The weekend of 21 Jun 08, Tracy and I headed back to hike the Stillwater Creek Trail in the Uintas. From BR-24, it is a short 15 or 20 minute stroll up to the end of the basin and Amethyst Lake tucked close to the steep surrounding walls. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from July until September. When the weather turns cold and the Wasatch Range is covered in snow, head south to Grand Staircase-Escalante, Zion, and Arches National Parks to … Descending West Basin was really wet, owing to the storms last night. lower than 82% of other locations on record. larger. Historical Weather. The trail will be very steep for the first two miles, but then it levels out in a meadow basin area. I was SO hooked. Even with the high use, the area doesn't feel overly crowded. Thanks to the climate diversity, backpacking is a year-round activity in Utah. Backpacking Ostler Peak - Amethyst Basin - Uintas - Duration: 52:08. We decided to hike in Amethyst Basin because it's just a two hour drive from Salt Lake City to the trailhead at Christmas Meadows and we only had the two day weekend. The weather was as good as it gets for November in Utah so Keith, Melissa, Roger, and I headed to Moab to check out some of the most famous single track in the world. First some logistics – the trailhead for Amethyst Basin, which is at the head of the Ostler Fork of the Bear River, is Christmas Meadows. Below are weather averages from 1971 to 2000 according to data gathered from the nearest ... Uinta Mountains, Utah - Amethyst Basin - Backpacking. If you are camping at Ostler Lake, this is a great base camp for exploring Amethyst Basin. If you hike during summer months above 10,000 feet, daytime highs rarely reach above 80 degrees, while night temperatures during summer range between 30-40 degrees. It will gain about 2000 feet between the trailhead and Amethyst Lake. The hike to Amethyst Basin begins at the Christmas Meadows Trailhead (40.822571,-110.80123), just east of Highway 150 on the north slope of the Uintas. There is a relatively flat landing partway up this section next to Ostler Creek, where we had a little sit-down and a snack and checked out the waterfall nearby. At about 12 miles round trip and a little over 2000 feet of elevation gain, it is a pretty accessible overnight trip. Data sources include the United States Board on Geographic Names, National Weather Service, U.S. Census Bureau, NASA, and Google. Historical Weather. OK. That might sound fantastic, and silly me, I was actually purposely avoiding the Amethyst Area because of all the attention it gets – I seek solitude, beauty, and unpressured water to fish on most of my backcountry treks. This past weekend I headed up to the Uinta Mountains in northeastern Utah for a quick overnight bakpacking trip with Katy, John, Keith, and Melissa (and Stoli and Tonic!). A week earlier, Dan Ransom was here and the lake was 70-80% ice. If you are camping at Ostler Lake, this is a great base camp for exploring Amethyst Basin. Sep 7, 2018 - Explore Maria Van Wambeke's board "Utah Backpacking", followed by 165 people on Pinterest. Although the hike in is somewhat tough (especially if you are carrying a 30-40 lb pack), the reward and view is well worth the hard effort. topographic maps of the U.S. called US Topo that are separated into may be different as well. Current Trail Conditions ... but intend to return on a weekend backpacking trip to explore the whole basin. Naturalist Basin is a stunning day hike or easy backpack in the high Uinta Mountains that for northeastern Utah / southwestern Wyoming. Weather in Ostler Fork (Utah), . From BR-24, it is a short 15 or 20 minute stroll up to the end of the basin and Amethyst Lake tucked close to the steep surrounding walls. Turn left at the signed Christmas Meadows road. The road is washboard but very passable for any sized unit for the … Follow the Christmas Meadows road, staying on the main road, about 3 miles to the Christmas Meadows campground. This is a good moderate backpack and one I would especially recommend for beginning backpackers. Surrounded by high desert, the Uintas normally receive about 40 inches of precipitation annually—mostly snow. During our overnight trip to Amethyst Basin we camped near this unnamed lake, BR-24, which sits between Amethyst and Ostler Lakes. See more ideas about utah, backpacking, backpacking travel. There are plenty of existing sites if you look around for them. Ascending Amethyst Basin was a long steep slog. The Uinta Mountains can be very buggy in high summer! The trailhead is best reached from Evanston, Wyoming but can also be accessed from Kamas, Utah. well as links to download the map to your computer, or order a waterproof printed map. The BR denotes that it sits in the Bear River drainage. We had checked out the trail the weekend before and we were pretty sure this tr Diane heading down the trail. This is a popular camping spot and recommended if you want more protection from wind and weather that can be stronger higher up in the basin. No mosquitoes, beautiful weather, inconsequential snow, ice just breaking up on Amethyst, and some pretty decent fishing. official weather station. With easy access to the trailhead, a reasonable hiking distance to the lake, and stunning views, it is easy to see why the area receives so much use. known as US Topo Maps. The trail begins a steep ascent. UT-1940b UT-1940 Sunset Reflection Reflections Amethyst Lake Amethyst Basin High Uintas Wilderness Wasatch-Cache National Forest Utah Wasatch-Cache N.F. Amethyst Basin is considered one of the high use zones in the Uinta Mountains. Oct 30, 2017 near Oakley, UT. Amethyst lake has no trail to it so bring a good topographical map and a good compass. 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