# 4WD Access only



## zra1138 (Sep 1, 2015)

Hi. I am new to the site and to Utah. I approach camping in a hybrid sort of way. I like to be extremely remote, but I am not really into backpacking. So I typically try to find a trail that only a good 4WD vehicle can access that will take me to a nice lake or river (preferably a lake) so I can fish. A trail that a 2WD or even AWD vehicle wouldn't attempt. Seems to limit the number of people. Anyone here point me in a direction for that kind of place in the Uintas?


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## brendo (Sep 10, 2013)

Murdock basin is a pretty rough road.. It can get you to either Hoover or Marshall? I'm not quite sure as I have only hiked into the lakes from mirror lake hwy. I think it's 5-10 miles on the dirt road


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## Jrdnmoore3 (Sep 1, 2013)

How 4WD are you talking I have a 4d Jeep Rubicon with a 6" lift and 37" tires that will go just about anywhere and I can get away from people a long ways in places but it depends on how rough you want to get


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## 30-06-hunter (Sep 22, 2013)

zra1138 said:


> Hi. I am new to the site and to Utah. I approach camping in a hybrid sort of way. I like to be extremely remote, but I am not really into backpacking. So I typically try to find a trail that only a good 4WD vehicle can access that will take me to a nice lake or river (preferably a lake) so I can fish. A trail that a 2WD or even AWD vehicle wouldn't attempt. Seems to limit the number of people. Anyone here point me in a direction for that kind of place in the Uintas?


There are miles of such places up there, grab a map and go exploring. I don't disclose my preferred spots, as this would defeat the purpose of having it be remote and getting away from people....


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## 30-06-hunter (Sep 22, 2013)

Jrdnmoore3 said:


> How 4WD are you talking I have a 4d Jeep Rubicon with a 6" lift and 37" tires that will go just about anywhere and I can get away from people a long ways in places but it depends on how rough you want to get


90% of the forest roads and '4wd trails' in Utah can be driven in a stock Tacoma, 60-70% of those can be done in a Subaru. But even on those milder trails it's surprising how quickly the number of people you see decreases, must have something to do with the fact that they can't easily tow their house on wheels off the beaten path.


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## zra1138 (Sep 1, 2015)

Thanks for the responses. @Jrdnmoore3 I have an F150 Supercrew 4x4. No lift. But it sounds like there are lots of places. It also sounds like Mirrow Lake and Washington Lake have the most traffic. Is that true? And has anyone been to Iron Mine Lake? What's it like?


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

One thing that you need to do is to stop into the Forest Service office and get a official travel map of the area that you plan on going into and take a long look at it. There are some roads that are open to trucks, jeeps, cars, and what ever else can drive on them. then there are roads that are only open to ATV's with a width restriction on them, then there are roads that are open only to 2 wheeled vehicles. You don't want to get caught on these roads in anything other than what they are designated for.


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## 30-06-hunter (Sep 22, 2013)

Critter said:


> One thing that you need to do is to stop into the Forest Service office and get a official travel map of the area that you plan on going into and take a long look at it. There are some roads that are open to trucks, jeeps, cars, and what ever else can drive on them. then there are roads that are only open to ATV's with a width restriction on them, then there are roads that are open only to 2 wheeled vehicles. You don't want to get caught on these roads in anything other than what they are designated for.


I recall reading a story about someone who ended up needing to be rescued because they had their Jeep on a designated ATV/motorcycle only trail and rolled it, in the end they had to repay the fees for being rescued plus the vehicle recovery costs.


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## Christine (Mar 13, 2013)

You'd be surprised where you can go if you have an AWD and no sense. Lol!


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## Jedidiah (Oct 10, 2014)

Christine said:


> You'd be surprised where you can go if you have an AWD and no sense. Lol!


And an unlimited repair budget to replace bumpers, foglights, tie rods, engine mounts, tires, rims, exhaust systems (including catalytic converters, ouch, trust me), oil pans and axles.


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## Christine (Mar 13, 2013)

It's on it's third oil pan and is getting $250.00 worth of alignment work done... But otherwise it's done well. For a car. 

We didn't think that trail was going to get that bad, but once you start going downhill in the snow and ice your kinda committed. Lol

We could have taken our 3/4 ton 4x4 but we thought we'd save money by taking the more fuel efficient vehicle. Heh.


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## Christine (Mar 13, 2013)

The mitsubishi is my husband's. This is my truck. I don't like replacing oil pans.


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## hondodawg (Mar 13, 2013)

I used to roam around boulder alot. Some ruff stuff around there. I blew a fuel pump on my truck up antimony lake once. Lucky us we has this new thing called a cell phone with a bag battery. Called a buddy to come and get us. Got the truck the next weekend. Last I looked that dirt road is now ATV only. 4WD just used to get me in trouble. Now I use it to get me from trouble when 2WD can't go any more. I must be getting old.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

We used to do a fishing trip up to Fish Creek on Bolder Mountain every year on Fathers Day weekend. One year we headed up a week prior while there was still quite a bit of snow left on the road. About half way up the road we spotted where someone had hit a rock real hard with something. A very short distance further we saw a line of oil on the ground. We followed it until we got to Beaver Dam and there sat a brand new Chevy 4x4 long wheel base truck with no one around. I took a look under it and there was a real nice gash in the oil pan. I guess that they didn't believe the sign on the bottom of the road. The sign said "Jeep Road" and under Jeep Road some one had written "NO [email protected]#" It has been a long time since I was up there and I still wonder if that sign is still there. I'll have to see if I can find the picture I had of that sign.

We went back up the next weekend for Fathers Day and the truck was gone, but there were a few empty oil jugs in the trees just off from where the truck was parked. They didn't even have the courtesy to throw the empties into the bed of the truck.


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## Jedidiah (Oct 10, 2014)

Try Thousand Lakes Mountain. Fun fact, the labels on Thousand Lakes and Boulder Mountain are a mistake. They were meant to be the other way around, which is why there's more lakes on Boulder Mountain than there are on Thousand Lakes.


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