Mirror Lake Scenic Byway
Personal Notes:
The Notch Trip
This page presents our personal notes on our visits to locations along the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway in northern Utah and southwestern Wyoming.
Friday, August 5, 2005
Stillwater Campground
9:26 a.m.
We just left the entrance station to the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway. Because we have a Golden Eagle Pass we do not have to pay the daily recreation fee. Within yards of the entrance station we spotted what we think was a light brown weasel of some variety running across the road. Amazingly, we had never seen one before in the wilds and were surprised by its small size and long slender body. On every trip there is some surprise.
As we neared the Bald Mountain and Mirror Lake area we encountered a good number of vehicles parked on the side of the road and within the turn outs and in some camping areas. There were official signs along the road informing us that there was an official search and rescue mission under way. We had heard on the news that they are making one last effort to find the body of of 12 year old Boy Scout who was lost in this area the previous year. There were news crews with satellite trucks, horse trailers, and police vehicles. Anne even spotted a helicopter parked in one meadow.
10:30 a.m.
We reached the Stillwater Campground (GPS Coordinates of 40 52.199N; 110 50.105W; at an approximate elevation of 8,501 feet) and set up the trailer. We had reserved our usual spot, Site 5, with the Bear River flowing by just a few feet away. It’s a large site with a nice fire pit and plenty of room to move around and to set up our canopy and bug screen. We set up the solar panel and got fresh water and were ready to enjoy the afternoon.
We started a small fire and roasted hot dogs for lunch, then took a short nap with the sound of the stream burbling by and the scent of the pines wafting through the trailer. Then we sat inside the bug screens under the canopy and read and relaxed. There were a few skeeters around, but mostly flies. Inside the screen we could relax without having the bugs eat us. A few flies did get inside the screen (probably coming up from the bare ground inside) but they didn’t bother us. They seemed interested in finding a way out and stayed on the screen, mostly on the north side.
Around six or so I started a fire and we grilled burgers, with corn on the cob. Later we roasted marshmallows over the coals and sat around talking until about 9:00 p.m. when we turned in. The campground is fairly quiet, even with a bunch of kids around. The parents seem to be keeping them entertained so that they don’t get too rambunctious.
Saturday, August 6, 2005
Stillwater Campground
6:18 a.m.
We had set the alarm for 5:00 a.m., but it was too dark and too cold to crawl from beneath our warm blankets. So we snoozed on until about 6:00 a.m. At this time it is 48 degrees in the trailer, and it was pretty cold over night. We had brought along a sleeping bag and opened it up across us just in case. We are glad we did.
We got up and got ready for the hike, ate a Harvest Bar for breakfast, with a glass of Tang, then headed off to the Bald Mountain trailhead. Along the way we spotted two deer and a dead weasel.
After the hike we headed back to the Stillwater Campground, which is about 15 miles from the trailhead. When we got back we had some lunch, then washed up and took a brief nap. Then we sat and read until early evening, when I started a fire and we grilled some chicken breasts over the coals. After dinner we roasted some marshmallows and sat and talked around the fire. We turned in around 10:00 p.m. Once again to a quiet campground.
The Notch Trail
7:18 a.m.
Just as we arrived at the trailhead I realized that I’d forgotten the maps back at the trailer. Oh well, it’s a pretty straight forward trail, with only a couple of junctions to worry about.
It was a mostly cloudy morning that looked like it might rain, and there were already a few insects finding interest in our hides, so we reluctantly sprayed ourselves with repellant.
Bald Mountain Trailhead
There is an informational kiosk and picnic tables, but no drinking water at the trailhead. There is a vault toilet which looks clean, but boy, on this morning, it really stunk bad. You don’t want to take too long in this one.
There were nine cars in the large gravel parking area, probably backpackers. The Bald Mountain Trailhead parking area has GPS Coordinates of 40 41.343N; 110 54.227W; at an approximate elevation of 10,795 feet. This trailhead serves both the Bald Mountain and the Notch Lake Trails.
The Notch Trail is unmarked, but near the sign for the Bald Mountain Trail it heads off toward the west and is basically flat for its first few miles, riding along the base of Bald Mountain.
Clegg Lake
8:20 a.m.
We reached Clegg Lake and took a photo across the still waters with Reids Peak (11,708 feet) in the background. The trail to this point is mostly rocky but fairly flat, with only slight elevation changes. There are quite a few boulder flows coming down the slopes from both Bald Mountain (11,943 feet) and Reids Peak. It makes for an interesting landscape, and difficult hiking.
Notch Lake
8:32 a.m.
We arrived at Notch Lake. It is still partly cloudy. Between Clegg Lake and here we met several backpackers that were heading back toward the trailhead. From what we understand, Notch Lake is popular with the fishermen, and a destination point for backpackers. It is only about two miles from the trailhead, so is really an easy hike. On this day the peace around the lake was disturbed by a group of Scouts who thought it was fun to scream and shout just to hear their voices pierce the silence. Otherwise the location is beautiful, with the still waters of the lake backed up against the cliffs of Notch Mountain. It is surrounded by tall pines, and makes a picturesque setting.
