The trail takes you around the north side of the Uinta mountain range and then back across the southern plateaus. It covers a lot of ground and has many possibilities for camping and hotels along the way. The Mirror Lake Highway offers several areas to explore mountain lakes. The Flaming Gorge and Green River offer world-class fly fishing.

The trail’s highlight is crossing the Flaming Gorge dam and the Green River. Another highlight is a quick side trip to the three corners of Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah.

The trail is approximately 444 miles long. We’d guesstimate it’s 75% dirt and the rest asphalt. The dirt portions range from smooth graded gravel, to rocky sections. A jeep could do the trail, but portions would be slow going compared to a SXS. Because of so much asphalt, only street-license vehicles should attempt this. The asphalt is unavoidable around Mirror Lake Highway and the cities along the southern route. Another area that makes this route challenging is abiding by the laws of the Uintah & Ouray tribes that prohibit street-legal SXS vehicles on their triable land. Most of the land up against the southern Uintas is tribal; hence why the route was more south across the BLM and oil fields of Duchesne County.

Trail Details

• Trail Length: 444 miles
• Terrain: Gravel roads, dirt roads, and asphalt
• Ideal For: SXS, High-Clearance AWD vehicles
• Start/End: It’s a loop, so it can be done anywhere. Suggestions: Vernal, Mirror Lake Highway, Strawberry Reservoir area, or the top of Timber Lakes east of Heber City.

Sample Trip

This route can be done pretty much as quick or slowly as you’d like. It has endless camping, fishing, and hiking opportunities along the way. The team at East of Nowhere Adventures covered it over 2 days by starting at the top of Timber Lakes, east of Heber City, and running it clockwise. They over-nighted in a hotel in Vernal. If you prefer to camp, there are several designated campgrounds along the Mirror Lake Highway. Dispersed camping is available pretty much along the entire route.

Connections

This trail can be combined with a few other trails in the Pioneer Trail System. From Vernal, you can head south on the Book of Tavaputs Trail. The west end of the trail connects with the Dixie Trail, where you can head south to St. George. From the Mirror Lake Highway, you can hop on the Syrup Trail and head to Canada or the Spud Run to Idaho. With a little creativity, you can detour to Bear Lake and Logan.