# Good trail for horse trip in the Uintas???



## bigdaddyx4

We are planning a horse/pack trip into the Uintas the first part of August. I am not really familiar with the area, and was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for us? We will be traveling from Logan. I don't really have a preference as far as North or South Slope. We are looking to do a loop in 4 or 5 days, and start and finish at the same trailhead so we don't have to take extra trucks/trailers. There will probably be about half a dozen horses and riders. No other set plans other than that. Oh, and we want to ride where there will be plenty of opportunity for fishing along the way..

Any help or suggestions are appreciated! 

Thanks


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## Huge29

Moon Lake trailhead is nice; I believe it is the Yellowstone drainage??? Anywho, nice parking area with less traffic than the Mirror Lake highway trailheads since it is not as convenient to those from the city.


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## .45

The trailhead at Moon Lake is actually called the Lake Fork Trailhead, Yellowstone is about 20 or 30 miles or so east with Swift Creek a little further east. Yellowstone may not be the best choice for horse's as ATV trails are all over the place. Although, it sure is pretty country. 
Lots of fishing up the Lake Fork Trail.....here is a link...

http://www.utahtravelcenter.com/activit ... inloop.htm

It may pay to contact the Ashley Nat'l Forest before making plans, and don't forget to call me when we're going !! :O•-:


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## Huge29

.45 said:


> It may pay to contact the Ashley Nat'l Forest before making plans, and don't forget to call me when we're going !! :O•-:


He said horses, not donkeys! :mrgreen: 
I knew there was a "fork' in there somewhere, but I was referring to the Moon Lake one, just forgot the name of the drainage. Great area.


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## bigdaddyx4

Thanks for the help so far, keep the suggestions coming. I have not been down there for a long time, so I need the help. 

Seriously, if there is anyone who would like to go along with us, you are more than welcome! Of course, you will need your own horses. 

Thanks again!


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## Fowlmouth

A few years ago we took our horses up the Swift Creek trail head and did the loop over Bluebell Pass and down the Yellowstone drainage, which ends up right where you start. They have horse corrals at the trail head. On the Swift Creek side there is Deer Lake, Miller Lake, Timothy Lake, Farmer Lake and a bunch of other X lakes. Once over Bluebell Pass there is Milk Lake and the Yellowstone drainage. Beautiful country reaching elevations of 11,600' should be feed for the horses this time of year. Just take a GPS with you so you don't get lost like we did. :O•-: :? We never saw another person and found some very interesting things (when we were lost) and if you happen to go up there and find a nice briar wood italian pipe on the trail, it's mine. My horse slipped on some shell rock and we went down and the pipe came out of my duster pocket. -)O(-


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## .45

Fowlmouth said:


> A few years ago we took our horses up the Swift Creek trail head and did the loop over Bluebell Pass and down the Yellowstone drainage, which ends up right where you start. They have horse corrals at the trail head. On the Swift Creek side there is Deer Lake, Miller Lake, Timothy Lake, Farmer Lake and a bunch of other X lakes. Once over Bluebell Pass there is Milk Lake and the Yellowstone drainage. Beautiful country reaching elevations of 11,600' should be feed for the horses this time of year. Just take a GPS with you so you don't get lost like we did. :O•-: :? We never saw another person and found some very interesting things (when we were lost) and if you happen to go up there and find a nice briar wood italian pipe on the trail, it's mine. My horse slipped on some shell rock and we went down and the pipe came out of my duster pocket. -)O(-


Not to hi-jack or anything like that...but, I sure would like to hear that story. No...not about the pipe, but the whole trip in general, sounds like a good adventure !! -8/-


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## Fowlmouth

[quote=".45]
Not to hi-jack or anything like that...but, I sure would like to hear that story. No...not about the pipe, but the whole trip in general, sounds like a good adventure !! -8/-[/quote]

