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Looking for Northern Utah trail/trip info

mulebarn

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Jun 24, 2020
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139
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Boulder County
Hey folks, I’m wondering if anyone has done any trips in northern Utah, say within a couple hours of the SLC area. I’m considering meeting a buddy in those parts halfway (he’s in Oregon), and we’re just starting the process. Overland-style longer trails are good, or tours, maybe with some mild wheeling along the way.

Thanks,
Gino
 

jps8460

Cruise Moab Committee
Cruise Moab Committee
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Feb 15, 2013
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2,911
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Broomfield
Hey Gino, are you on Expedition Utah? Definitely check it out if not.

Some things that come to mind would be the west desert area out side of Tooele. The pony express trail etc, I’ve barely spent enough time out there to give a good recommendation, but the few days I’ve spent in the area were spectacular.

Going from Utah to Colorado, there is a great route from carbon, to 9mi canyon, through vernal and over Baxter pass into the fruita desert or over through meeker that is also spectacular.

I saw your truck at the shop, come grab me if you want to chat routes.
 

mulebarn

Rising Sun Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2020
Messages
139
Location
Boulder County
Hey Gino, are you on Expedition Utah? Definitely check it out if not.

Some things that come to mind would be the west desert area out side of Tooele. The pony express trail etc, I’ve barely spent enough time out there to give a good recommendation, but the few days I’ve spent in the area were spectacular.

Going from Utah to Colorado, there is a great route from carbon, to 9mi canyon, through vernal and over Baxter pass into the fruita desert or over through meeker that is also spectacular.

I saw your truck at the shop, come grab me if you want to chat routes.

Thanks for the info. I’ll swing by next time I’m in this week.
 

DaveInDenver

Rising Sun Ham Guru
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Jun 8, 2006
Messages
12,948
Location
Grand Junction
The route Jackson is describing from Price thru Ninemile to Vernal and Dinosaur, CO, down through Meeker over Baxter to Fruita using mostly two-lane highways sounds vaguely like the northern half of the Dinosaur Diamond.



 
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jps8460

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I was talking about going through dragon it’s basically dirt from vernal to mac
 

DaveInDenver

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I was talking about going through dragon it’s basically dirt from vernal to mac
I'm not familiar with the Dragon other than Black Dragon, which is south. So I'm clearly not offering anything useful there.

You mentioned Ninemile, which AFAIK can be looped from East Carbon back to Wellington if you do the whole length. In that case you leave and return to US6/US191 in almost the same spot just 5 miles apart but do nearly 100 miles, a lot of which is dirt. Ninemile Road past Dry Canyon Road going east dead ends on the reservation or you can turn off midway and head north to Myton. I, like you I suppose, have not done anything other than US40 between Myton and Vernal. I've also never personally gone south from the Ninemile/Dry Canyon junction into Cottonwood Canyon along the WSA. Doing Ninemile itself is well worth the time, there's famously dozens of rock art panels and tons of archeological sites in the canyon.


Unless you mean a different Ninemile (9mile).
 
Last edited:

jps8460

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I'm not familiar with the Dragon other than Black Dragon, which is south. So I'm clearly not offering anything useful there.

You mentioned Ninemile, which AFAIK can be looped from East Carbon back to Wellington if you do the whole length. In that case you leave and return to US6/US191 in almost the same spot just 5 miles apart but do nearly 100 miles, a lot of which is dirt. Ninemile Road past Dry Canyon Road going east dead ends on the reservation or you can turn off midway and head north to Myton. I, like you I suppose, have not done anything other than US40 between Myton and Vernal. I've also never personally gone south from the Ninemile/Dry Canyon junction into Cottonwood Canyon along the WSA. Doing Ninemile itself is well worth the time, there's famously dozens of rock art panels and tons of archeological sites in the canyon.


Unless you mean a different Ninemile (9mile).

That’s the same 9mile. There’s a dirt route megan and I have done from vernal to bonanza to dragon to Baxter pass to Mack. It’s very scenic.

We tried to take the route from carbon through penguin point and north, but when we tried it was closed or something, I can’t remember why we didn’t make it. But we went to nine mile from the north, then tuned around and went back up to vernal and took to route to GJ described above.
 
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