solo and do not travel ultralight, I have a heavy pack, so I like to hike far enough in to get a pretty but solitary site for a base camp, and then explore from there on day hikes. (I've done this on several solo trips in Colorado and the Sierras.) I'd like my base camp site to be no more than 9 miles in from the trailhead with up to 2000 feet of elevation gain. If the site is closer to the trailhead, I can handle a little more elevation gain. Thank you in advance for your helpful advice!
 
I don't see how the Sawtooths could be overrated. They are absolutely stunning and in regards to misquitoes from my experience last year there were far less than when I've been in the Uintas. If I had a choice and drive time and cost of fuel were not factors I would pick the Sawtooths hands down.
The trip from Redfish lake to the upper Redfish lakes is beautiful and would take a solid day to cover if you are in good shape but carrying a heavy pack. Heavy is relative, how much weight are you talking? Upper red fish is going to be a solid 10 miles with ~ 2500ft of elevation gain.

From my experience the trails this time of year in the sawtooths are packed during the weekends near trailheads but thin out quite a bit during the week. If you get off trail or are past 10 miles from a trailhead you won't see too many people and if you go off trail you most likely won't see any.
 
My experience in the Sawtooths is limited to a 3-day trip to Hellroaring and Imogene Lakes. With that said, I am not a big fan. If you're flying into SLC, I'd definitely do the Uintas over the Sawtooths, but since you're willing to drive 4-5 hours, I'd do the Winds over all of them combined. The Winds are without doubt the most visually stunning range in the region, in my opinion. And they don't have the crowds and cooky rules and regs that the Sawtooths have. Good high elevation starts too.
 
This quote from my trip report up there sums it up pretty well.

http://backcountrypost.com/forum/threads/imogene-and-hell-roaring-lakes-sawtooths.1017/

As far as how the Sawtooths stack up against other mountain ranges, they are very nice, but I don't know that I'll make a point to go there often. They have beautiful jagged granite peaks which are great, something the Uintas generally lack. But the low elevation means more dense forest and little to no high tundra type terrain. Also, it doesn't appear that the Idaho Fish and Game actively manage the fish population here. Two lakes like Imogene and Hell Roaring in the Uintas would be teeming with fish but here in The Sawtooths they were basically non-existent. I saw a few rise right at the end of the day but otherwise no sign and I sat by the deep shoreline at Imogene looking into those clear waters for hours. And last, the regulations seemed a bit heavy and from what I'm told, it gets pretty crazy there in the July/August time frame.

Sounds kind of like I'm bagging on the Sawtooths, doesn't it? I'm not, they were cool, but ultimately, if I were going to drive 4+ hours from SLC to backpack, I'd pick something like The Wind Rivers, The Beartooths, Yellowstone, Glacier etc. next time around. But if I lived a bit closer to the Teeth... I'd be all over this place.
 
And this:

imogene-lake-sawtooths-7-jpg.3713


And if you're willing to go way off trail into the wilderness, you aren't allowed to have a fire at all because it's not easy for them to come check on you and make sure you're following protocol. :rolleyes:
 
I think that each of the mountain ranges mentioned have their own unique qualities and are all great places to visit. I have enjoyed backpacking in each of these mountain ranges with week long trips and find that unless it is later in the year, mosquitoes are a challenge in any of them. I think that solitude can be found more easily in the Winds. The Uintas are closer to the airport, therefore less time spent driving and more time on the trail. There are many places that offer solitude and good fishing there. A fun resource is Cordell Anderson's website regarding the Uintas. A loop trip I took last year was starting at Swift Creek TH and heading up to Farmers, Timothy etc. lakes. Headed over bluebell pass and crossed over the Yellowstone drainage and stayed at Spider, Superior etc. lakes. The Sawtooths are my first love though. The Upper redfish are good lakes, also recommend trying the Crammer lakes, and if you can make it over to Profile lake, it had some great fishing last year. Sorry to bend your ear, but somewhere backpacking has got to be better than anywhere else.
 
I have never been to the Sawtooths, though they look really nice. the Winds are the most majestic, but the Uintas have a very unique characteristic to them. I love the high alpine tundra and crumbly talus slopes of the Uintas. Honestly you can't go wrong with any of them.
 
The Beartooths are awfully nice as well, though it would be a bit of a drive. I did Froze to Death Lake there and well, pretty much froze to death. Beautiful though.
 
Valid point about the regulations in the Sawtooths. They do seem to be more strict.
 
Actually, I think it was Nick's comment that made me consider skipping the Sawtooths. But I'm not bringing a dog, I don't plan to fish, and I don't care much about having a fire. I'm happy with my propane stove for cooking and bedding down early. That said, I'd never heard of the Wind River Range until just now. I did a little research, and it looks like I could just about make it to Island Lake from the Elkhart trailhead in a day and use it as a base. It looks beautiful but also sounds crowded. Is there any other beautiful but less popular part of the Winds that is hikeable in a day with a somewhat heavy (40 pound) pack (gear plus 5 days of food and fuel), and that could be a good base for day hikes? I am over 50 but in better shape than most guys in their 20s. I'm not really a peak bagger, but I like to get off trail and explore. Thanks again.
 