A few years ago myself and 2 guys I worked with decided to head to the Uintas in early September for a horseback/pack trip for the weekend. The plan was to get to the Swift Creek trailhead Friday night and make camp there for the night and get up early Saturday morning and start what we thought was a easy 25 mile loop up Swift Creek and down the Yellowstone. We planned on setting up a camp Saturday night at Farmers Lake but when we got to the lake there wasn't enough feed for the horses, so we headed back down Swift Creek to Miller Lake where we made camp and where there was enough feed for the horses. We got up bright and early Sunday morning to finish the loop and head home, We rode a while and went up over Blue Bell Pass and got almost to Milk Lake, this is where the problem started. We were on the trail to Milk Lake, I remember seeing a sign on a tree I was whizzing on, it said Milk Lake 1/2 mile, well somebody suggested taking a shortcut and leaving the trail (not me). The shortcut lead us down a steep dark canyon full of pine trees and tall timber, we got lost in that canyon and spent more time on foot than horseback because of the steepness. It was late Sunday afternoon before we got us and the horses out of that canyon. At this point we were just riding around lost and we didn't have a GPS with us, only a crappy little map that one of the guys brought. It gave us some idea as to where we were but not a specific location. We rode for a while and came across an old camp that had horseshoes hanging on a rusted spike in a tree, I assume they had been there a while because I had to sit on my horse in order to reach the shoes, the tree had grown. There were a few other rusty items like files and hoof picks, but the thing that I couldn't figure out was all the rusty cans turned upside down with a rock on top of each one. (probably 20 or so) We were so tired from riding all day and just drained from all of the events of being lost that we never got off the horses and turned the cans over to see what was inside, if anything. (that still bugs me) I also found some old metal milk jugs and some very nice metal mining scoops (the ones you would pull with a horse to excavate, I think they are called a fresno?) Anyways we continued riding and found a river, so we started following it down. It got dark on us, we were all very tired but continued anyway (the only time I ever fell asleep on a horse) We finally stopped and made camp in some narrow ridges high above the river, we made a fire and slept on the ground around the fire, we were so beat none of us even got in our sleeping bags, we just crashed in the wet dirt around the fire. It was a cold long night. We were supposed to be home Sunday and now it was Monday morning, we knew our wives would be in full panic and we didn't want to be on the evening news so we saddled up once again and started following the river down. We finally found a sign on a tree that said "Yellowstone Trailhead 10 miles" so we knew we were following the Yellowtone drainage down to where we parked, that was a good feeling. We rode the 10 miles and got back to the parking area early Monday afternoon, loaded the horses and our gear and headed to make a phone call. Fun time!


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## The Naturalist

China Meadows on the North Slope is a great place. Also a very popular place, but with horses you could go beyond the day hikers. There are numerous trails that are well marked, good feed, and wildlife galore. Scenery is spectacular with any number of lakes, streams to do some fishing.


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## stuckduck

China medows as stated is a good one for horses.. It has to be the easiest one on the shoes.. south slope is nothing but rocks.. take many nails is my advise. Another good trail is Henry's Fork its one drainage east of China medows. thats a good one and you can ride up over gun sight pass (bottom of kings peak) to painter basin.. AWSOME place. me and the wife did a ride up there a few years ago and It took about 5 or so hours.. had a great time. if you want a good one or long go up Uinta cayon straight up from Roosevelt unload just before the U bar ranch and ride up into the chain lakes then over to Atwood basin.. Take plenty of shoes and nails.. but a good ride and Awesome country. have fun!!!


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## bigdaddyx4

I have been told by other people that China Meadows would be a good one. We are traveling from Logan, so it would be less travel time as well. 

I actually hadn't put a whole lot of thought into which trails would be best on the shoes. I guess I assumed that most of the trails would be relatively rock free. It has been a long time since I was down there though and even then, I didn't see a whole lot of the Uintas...

This is a big help. Thanks guys!


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## Bhilly81

i have always liked the grandaddys and that area there are alot of lakes up in that area but if your taking horses i would sugest not going down to lily lake but although others have done it with there horses there are big rocks on a steep hill going down to that one but if you go up there you could take the first fork to the left i cant remember the name of the lake but the trail from there the grandaddys goes and meets up with mirror lake i believe might be moon lake cant find my maps now but its a great area with alot of wildlife as well


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