looking for places to go camping/off road

[mustang_boy2001]

i am newer to the whole off roading but love going camping. i have a stock 2002 jeep grand cherokee overland. i am looking for trails for beginers to intermediate with the possability to tent camp just off the trails. i live in utah county and work long hours but when its my day off or the night before i want to hit some trails. everything i was on last year has been closed due to rough trials too much snow or water damage with no idea when udot will open them. i loved the yankee mine area last year however i never made it to those mines cause i had no idea which trail cut off to even get up there or attempt it. i am also looking for people to go with who have been into jeeping for a while and know what they are doing while i am starting out in it. eventually i plan on getting a 4 inch lift for my jeep but like i said its all stock. but still ive seen stock jeeps go tons of places. if you know of any fun areas or plan on going on short one day expeditions this summer and think you would like someone to tag along let me know. ive done the 5 mile pass area and what dirt trails are out there really dont pose a technical challenge i just roll over everything. thanks for your help in giving me ideas where to go.

 

[sixstringsteve]

where in utah do you live?

 

[mustang_boy2001]

im in northeren utah county ive gone all the way up to pacific mine with my jeep just a week ago. i had no trouble getting there. would have gone further but some idiot parked his atv in the middle of the trail and didnt have a place to pass by. ive wanted to try my luck on some harder places but cant seem to find my way up mary ellen gultch or over to some of the other mines i just cant find a clear map and ive got the one from the forrest service which is no help at all.

 

[sixstringsteve]

by northern do you mean north of Ogden? Or north of Nephi?

 

[Caleb]

by northern do you mean north of Ogden? Or north of Nephi?

Steve, you're missing the county in his first post and in his second (i.e. he's your next door neighbor )

 

[sixstringsteve]

d'oh! My brain doesn't read the word "county" for some reason. You're in a good spot mustang boy.

It sounds like you've driven around the 5-mile pass area, but there are two trails out there that definitely will challenge a stock 2002 grand cherokee.

American Fork Canyon is beautiful as well. The trails there aren't especially difficult, but Forest Lake (currently closed) and Mineral Basin are a lot of fun for an overnighter. breathtaking scenery out there.

You also have the Pony Express Trail that goes from 5mp all the way to wendover. the drive isn't technically challenging, but it's a fun starting point. Check out expeditionutah.com, they plan some cool overnighter trips with their rigs. Oh, and Kurt (cruiseroutfitter) is your friend and knows more about where to drive in utah than any healthy human should.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

...You also have the Pony Express Trail that goes from 5mp all the way to wendover.

For what its worth the Pony Express Trail is nearly all dirt from Vernon (past 5MP) to California, we ran it last year and spend nearly 600 miles in the dirt. The trail is much more remote and challenging in Nevada versus the Utah portion. However if you haven't done the Utah section from 5MP to Gold Hill and then the highway up to Wendover it is well worth the drive, lots of history, lots of fast roads and lots of scenery.

... Oh, and Kurt (cruiseroutfitter) is your friend and knows more about where to drive in utah than any healthy human should.

That would make a good sig line

 

[mustang_boy2001]

thanks for all your imput on some trails to try out. i live in utah county for those that asked. ive gone back up towards mary ellen but found out that over the last winter those trails are now way more than what my rig can do where its stock. ive talked to many people that say i should be able to make it but got to a point where other lifted vehicles are having a hard time and i turned around. but yes very beautiful up there.

 

[1\4elliptic toy]

Don't forget the uinta's, they are a little far from you but offer some of the best Utah has to offer for camping, fishing and awesome dirt road travel.

 

[sixstringsteve]

check out www.expeditionutah.com, they organize trail runs that can be done in most stock vehicles.

Be sure to attend the Noob run #2 as well, we'll be teaching all sorts of off-road skills for new people. That's in September.

I'm sure we could get your rig up Mary Ellen Gultch with proper driving technique and spotting. Is that something you're interested in, or was that trail a little too extreme for what you're looking for? With experienced spotters and a few quick lessons, you should have no problem. Remember to put it into 4 lo when you're rock crawling.

Are you looking for a road with rocks the size of peas, marbles, golf balls, baseballs, basketballs, or beach balls? Are you looking for roads that a civic can handle, or do you want bumpy roads that require more clearance (like a stock suburban), or do you want rocks that will be challenging to drive, where you have to crawl slowly and must use 4x4? The good news is that Utah has all of these trails. American Fork Canyon has all of the above as well. It sounds like you'd have fun exploring up by silver lake flatts, or driving the dirt road from Forest Lake over to Pole Line Pass over into Midway. The Pony Express trail is not challenging, but it offers beautiful scenery, a sense of off-road adventure, and some camping spots along the way. I've never done it, but I hear Israel Canyon out near Eagle Mountain is fun. Kurt and expeditionutah are really your two best resources for that type of trail.

 

[Stephen]

check out www.expeditionutah.com, they organize trail runs that can be done in most stock vehicles.

Thanks for the plug, Steve!
Yes, Expedition Utah is a great place to find info and look for upcoming runs. If you have the time we are having our August Summit tonight at 6pm at Sugarhouse Park. We'll be discussing all sorts of trips that you'd probably be interested in.

Here on RME check out the Upcoming Trips section and watch to see what people are planning or throw up a post saying that you'd like to head out and see what happens. More often than not it coalesces into an awesome trip in no time.
As we head into fall more and more of the state will open up to comfortable camping (unless you dig 100+ degrees ). Along with the PET there are lots of cool places your rig could get to in the west desert. The Wyss Highway and Deep Creek Mountains. Topaz. Lucin and west of the Great Salt Lake. Many, many options in the northern parts of the state.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I need to get more involved in expedition utah. It's too bad more people don't know about those types of trips. I think if more people started with those "expedition" types of trips and slowly worked their way up to rock crawling (if they even get that far), then more people would get out and wheel on the weekends and fight the good fight to keep our trails open.