The GPS Coordinates for Notch Lake are 40 42.356N; 110 55,922W; at an approximate elevation of 10,326 feet.
Bench Lake
8:51 a.m.
We arrived at Bench Lake. This lake is about one mile from Notch Lake and the trail is a bit easier to navigate, with more packed earth than rocks, although there are rocky spots. We did spot a few backpackers camped in this area as well, and again, this is a very pretty lake. The GPS Coordinates for Bench Lake are40 42.281N; 110 56.118W; at an approximate elevation of 10,285 feet.
From Bench Lake the trail quickly starts to descend to a point where it crosses a pleasant stream at GPS Coordinates 40 43.743N; 110 56.625W; at an approximate elevation of 9,541 feet. From there the trail begins a long climb toward The Notch. Just before the stream there is a junction with the Weber Trail, which heads off toward the right, or north.
Meadow Lake Trail Junction
At GPS Coordinates 40 43.622N; 110 56.841W; at an approximate elevation of 9,783 feet, we passed the junction with the trail to Meadow Lake. The trail continues to climb, but it is good walking in this area and has a steady grade. Most of the trail to this point is shaded by tall pines.
Shortly after this junction we began hearing voices, and encountered a large group of at least twenty people beating the brush, shoulder-to-shoulder, looking for the lost Scout. After this point we encountered quite a few groups on horse back. At first we assumed that they were with the searchers, but later we realized that they had gone on through along the same trail that we had taken and were just out for the day.
Eventually the trail levels out some, and passes near several small ponds and lakes. It’s a very interesting area, and The Notch area begins to open up and eventually is exposed above the trees. The sheer cliffs on all sides are impressive and can be a bit daunting. But the trail uses rocky switchbacks to get you up to the top of The Notch without as much difficulty as you might anticipate. The trail in this area is wet in many places and because of the number of horses recently the area can be quite chopped up and muddy. The horses have really made a mess of the trail in several places.
The Notch
10:55 a.m.
We reached The Notch. We did not actually go to the very top, but stopped about 100 feet lower down the trail because that was the spot where we had stopped when we came in from the Trial Lake side two years earlier. Besides it has the best places to sit, and provides the best views. This is an open, wind-swept area of slabs of light colored rock with vast views of the scenery below, which includes distant peaks, and a multitude of small to medium sized lakes. And, of course, the forest.
As we sat there eating our energy snacks, we noted a pack train of horses and mules coming up the trail. It didn’t take them long to make the quarter mile distance. They continued on over The Notch, which is basically a well defined saddle between two peaks.
We could see several tents down along Lovenia Lake, and a few fellows climbing around the scree slopes created by the steep cliffs of the north side of Notch Mountain. We could also see some of the searches looking for lost Scout.
It was slightly breezy and chilly as we ate. To this point we had hiked at 2.6 mph, over 7.48 miles, in 2 hours and 52 minutes of walking time. Our GPS Coordinates were 40 42.508N; 110 57.505W; at an estimated elevation of somewhere between 10,511 and 10, 546 feet.
After we ate, a couple from Tennessee came over the top. We spoke with them for a few minutes, then donned our packs and headed back down the trail.
Return Hike
11:44 a.m.
As we worked our way down the trail we spotted three white mountain goats making their way across the sheer cliffs above Ibantik Lake. There appeared to be a large male, a slightly smaller female, and a young one. They climbed along those cliffs as if they were walking down a city sidewalk. It was amazing to see their agility. Eventually they moved to the east and we continued on our way. They were too far away to even hope for a good photo.
Along the trail back the one difficult stretch is the climb up from the creek crossing, back up to Bench Lake. There are some really steep stretches there, but we’ve found that if you just keep putting one foot in front of the other and fight the urge to stop and rest you can make it in decent time and then catch your breath. The other difficulty, which acerbates the steep slope, is the loose rock. Just place your boots carefully and you can make it through with little difficulty.
As we drew nearer to the trailhead, near Clegg Lake, we encountered more hikers, many heading back to the trailhead. And this stretch, when your legs are tired, becomes more difficult. Stepping over the large embedded rocks can become a chore. But keep pushing and before you know it you’ll hear hikers coming down the trail from Bald Mountain, and the incongruent sound of vehicles on the highway. And there it is, the trailhead and parking lot.
2:34 p.m.
We made it back to the trailhead. It was still partly cloudy and cool. Our round trip mileage was 14.6 miles, with a total moving time of 5 hours and 44 minutes, for an average hiking speed of 2.5 mph round trip. Our GPS says that we had a total ascent of 2,360 feet over the course of the hike. Not bad for a day hike.
After we caught our breath and pulled off our boots, we headed back to camp.
Sunday, August 7, 2005
Stillwater Campground
We took our time getting up. It was very cold. I finally got up around 6:30 a.m. and played solitaire until Anne got up about 7:30 a.m. We then prepared breakfast outside, where it was slightly warmer than in the trailer. After that we began breaking camp, but we were in no rush, again, because we are only 2.5 hours from home. It is mostly sunny with a few clouds coming in. We headed out about 11:00 a.m.
