hayden
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- Joined
- Mar 20, 2025
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This is my trip report of a hike I did last fall (2024) in the high Uintas. I usually hike solo, and this trip was no different. The drive to the trailhead would take just under two hours, so I had to wake up early to make it to the trail at a reasonable hour. I wanted to start just before sunrise, but instead started closer to nine o'clock! The first part of the trail was busy, as expected, passing fellow hikers coming back from a night at the nearby lakes. Several hikers mentioned it got down to below freezing the previous night, which had me on edge because I had never experienced anything colder than 45 degrees while camping overnight. As I kept hiking, I found myself increasingly alone. I occasionally passed other backpackers who were making their way to Naturalist Basin, too busy for me! I was looking for solitude. Around noon, I stopped for lunch by Carolyn Lake. I don't like to stop for long, so I was back on the trail in no time. I was making good time as I passed Pigeon Milk Springs and Rocky Sea Pass
This was the first time I had ever hiked in this area, I was blown away by the view from Rocky Sea Pass!
As I passed several lakes in Rock Creek Basin, I stumbled upon a Llama named Dale. Apparently, he was left behind because he wasn't feeling well. The hunters would come back for him later.
After saying goodbye to Dale, I came upon a large burn section. This happened in 2020, but no crews have come in to clear out the deadfall. I had heard about this previously but didn't think it would be this bad. There was no trail, and the amount of deadfall made it hard to make progress. This caused me to fall behind schedule, ultimately arriving at camp after dark. I would say if you were to hike through this section of trail, take the detour by Head of Rock Creek Trail. It adds several miles, but this seems to be the popular detour most people take. I also wouldn't recommend the Jack and Jill Lake trail, but more on that later. I passed several people attempting the Highline trail, we didn't talk much though because we were both in a hurry to make it to our destinations. It was getting late, and I was worried I wouldn't get to Dead Horse Lake, and I was tired. However, at around 6:30 I made it up to Dead Horse Pass to see the beautiful lake. This was such a relief to me to have made it! I was re-energized, and eager to set up camp to relax and eat a good meal.
It was already dark by the time I made it down the pass, so it was hard to navigate, but I eventually found a spot for my hammock. It was time to eat! I found it hard to keep warm now that I had stopped hiking, so I was in bed pretty quickly after eating. I woke up in the middle of the night to flashes of light off in the distance. It was lightning from a storm just past Red Knob Pass. I was debating whether or not to put up my rain fly, I didn't want to get out of bed and risk getting cold and not being able to fall back asleep.I decided to keep the rainfly off. I stayed up for a bit longer, and it was then when I heard from the complete silence, an Elk bugel. I had never heard one in person, and at 3:00 in the morning with the entire basin to myself, it was beautiful! I woke up again at around 5:30 and decided this was as good a time as any to start the day. I wanted to get back to the car at a reasonable hour. I neglected to eat breakfast, I was too cold to stand around so I decided to snack while hiking. This was Dead Horse Lake just as the sun was coming over the mountain.
I made it over the pass in good time, passing Continent Lake and Ledge Lake. A hunter and his son I had met the day before had made camp at Ledge Lake, and they were just starting their day as I passed them. I made a last-minute decision to take the detour by Jack and Jill Lake. I did not want to get stuck in that burn area again. The first part of the trail was quite nice, with minimal burn areas and more lakes, many unnamed.
However, as you progress along the Jack and Jill Trail, you still get stuck in a pretty sizeable burn area. It's not as bad as the Highline Trail, but it's not something I'd want to do again. This is why I'd recommend the Head of Rock Creek Trail, it seems to be the best of the three options. Not eating breakfast started to take it's toll on me as I neared Rocky Sea Pass. I was making good progress though, and didn't see another person on the trail until the very end at Hayden Pass.
My love for the Uintas has grown considerably over the past two years. I hope to hike the entire Highline Trail this year, and this hike was a test run of sorts to see where I stood. My pack weighed in at just over 45lbs, and I covered about 20 miles each day. My pack weight won't be that heavy this year as I've made lots of changes, so 20 miles a day shouldn't be a problem. I hope to write more TRs this year on my other adventures, so keep an eye out for those!
Cheers everyone!
This was the first time I had ever hiked in this area, I was blown away by the view from Rocky Sea Pass!
As I passed several lakes in Rock Creek Basin, I stumbled upon a Llama named Dale. Apparently, he was left behind because he wasn't feeling well. The hunters would come back for him later.
After saying goodbye to Dale, I came upon a large burn section. This happened in 2020, but no crews have come in to clear out the deadfall. I had heard about this previously but didn't think it would be this bad. There was no trail, and the amount of deadfall made it hard to make progress. This caused me to fall behind schedule, ultimately arriving at camp after dark. I would say if you were to hike through this section of trail, take the detour by Head of Rock Creek Trail. It adds several miles, but this seems to be the popular detour most people take. I also wouldn't recommend the Jack and Jill Lake trail, but more on that later. I passed several people attempting the Highline trail, we didn't talk much though because we were both in a hurry to make it to our destinations. It was getting late, and I was worried I wouldn't get to Dead Horse Lake, and I was tired. However, at around 6:30 I made it up to Dead Horse Pass to see the beautiful lake. This was such a relief to me to have made it! I was re-energized, and eager to set up camp to relax and eat a good meal.
It was already dark by the time I made it down the pass, so it was hard to navigate, but I eventually found a spot for my hammock. It was time to eat! I found it hard to keep warm now that I had stopped hiking, so I was in bed pretty quickly after eating. I woke up in the middle of the night to flashes of light off in the distance. It was lightning from a storm just past Red Knob Pass. I was debating whether or not to put up my rain fly, I didn't want to get out of bed and risk getting cold and not being able to fall back asleep.I decided to keep the rainfly off. I stayed up for a bit longer, and it was then when I heard from the complete silence, an Elk bugel. I had never heard one in person, and at 3:00 in the morning with the entire basin to myself, it was beautiful! I woke up again at around 5:30 and decided this was as good a time as any to start the day. I wanted to get back to the car at a reasonable hour. I neglected to eat breakfast, I was too cold to stand around so I decided to snack while hiking. This was Dead Horse Lake just as the sun was coming over the mountain.
I made it over the pass in good time, passing Continent Lake and Ledge Lake. A hunter and his son I had met the day before had made camp at Ledge Lake, and they were just starting their day as I passed them. I made a last-minute decision to take the detour by Jack and Jill Lake. I did not want to get stuck in that burn area again. The first part of the trail was quite nice, with minimal burn areas and more lakes, many unnamed.
However, as you progress along the Jack and Jill Trail, you still get stuck in a pretty sizeable burn area. It's not as bad as the Highline Trail, but it's not something I'd want to do again. This is why I'd recommend the Head of Rock Creek Trail, it seems to be the best of the three options. Not eating breakfast started to take it's toll on me as I neared Rocky Sea Pass. I was making good progress though, and didn't see another person on the trail until the very end at Hayden Pass.
My love for the Uintas has grown considerably over the past two years. I hope to hike the entire Highline Trail this year, and this hike was a test run of sorts to see where I stood. My pack weighed in at just over 45lbs, and I covered about 20 miles each day. My pack weight won't be that heavy this year as I've made lots of changes, so 20 miles a day shouldn't be a problem. I hope to write more TRs this year on my other adventures, so keep an eye out for those!
Cheers everyone!
