This is a trail I have probably avoided because of the tales you hear of the crowds that go to this area. It was my birthday weekend and I wanted to see a new place. My buddy Travis went here last year and he had a really great time. Most people visit this area because they want to climb Kings Peak. But there is more than close access to Gunsight Pass. I arrived in the afternoon at the trailhead. I drove around to see if I could find a secluded spot but alas all of them were taken. There is a camp ground so I settled on one of those spots for the night. I went to ask the Rangers a couple of questions and it just started coming down. It rained for a good 40 minutes. With how dry Utah has been, it was a welcome sight. I put up my tent, then went to check out the river. I tried my Tenkara rod, but alas nothing. Still cool to see the water flowing and the Fireweed that lines the shore. I went back to camp, settled in for a couple of beverages then turned in early because I knew I had a long day ahead.
I woke at 6:30, broke camp and moved my car to the parking for hikers. I changed clothes, had breakfast and coffee, and then hit the trail. Some folks I know were also going in for a summit attempt and they were at the trailhead as well and I said hello briefly then made my way in. The trail really is easy going. It follows the river and has many meadows you pass on your way in. Not a lot of steep just a long walk. At 5.9 miles I made it to the Elkhorn Crossing. Its a log bridge that is sketchy at best, so becareful if you cross this bridge. After crossing I dropped my pack and had lunch. This also was where you go to Gilbert Lake if you head north on this side. That is the West Fork of the Beaver and Gilbert Peak is also over there. After about thirty minutes, I threw back on the pack and continued on. At this point the winds were really howling! It was like walking into a wind wall all the way up to the last mile of meadows. This continues to give you better views with each step as you cross this expanse of an area. Not really any cover in here so its best to move through this if there were a storm in the area. Right before the last section I ran into my friend Amy and her fiance Carson. They had just trail ran Kings Peak in a day! So awesome!
I arrived to the turnoff for Dollar Lake. I had some friends coming in and I was quite a bit ahead of them since I knocked off the 8 miles in four hours on the button. I hiked into the lake, then found a spot to hunker down because the wind was getting crazy strong and blowing in fire smoke. Eventually found a camp and everyone else trickled in from the trail. I tried to shoot the Milky Way after dark, but the smoke gave it an odd appearance, but with the headlamps coming in from Kings Peak, it made a cool effect. I turned in for a good nights sleep.
Day 3 brought some less smoky skies and I was itching to get out and explore this basin. Everyone else went to summit Kings Peak, I met up with my friend Jim and we went to explore and do some fly fishing. We first made our way to the sheep herders cabin, then down to the north side of Henrys Fork Lake. We then made a turn south to try to get to a waterfall, which found us bush whacking 8 foot tall willows that were thick to move through. It was rough going but we eventually found our way through. THe reward for that madness was a amazing waterfall! We took it in for a bit then decided to move up to the first lake on our loop of the basin. THe cross country walk was cool and the views were amazing! We finally found Lake Blanchard and we dropped our day packs and tossed a line. I got a small one first, but each fish seemed to be bigger. At one point it was almost every cast. Jim was getting into them as well. I moved a bit east to where I could see a massive hole in the lake and tossed a Parachute out there and fish on! These were a bit bigger and had a lot more fight. This is exactly what I wanted to do this day!
I have always wanted to come here to see Cliff Lake. It sits at 11,400 feet making one of the highest alpine lakes in Utah. Its a gorgeous area on the way up and there are a couple of tarns and a small water fall before you arrive at Cliff Lake. We got the rods out and started fishing. I got a couple of hits right off the bat just nothing on the end of the line when I set it. Jim was having the same luck. I moved east on the lake and right before we were going to hike out I got hit and had one on. So at least I did not get skunked. It was a 11" Tiger Trout. It seemed to me like a planter so I am guessing these guys were recently stocked. We decided to try to stay on a ridge to get back to the meadow which puts us on a trail to get back to camp. As we rounded a corner I stop Jim and say "Big Moose!" There were two Bull Moose in the meadow above us. They did not seem thrilled to see us so I took a couple of shots and a video and I moved on as to not disturb them. We eventually got back to our camps and I said goodbye to Jim and headed back to my camp. We did a 8 mile loop and visited two amazing alpine lakes and had a blast fishing! we even saw a Albino Marmot on the trail back. Night settled in and I shot the Milky Way. This time I got it! I found a nice spot which gave me the exact angle I wanted for this shot! After getting the shot I headed back to camp and climbed into my sleeping bag for some much needed sleep.
Morning came and I got up and pretty much packed it up and was on trail at 7:30 AM. I wanted to beat the heat and get a head start on getting back to the Jeep. I knocked out the 8 miles back to the Jeep in exactly three hours. It was a great trip in a new area. I will return here because there are a few secrets left in there for me to visit! Enjoy the pics and you can watch the whole adventure on my YouTube Channel! More adventures to come......
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