Living in Salt Lake City provides many opporunities for outdoor activities.  Listed below are a few of my favorite places to visit in Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada, and Montana.

Location           Blue = Utah           Green = Colorado           Red = Nevada           Yellow = Wyoming           Purple = Montana	Distance from SLC	My Favorite Activities
1.  Wasatch Mountains	30 Minutes	Hiking, Snowshoeing, Climbing quick fix mountain range!
2.  Uinta Mountains        a.  Highline Trail        b.  Christmas Meadows Trailhead        c.  Moon Lake Trailhead        d.  Yellowstone Basin Trailhead        e.  N. Fork Henry's River Trailhead	1.25 Hours 1.5 Hours 2 Hours 2.5 Hours 2.5 Hours	Hiking, Alpine Flyfishing Brown Duck Basin, Yellowstone Basin, Amythst Basin
3.  Bryce Canyon	4 Hours	Hiking, Snowshoeing (Spectacular during Winter Months)   You must do the Under-the-Rim trail in late Winter/early Spring.
4.  Grand Teton National Park	4.5-5 Hours	Hiking, Wildlife Viewing, Jackson Hole Lake Solitude, Teton Crest Trail, Alaska Basin
5.  Yellowstone National Park	5-6 Hours	Hiking, Flyfishing, Wildlife Viewing (NE Entrance is Closed!) I usually stay in GTNP and travel to Yellowstone for day trips. NE Section of Park is my favorite.
6.  Wind River Range	4-5 Hours	Hiking, Alpine Flyfishing (Cirque of Towers, Gannett Peak), Climbing Big Sandy Trailhead is a great place to get started.
7.  San Juan Mountains      Weminuche Wilderness	4-5 Hours	Hiking, Wildlife Viewing Must do the Chicago Basin.  Look for Mountain Goats on the mountains as you near the pass.
8.  Great Basin National Park	3-4 Hours	Hiking
9.  Arches National Park	3-4 Hours	RedRock Country! Climbing
10.  Glacier National Park	9-10 Hours	Wildlife Viewing, Hiking, Fly fishing

High Uinta Wilderness Trip Report:  July 1-3, 2005

This winter, the Uinta's say above average precipitation.  As a result, hiking opportunities have been limited during the early summer months.  Thankfully, the high country is starting to open up.  This past weekend, the Highline Trail (off Mirror Lake Highway adjacent to Butterfly Lake) opened.  We began at the trailhead and planned a trip into the Naturalist Basin.  Only a few other fellow hikers had the same idea.  The trail was mostly snow free.  There were many small snowdrifts to hike through or around.  The trail was a bit muddy and there were many trees blocking it. Good hiking boots are a necessity.  I suspect that in a few weeks, the trees will be removed from the trail by each ranger district.  Regardless, the trip went smoothly and we were able to get into the Naturalist Basin just under Blue Lake.  Snow levels were at about 10, 600 feet.  Hiking above this elevation is possible, but following a trail might be a bit difficult and pitching a tent on dry ground is nearly impossible.  The water is flowing heavily in the Basin, making for some beautiful scenery.  Enjoy the Naturalist Basin....it is well worth the trip this time of year.

Mosquito Report: Mosquitoes are present at lower elevations, but are rare at higher elevations.

Animal Report:  Sad to report no animal sightings this weekend.  However, last weekend on a short excursion into the Uintas, I saw 7 moose and nearly a dozen white tailed deer.  Most animals were around the Yellow Pine Trailhead or Christmas Meadows Trailhead in the river bottoms.

Upcoming Trips:

July 9-10:  High Uinta Wilderness, Christmas Meadows Trailhead

July 20-24:  Wind River Mountains:  Cirque of Towers via Big Sandy Trailhead

Early August:  App Trail? or Wimenuche Wilderness in Colorado



Other Great Places to Visit?

Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Northern Minnesota & Canada.

Math Circle Solutions, Week 1