# Mirror lake Highway



## hunterfisher (Sep 14, 2007)

This question is asked every year and i guess im asking it now. Does anyone know if the highway is open or when it looks like it will be open? Any info will be appreciated thanks.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

See: viewtopic.php?f=61&t=26078

The Utah DOT internet site will show the Mirror Lake Highway closed. The top section probably is. I was up there yesterday picking up litter. The gate is open on the North Slope, mile 48.5, and you can drive easily up to mile post 39. After that the highway had a good amount of snow on it, but some were driving on the snow and continuing up the highway.

What part of Sulphur Camp Ground is not covered in snow is under water. Hayden, Stillwater, and Beaver View camp grounds are useable, but have snowbanks and are generally muddy. The North Slope Road west of Lizzy in the flat is dry and a few campers were starting to move in last night as I was leaving.

Remember, it's still winter up there.

The mushrooms aren't up yet. -)O(-


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## jahan (Sep 7, 2007)

How far would you be able to make it from the Kamas direction? I have never been up there, I was thinking of going for a drive that direction this weekend.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

jahan said:


> How far would you be able to make it from the Kamas direction? I have never been up there, I was thinking of going for a drive that direction this weekend.


I haven't been on that side this year. You should be able to get to Provo Falls easily. The falls will be howling now. Above the Falls the highway can have some good drifts on it around and between the Lost and Trial Lakes. The lakes up there are normally frozen this time of year.

If you've never been to the Provo River Falls, it's worth the trip, especially during the snowmelt.


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## jahan (Sep 7, 2007)

Thanks for the reply Goob, I may just have to do that.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

We were up to near the Murdock Basin Turnoff (around MM 21) a couple weeks ago... wouldn't surprise me at all if you could make it to the Falls by now or even higher. Might be a few drifts with the last dumping that went on a few days ago but the road should be good to go, especially with , like Goob said, people driving on up through the snow anyway.


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## stevo1 (Sep 13, 2007)

Wyogoob: picking up garbage...Stong Work :mrgreen: I will be up with a bag towards Trial lake this weekend, fly rod will be in the pack, skis on the feet. Open water on any lake this time of year = fast fishing.


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## campfire (Sep 9, 2007)

It is a rare year that it is open past or even to Trial Lake by Memorial Day. It was a low snow year but the spring has been cool and wet. Snowtel still indicates 40 inches of snow at Trial lake. How fast the highway is opened depends one on the snow and two on how much funding the UDOT has to remove snow that will eventually melt and state funding is still pretty tight.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

stevo1 said:


> Wyogoob: picking up garbage...Stong Work :mrgreen: I will be up with a bag towards Trial lake this weekend, fly rod will be in the pack, skis on the feet. Open water on any lake this time of year = fast fishing.


Good on ya Steve. I used to do the Mirror Lake Highway from mile 52 down to mile 18. The area around Trial Lake, and Lost Lake, were always tough ones to keep clean. I picked up 5 miles on Christmas Meadows Road yesterday, so I'm taking a break.

Like CF said, Trial will be frozen, if you can even get to it.

Again, the DOT plows the Mirror lake Highway out the week before the Uinta Classic Bicycle Race, which is held the 3rd weekend of June.

Be careful fellas, cell phone coverage is spotty up there.


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## hulk5250 (May 29, 2010)

Wow.. Not to be rude fellas but that is some bad intel that was just passed along (except for the post about camping below Murdock Basin. I was up there last weekend and the road was not cleared above the Provo Falls. The camps up there are certainly closed with a couple feet of snow; but come on all you locals, snow on Trial Lake at the end of May?... It has not been that kind of winter here for awhile gents, and I always kill it there in May. 

That is why information is so spotty unless you call a Ranger station (Kamas 435.783.4338) because they have made hundreds off thousands of dollars on permits in years past. I know I am packing some snowshoes for my weekend up there feasting on fish....

Cheers


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## hulk5250 (May 29, 2010)

I was up there last weekend trying to get to Trial Lake and the road was not cleared past the Provo Falls overlook. They had a lot of burly road equipment, but they have there work cut out to get the road cleared let alone any camp sites. I am going to be hitting the lakes at Trial and I am pretty sure it will be under at least a 1.5 feet of snow.

Cheers


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Things maybe just a little different on the North Slope side. The north side is generally cooler; everthing is later. And remember the Kamas forest office only goes up to Bald Mountain Pass, mile 29. The Evanston office, (307) 789-3194, maintains the north side; mile 29 to mile 48.5, so they may have the best answers for stuff in that area.

I followed the snowmelt, or the snow plows, for some 20 years picking up trash on the Mirror Lake Highway. I've seen Pass, Teapot, Lost, Trial, and Butterfly all frozen, and yet the Mirror Lake Highway was driveable. Not often, but sometimes. One thing is for sure; it's still winter up there.

Here's a pic of Evanston 4 days ago:








We probably won't see the leaves on our trees in Evanston for another week. Geeze, June 5th is about the latest I've seen it.

It's a very late spring on the North Slope. There's really not that much snow, but the ground temperature is cold relative to the calendar. I can tell by the lack of certain varieties of mushrooms.


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