Hung out for a couple of days in the Fontenelle Dam area on the Green River with some folks I met. Came up to the Salt River Range and drove the entire 85 mile La Barge Creek/Greys River Road (FR10138) from La Barge across the National Forest to Alpine. Wanted to see what kind of road it was in case of bad weather. The first 12 miles from La Barge are paved. The next 12 miles of public road are rough, stony and lots of potholes. The National Forest Road is rough all the way to mile 35 but no problem for 2WD in dry weather. From Alpine to mile 35 is very good.
Lots of camping along the way. Saw a female moose and calf grazing in the river but couldn't get a picture. Saw a young bull moose later on but could only get a distant shot. This area has antelope in the lowlands, moose, elk, deer, black bears, grizzly bears, mountain lions and badgers up higher.
06/27/05 Lake Barstow Trail (3 miles round trip):
Tried to do this trail yesterday because it is short and I had limited time. You have to drive up a side road 3 miles to get to the trailhead. 2 miles up the road I started hitting muddy spots where runoff from the slopes passed over the road. I went through the first two and quit on the third and then had a little trouble getting back through the first two again.
Since it is a short trail I decided to park at the beginning of the Lake Barstow Road and add that additional 6 miles to the round trip. It was scenic enough with several peaks to the left on the way up and a range directly in front on the way down.
On the Lake Barstow Trail itself, new cliffs and bluffs emerged to keep things interesting. The trail rises 340 feet, most of it in the last half mile. The road was about 600 feet in elevation.
A Very nice lake surrounded by cliffs or slopes on all sides. A trail circles the lake, even through skree on both ends. I hung out for 1/2 hour and then headed back down.
07/08/05:
Had a few rainy, cloudy, foggy days. Cleared up for 4th of July weekend. I didn't want to lose my camping spot so didn't drive anywhere. Instead, I just wandered off into the mountains. Climbed a couple of really steep hills of about 600 and 800 feet.
Went into Rock Springs 100 miles away for chores, shopping and phone calls. Came back and had a flat tire way back in the boonies. The spare only had a little air in it but was enough to get me La Barge. La Barge has 431 people in it, none of whom fix tires. They did have air so I got the spare filled and headed for Big Piney 20 miles away. By the time I got there I figured I'd keep going to Wal-Mart in Riverton and get some new tires. Cheeze! That was 180 miles and that pretty much killed the day.
This morning went looking for the South La Barge Creek trail and didn't find it. Then went looking for the Absaroka Trail and found the Shafer Trail instead. OK... so off I go towards the Fontenelle Lakes only to run into a squishy, swampy meadow after a mile so had to turn back.
07/09/05 Landers Cutoff Trail (Oregon Trail) (12 miles round trip):
I picked this trail up at the guard station near the junction of FR10138 & FR10072. Tried this trail a few days ago. The trail leads up 300-400 feet thru pine forest for 1 mile. At the top, a road veers to the left. Presumably this is another section of the Oregon Trail. I followed it uphill for a mile or so a few days ago.
This time, I continued more or less straight past a vandalized cement marker and turned downhill for another mile. I crossed a tiny stream at the bottom. The stream twists and turns through a small valley as far as I could see and I guess the trail follows the narrow valley. I was standing in a boggy area with lots of 9" grass still soaking wet from the dew. I don't think the wagon trains would have come through here at this time of year. Without gaiters, I chose to turn back rather than become drenched. I suppose things would dry out by 11m.
Bright yellow Daisy-like flowers are covering many of the meadows with purple flowers interspersed. Stopped to take a picture of some flowers on a slope on the way back down the trail and ended up with a picture of a moose in a flower bed. They're supposed to have poor eyesight but this one certainly zeroed in on me. It's head turned as I moved and when I tried to sneak behind some trees to get closer it knew I was there and took off,
07/11/05 Box Canyon Trail (FT043) (8 miles round trip):
Actually, this trail belongs under the Wyoming Range. The La Barge Creek/Greys River Road (FR10138) goes 90+ miles from the town of La Barge to Alpine in a valley with the Salt River Range to the south of the road and the Wyoming Range to the north. Box Canyon Trail is to the north of the road.
The first two miles is up and down hills through an area of blow downs, the result of a fire some time ago. A lot of the trail is along talus slopes but the trail is easy to see. These rocky slopes are the result of the many bluffs above crumbling and eroding. The trail rises 800-900 feet in these first two miles but I didn't really notice it.
The bluffs and walls became more pronounced as I reached the end of the box canyon and began a steep ascent up the switchbacks for another 1000 feet. Nice waterfalls on either side added a nice touch. I had to cross over a small stream from the falls on the left before I got to the switchbacks and then a couple more times on the way up.
Much of the switchbacks are through pine forest but some is along more talus slopes. Talus continues at the top of the switchbacks and this is where the very best views are. Big bluffs, snow banks and a long view across the valley to the Salt River Range peaks. The trail continues up beside (and sometimes in) the little stream coming down from above).
I could see waterfalls as I neared the top of the ascent with nothing but blue skies above them making me wonder where the water was coming from. Of course, when I got to the top it wasn't a crest at all but the end of meadows and forested hills that continued for a ways yet. I followed them another half mile or so and then stopped.
The Wyoming trail follows the top of the range and I was a short distance from it. I had no overwhelming need to continue on to it though. There was nothing but the meadows and hills ahead and I was a little tired so I quit right there.
07/13/05 Corral Creek Trail (FT179):
The trailhead is right next to the guard station near mile 46. Like most trails into the Salt River Range from the La Barge Creek/Greys River Road (FR10138), it would cross Greys River. Not one for getting his feet wet, I drove west another 1.5 miles to a bridge and then drove the first road on the left 2.5 miles to the end. Was that Corral Creek Trail? I dunno but that's the one I did.
A 4WD might continue past where I stopped for another mile or so and at least one ATV had. It is not a road to be driven though with big mud holes where runoffs gather. I followed it through open meadows for 2 miles before coming to the Way Trail junction. I think this is part of the Oregon Trail. In any case it follows along much of the Salt River Range with several entry points.
At the end of the long, wide meadows are towering cliffs and I assume the trail continues up through a pass there. I had to make a crossing of Corral Creek at 2.5 miles and chose not to do so. Cold water, hard rocks and tender feet make for pain I can do without. I think I probably need to added sandals to my daily hiking equipment.