Actually, I think it was Nick's comment that made me consider skipping the Sawtooths. But I'm not bringing a dog, I don't plan to fish, and I don't care much about having a fire. I'm happy with my propane stove for cooking and bedding down early. That said, I'd never heard of the Wind River Range until just now. I did a little research, and it looks like I could just about make it to Island Lake from the Elkhart trailhead in a day and use it as a base. It looks beautiful but also sounds crowded. Is there any other beautiful but less popular part of the Winds that is hikeable in a day with a somewhat heavy (40 pound) pack (gear plus 5 days of food and fuel), and that could be a good base for day hikes? I am over 50 but in better shape than most guys in their 20s. I'm not really a peak bagger, but I like to get off trail and explore. Thanks again.

Pretty much anywhere in the Winds is amazing. Coming from the east coast, you will want to sleep a night somewhere between flying in and hitting the trail to help acclimatize and avoid altitude sickness.
Elkhardt Park is one of the more popular trailheads. Big Sandy and Green River Lakes are the other two. If you head out of any trailhead but one of those three, you'll do just fine.
Over on the East SIde, the Dickinson Park TH has some shorter stuff that's highly scenic.
 
Between the Uintahs and the Windrivers I would choose the Windrivers. Mosquitoes are going to be bad everywhere. In a sense this is nice because that means there is plentiful water everywhere. I haven't been to the Sawtooths but my wife and I want to get there soon. My sis-in-law absolutely loves it! The Winds will be crowded towards Island lake, but the scenery and surroundings make it so worth it. You said you've done the Sierras. I've done more in the Sierras than any other wilderness/mountain range. I think the Winds are as close to the beauty of the Sierras with a great Rocky Mountain feel. So here's my take:

You can't go wrong. Choose one, do it, then write a trip report telling us about it, and especially how you decided. Now for my suggestions on the Winds and Uintahs.

Winds: Do Island lake. On one of the day hikes summit Fremonte Peak. It is a lot of elevation but the views from the top are indescribable. On the way into Island Lake my favorite stop was Hobbs Lake. Something about it was just nice.

Uintahs: The Naturalist basin is about what you're looking for as far as length and elevation. There are peaks/ridges around for incredible veiws. As well there are many lakes around to go explore. The is also the Granddaddy lakes area. I would suggest avoiding granddaddy because it's like disneyland but in that basin there is so much space that you'll be able to find solitude. My wife and I did for a week in August two years ago.

Good luck and I hope, more than anything, you find what you're looking for.

Salud!
 
Actually, I think it was Nick's comment that made me consider skipping the Sawtooths. But I'm not bringing a dog, I don't plan to fish, and I don't care much about having a fire. I'm happy with my propane stove for cooking and bedding down early. That said, I'd never heard of the Wind River Range until just now. I did a little research, and it looks like I could just about make it to Island Lake from the Elkhart trailhead in a day and use it as a base. It looks beautiful but also sounds crowded. Is there any other beautiful but less popular part of the Winds that is hikeable in a day with a somewhat heavy (40 pound) pack (gear plus 5 days of food and fuel), and that could be a good base for day hikes? I am over 50 but in better shape than most guys in their 20s. I'm not really a peak bagger, but I like to get off trail and explore. Thanks again.
 
Here is a book that has helped me plan several trips to the Sawtooths. It will give you mileage between lakes and the elevation gain as well as the authors view and her difficulty rating for each trail. Here is a link for amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0966423380/?tag=backcountrypo-20.
The bottom pic is an example of what the maps in this book are. It also gives you a detailed description of the trail and directions. If you Decide to go you are more than welcome to borrow my book. I am just off I-15 in Malad Idaho on your way north.
1406157047713.jpg 1406157186804.jpg
 
I used the same book at Tater to plan out my last trip as well as using google earth. My brother caught a ton of fish in every lake he dropped line in on our last trip but we were fairly far from the more heavily traveled areas.

I think it's probably hard to go wrong with any of the suggestions.
 
Tater, it is very kind of you to offer to lend me your book! I will probably pass, mainly because I think I will save an hour of driving going up I-84. I have a decent trail map and am going to load some mapping apps onto my phone before I go. I have pretty much decided to stick with the Sawtooths, at least this year. I've already done a fair amount of planning, and it still seems like an awesome place to go. Maybe on a future trip I will go to the Wind River Range. It looks awesome, too. I will write up a report on my trip for this forum.
 
Tater, it is very kind of you to offer to lend me your book! I will probably pass, mainly because I think I will save an hour of driving going up I-84. I have a decent trail map and am going to load some mapping apps onto my phone before I go. I have pretty much decided to stick with the Sawtooths, at least this year. I've already done a fair amount of planning, and it still seems like an awesome place to go. Maybe on a future trip I will go to the Wind River Range. It looks awesome, too. I will write up a report on my trip for this forum.
You might consider coming home on I-15 via Arco and stopping by Craters Of The Moon National Monument. There is some great day hiking opertunities , lava tubes, cinder cones and other interesting rock features. Here's a link to the Monuments site.
http://www.nps.gov/crmo/index.htm

images-2.jpeg 3419084-Craters09.jpg moon-crater-cave-sign_sm.jpg
 
Sawtooths by far...... get to lakes off the trail...... check out my video and route gpx in the resource section here....
 
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