Packard Lake - Uinta Mountains

Devin Ashby

Don't Bust The Crust!
Joined
Mar 4, 2016
Messages
68
I've come back to Backcountry Post after a long time of not visiting the site to gain some inspiration of potential trips to do this Summer and thought i'd share a trip from last Summer that was my last backpacking trip before my wife and I had our first baby.

I headed out in August with two of my good friends. The original plan was to head to Red Castle, but we changed plans because my wife was at the point of going into labor any moment, so we chose a shorter hike. I had never been to Packard Lake before, but had hiked past the turn off dozens of times. It's shame that I had never been there before, cause it's is easily one of the more amazing areas of the Uintas.

We left the trailhead about 2pm and were to Packard within a couple hours. We took our time, and stopped a lot as we were not in a hurry. The hike to Packard consists of a lot of elevation gain and loss, but it's totally worth it because the lakes leading up to Packard are beautiful and had some great looking camp spots if you aren't looking to go too far. But going all the way to Packard is worth it, simply for the view overlooking the Duchesne River drainage.
IMG_1576.jpg
It was awesome to see Packard lake so close to the edge of such a rad view.
IMG_1575.jpg
Cooper The Wonder Dog even loved the view. We watched an amazing sunset from this point and enjoyed a peaceful night once the large group of scouts left.
IMG_1522.jpg
Fishing wasn't so good. I managed to get lucky and catch one small fish, but that was about it. My buddies had much better luck than I did.
IMG_1524.jpg
IMG_1525.jpg
IMG_1637.jpg
IMG_1502.jpg
Really beautiful meadow not far from Packard.
IMG_1527.jpg
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1488.jpg
    IMG_1488.jpg
    137.6 KB · Views: 24
  • IMG_1545.jpg
    IMG_1545.jpg
    97.7 KB · Views: 25
Love it. Makes me eager for summer.
 
Great Report. I hiked here last year. The view is awesome looking into the Duchesne River Drainage and the falls coming out of Packard Lake are pretty cool. I'll definitely have to go back sometime.
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
Perry Last Minute Over Nighter to Packard Lake Backpacking 13
Perry Early Winter Day Hike to Packard Lake Plus Murdock Fire Recon Hiking & Camping 9
DrNed Packard Lake Backpacking 14
wabenho Quick June Trip to Packard Lake Backpacking 6
scatman Grebe Lake - September 4th through the 6th, 2024 Meet Up (Members Only) 20
K How long in Lake Bled? Trip Planning 1
wsp_scott Yellowstone Lake to Brooks Lake (Aug 2023) Backpacking 16
Mikjik86 Backpacking Indian Peaks Wilderness - King Lake - August, 2023 Backpacking 0
Ugly Two Popular Lake Basins in the Cascades Backpacking 12
TheMountainRabbit Ortenburger Lake, Talus Lake, & Glacier Peak (Grand Teton NP) - October 2023 Backpacking 14
kwc Fall hike to Chase Lake, Southern Adirondacks Hiking & Camping 1
TrektheWorld Red Deer Lake & Beyond Backpacking 10
shredhiker Thorofare, Heart Lake, Snake River Sept. 2023 Backpacking 16
Bob Wind Rivers - Short Trip to Cook Lake Trip Reports 9
regehr (Uintas) Lake Fork Fun Backpacking 8
Timber High Sierra - North Lake to South Lake Loop - Layover Day Trip Planning 9
kwc Limekiln Lake paddle On The Water 0
shredhiker YNP Fawn Pass to Sportsman, Crescent, Shelf Lake Backpacking 11
Bob The Thorofare to Brooks Lake - 9 Days in Pictures Backpacking 10
Janice Lizard Head Plateau - overlook Upper Cathedral Lake? Trip Planning 15
uintafly Chepeta Lake to Hayden Pass Trip Planning 0
DrNed Naturalist Basin: Blue Lake to Shaler Lake? Trip Planning 12
shredhiker YNP Fawn Pass to Sportsman & Crescent Lake Trip Planning 14
kwc Jockeybush Lake- southern Adirondacks Hiking & Camping 0
shredhiker Yellowstone Heart Lake September 2022 Backpacking 9
TheMountainRabbit Black Lake (Rocky Mountain NP) - January 2023 Hiking & Camping 3
Ross Any Lake Powell experts who can advice on changed conditions at dramatically new lake levels? Trip Planning 3
NorthwestWanderer Backpacking Grand Teton National Park : Fossil Pass,Fox Creek Pass,Indian Lake,Alaska Basin,Hurricane Pass,Ice Floe Lake,& Snowdrift Lake Backpacking 19
NorthwestWanderer 8 Day High Sierra trek : Humphreys Basin, Star Col, Granite Park, Lake Italy & Piute Canyon 6/25-7/2/22 Backpacking 7
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Wrangler Lake, Bog Creek, Joseph's Coat Springs, Broad Creek, Wapiti Lake, Hot Springs Basin, and Pelican Valley. The Second Half. Backpacking 15
kwc Another Southern Adirondacks hike - Clockmill Pond and Rock Lake Hiking & Camping 0
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Wrangler Lake, Bog Creek, Joseph's Coat Springs, Broad Creek, Wapiti Lake, Hot Springs Basin, and Pelican Valley. Part One of Two. Backpacking 61
kwc Round Lake, north central Adirondacks, in the Round Lake Wilderness On The Water 2
Jackson Heart Lake and Snake River for Labor Day Backpacking 23
scatman Pacific Creek, Moss Lake and Gravel Lake - Teton Wilderness - October 7, 2022 Backpacking 32
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Hayden Valley, Trout Creek, Beach Lake, and Arnica Creek Meadows. September 11, 2022. Hiking & Camping 7
balzaccom Obata Lake...xc in Yosemite Backpacking 0
scatman Grizzly Lake - September 7, 2022 Backpacking 31
P Yellowstone, one night by a lake Backpacking 19
kwc A Few More Photos from Scatman’s Grizzly Lake trip … Backpacking 3
P Scatman's Grizzly Lake hike, 2022 Backpacking 28
P Yellowstone--Heart Lake to South Entrance Backpacking 13
scatman Shoshone Lake Lollipop Loop - Yellowstone National Park - July 24, 2022 Backpacking 63
T How big are the Mirror Lake campgrounds in the Porkies? Trip Planning 6
Georgia Yankee Apostle Islands, Lake Superior (again), June 2022 On The Water 4
kwc Adirondack Hike to Middle Lake Hiking & Camping 0
K Hello from the Salt Lake Valley Noobs: Introduce yourself! 2
J Lake Powell at 3528 feet General Discussion 1
WasatchWill WRHR: Day 5 - Camp Lake to Titcomb Basin Backpacking 15
WasatchWill WRHR: Day 4 - Halls Lake to Camp Lake Backpacking 17

Similar threads

Back
Top