markoboston
New Member
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2014
- Messages
- 4
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!