Update: It looks like the forecast keeps dropping how much precip they are calling for out that way. I also just heard back from one of the rangers at Hans Flat, and he said that road is mostly rock and sand and it should be good to go by Monday (he said that some of the roads up higher like...
Yeah, that's a good point about the soil composition. We'll only be biking the last dozen miles or so, but sand is the worst on the bike so some precip may be a good thing. I haven't driven that road before (the road from Hite to the Maze)... does anyone here know if that road has substantial...
Yeah, I'll err on the side of caution on this trip (partly because biking in the mud with a ton of weight just sounds awful), and will likely do a different trip instead (which I am much less excited for) that is accessible by paved roads and that should benefit from the recent precip (to fill...
We're planning on heading to the Maze next week but I'm worried about the snow (and rain) in the forecast the days before our planned trip starts, in particular, how it will affect the road from Hite. It looks like they're expecting 2-3 inches or so of snow (depending on where exactly I click...
Thanks for sharing! This is a sobering reminder to me to be careful about water sources in the desert (especially given that next week I'm planning on taking my son on his first "we'll hope there's water in this pothole like there was a few years ago" trip)
Interesting. I was surprised at how few people cowboy camp on the PCT. I would have thought a lot of people would skip setting up the tent during the bug-free sections.
Are the current conditions particularly dry right now? I haven't been out to UT yet this year, but I would think conditions should be just fine. Salt Creek has good water for much/most of the way, and there is good water in Lost Canyon as well. You don't need to worry about navigation between...
My main advice is to do five days at least. Four days just isn't enough to make the winds worth it in my opinion (at least compared to other more accessible options).
Yup! It's actually at the end of the little peninsula right off of the White Crack campsite. Hanging out there at dusk and dawn might be the best panoramic view I saw last year
That section of Salt Creek is indeed amazing, but in my opinion it would also be rushing it to do it all in one day. Most of the amazing stuff in there is found by taking time exploring off of the main trail. I would personally hold off on a Salt Creek through hike until I had enough days to...
Which trailhead did you start from? I'm thinking next time I may try to ride my bike in from the Purgatory trailhead to Needleton (not sure how hard that would be though)
I've never used a packraft, but I guarantee I wouldn't want to use one as a sleeping pad. I'm kind of picky when it comes to sleeping pads though. I think it would be more suitable to use it as part of a shelter system (and don't bring a tent/tarp--or bring a smaller tarp), assuming you're...
Yeah, you should really spend all of your time in one of the two ranges and save the other for a different trip. In the Winds, it basically takes a whole day of subpar hiking to get to the really good stuff (like Titcomb), so if you only have four days, you'll be spending only half of your time...