Suggestions For Snow Camping In Northern Utah

My experience with snow caves was also as a boy scout, but ours was the lazy version. We went up to the spruces and dug out a couple of picnic tables. Slept under them with no worry of a collapse. Had a good time for not much work.
 
There are some great spots up AF Canyon. I'd be happy to join you sometime, I've been wanting to get in a few overnighters up there in the snow this year.
 
sixstringsteve said:
There are some great spots up AF Canyon. I'd be happy to join you sometime, I've been wanting to get in a few overnighters up there in the snow this year.
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What are the good spots in AF? Being in Pleasant Grove that would be ideal! Thanks
 
Assuming you want to backpack/snowshoe in (and not car camp), here are some spots up AF Canyon (there are plenty more). The cycling clubs head up there and snowshoe just about every single hiking trail up there. If you're familiar with the trails in the summer, youll recognize them in the winter too. It's open camping up there past certain points, so just be smart and leave no trace. As with all snow hiking, be Avy savvy and take some avalanche awareness classes before just trekking out there.

From Pine Hollow Parking Lot:
- (LONG) Hike from Pine Hollow Parking Lot along the snow-covered SR-92 road to the summit and camp in the meadows west of the summit parking lot (i believe it's called horse trail or something like that)
- (MEDIUM to LONG) Hike from Pine Hollow Parking Lot to the Pine Hollow trail. From there you can go as far as you want. There are two meadows above the trailhead that make for some fantastic camping. You can also connect to the ridge trail (157, Great Western) from this route.
- (MEDIUM) Hike from Pine Hollow Parking Lot up the main road to Timpanookie and you can go a million different ways from there.


From Tibble Fork Parking Lot:
- (SHORT) Hike from Tibble Fork Parking lot towards Granite Flats. You can camp near Granite flats, there are a few trails leading in and out of the summer camping spots (though the campgrounds are technically "closed" in the winter.) I don't see pitching a tent there overnight in the snow being a problem.
- (SHORT) From Tibble Fork Parking Lot, hike out the road that exits on the East side of the parking lot (the main road leading to Mineral Basin, Dutchman Flats, Pole Line Pass, etc. Hike as far as you want, camp where you want, then return back the way you came.
- (MEDIUM) Make a loop of trails 040 to 041 (steep, strenuous hike). There's a gorgeous meadow up at the top of 040. That'd be a great place to camp.


From Aspen Grove:
- (MEDIUM) Park at Aspen Grove Parking Lot (right before the toll booth). Hike the 065 trail up to connect to the the summit parking lot (~ 3 miles). From there you can connect to all the other trails on the AF side of the canyon.


Another cool spot is up horsetail falls trail in alpine. You can camp up there, but you have to hike a mile or two before you get to the good spots to camp.

I imagine you could go above battle creek falls as well, but I've never been past the falls so I can't say one way or another.



For my first backpacking overnighter in the snow, i plan on parking at tibble fork reservoir. Then I'll hike up towards granite flatts or silver lake flats. That way I'm not super far from the car if anything happens. Once I make sure I'm ready for a farther trek, I'll park at pine hollow and hike up to the meadows above and camp up there.
 
If you're wanting to car camp, you could always go out to 5 mile pass and pull off one of those dirt roads to practice spending the night in colder temps. If you want more snow, the San Rafael Swell can be fun in the snow, along with the pony express trail or lots of places up in never/midway too. Logan has some great spots to car camp in the snow as well.
 
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