Backpacking the Uinta Highline Trail

The Uinta Highline Trail runs through the remote mountains in the northeast corner of Utah for about 105 miles. Much of the route travels in the High Uintas Wilderness. I have known about the trail for at least twenty years and have wanted to hike it ever since. The trail isn't that well known, even within the backpacking community. Everything I've seen on the trail looked great with long expanses of alpine terrain, few hikers, and lots of potential wildlife sightings. And as a geographic sidenote, the Uinta Range is on of the few mountain ranges to travel east-west compared to most ranges that have a north-south orientation.

With a backpacking road trip planned in the summer, the trail moved to the top of my list of backpacking trips. Jeff Mitchell and Josh Batten, with whom I hiked the Foothills Trail last year, also were planning on hiking the trail this year. This seemed like the perfect time to hike the trail. We decided to hit the trail on August 17th. 

Day 1

McKee Draw to Campsite at Mile 12.6

The three of us met at Mirror Lake. We camped at Mirror Lake in a Forest Service campground and woke up about 5AM. We had a long, three-hour drive around the Uinta Range to reach the eastern trailhead. We began our hike just after 10AM. Our hike started at McKee Draw, which is the easternmost trailhead on the Uinta Highline Trail. Some choose to start at the Leidy Peak Trailhead to jump right into the alpine terrain. Since we were all coming from lower elevations, we thought it was a good idea to start at McKee Draw to allow some time for acclimatization. At just over 8,100' in elevation, McKee Draw is the lowest point on the trail.

McKee Draw Trailhead

View at the start of the trail

Since the majority of the trail runs in alpine terrain and we were starting at its lowest point, the trail begins with a climb. In fact the first 30 miles or so of the trail trends upward. The climbing is generally pretty gradual. The first few miles of the trail uses tread shared with ATVs. This is probably the least enjoyable part of the trail since it is quite loose and rocky. Fortunately this doesn't last more than a couple miles.

Sharing the trail with ATV trail

It gets rocky

While generally in the forest to start, the trail breaks into the open when it crosses meadows. The trail has a reputation for being difficult to follow at times with undefined tread. Crossing the meadows proved this to be true as the tread often disappeared in the grasses. Cattle grazing is also common and cattle paths can add to the confusion if you don't pay attention.

The first cows along the trail

The Uinta Range is known for its showery and stormy weather. Even though the day started out cloudless, it didn't take long for the clouds to form. Within the first hour we had some showers. Fortunately, they were short-lived and not too heavy.

Hiking through a meadow with little tread

The first section of the trail has a reputation for a lack of water. We reached a creek that feeds East Park Reservoir around mile four. This would be our last water for close to twenty miles. We took a break here for a snack. I filled up with four liters to carry me to the next water source. 

East Park Reservoir 

We encountered a few showers through the day, but never enough to put on rain gear. After our break we hiked through trees more often than not. A lot of the forests had dead and downed trees. I'm guessing this was a result of beetle infestation. Some sections looked like they may have been intentionally thinned.

Not sure if this is beetle kill or not

Since out packs were heavy with seven days of food, we decided to take it easy the first day, hiking until about 530PM. We found a nice clearing in the trees about 12.6 miles into the day. This of course was a dry campsite. We spent our first day without climbing over 10,000'. 

First campsite

Day 2

Campsite at Mile 12.6 to Lake Wilde

We hit the trail around 715AM. Not long after we left our campsite, we encountered a nice open meadow. This could have been a potentially nicer place to camp for the night. It seemed like long stretches through meadows were pretty frequent throughout the day. As with most meadows on the early section of the trail, the tread would occasionally disappear in the grasses. 

Meadows like this are common on the second day

When not in the meadows, we passed through more forests with signs of beetle kill. Despite a promising looking day, clouds moved in quickly by midmorning. We didn't encounter any water along the trail for the first 8-10 miles of the day. When we finally reached the first creek in a cow-trafficked meadow, we stopped for lunch. This would be the last extended dry section of trail.

Trail crews cleared the path

On the right track

The first showers of the day fell while we ate our lunch. We also saw another Highline Trail thru hiker pass at the creek. This was the first person we encountered on the trail. Leaving the creek, the trail passes through a long meadow with little to no tread. Occasional showers and thunder rumbled as we made our way through the meadow. Showers and thunder would continue on and off throughout the day. As we made our way west, we started to get our first views of alpine terrain.

Our first look at alpine mountains

Close up of a distant mountain

The mountainous views became more frequent

Meadows always provide nice views

Moo

We steadily climbed through the afternoon. About 12 miles into the day, we reached a dirt road that accesses the Leidy Peak Trailhead. This is a common starting point for those looking to skip the lower elevation on the first 24 miles of the trail. We followed the road a short distance before heading into alpine terrain below Leidy Peak.

View by the Leidy Peak Trailhead

Departing the Leidy Peak Trailhead, we would be in alpine terrain the rest of the day as the trail wraps around the summit. Unfortunately more thunder and rain moved in not long after entering the alpine terrain. The worst of the rain seemed to fall as we reached the height of the land. The alpine scenery was beautiful, but it was a little difficult to enjoy as the air cooled with the increasing rain. 

Entering alpine terrain past Leidy Peak Trailhead

Looks like clouds are building

The trail wraps around the 12,000' summit of Leidy Peak, topping out well over 11,000'. With the higher elevation and cold rain, we opted to put on rain gear. Although we generally hiked together, Josh and I got a little ahead of Jeff in this section. At one point some light hail or ice pellets fell. Josh and I waited out a heavy band of rain under a pocket of spruce and waited for Jeff.

Hiking across tundra

The hiking isn't too difficult despite the elevation

Hiking toward a ridge on Leidy Peak

A distant cairn marking the route

The worst of the storm moved on, and within a half hour, the sun was shining again. As we continued to wrap around Leidy Peak, it was easier to enjoy the alpine scenery in the sunshine. It was still cool and windy, but not raining at least.

It's good to be in the alpine zone

Small lake in the valley below

The trail followed this open tundra for a while

Some sections got rocky

Glad it didn't rain through here

The hike around Leidy went slowly. It had been two years since I have been in the higher elevations of the West and I was enjoying the view. Within another half hour, another line of clouds moved in. We had our sights set on Lake Wilde a few hundred feet below. The lake looked sheltered from the wind by the higher terrain.

Clouds are building again

Josh and I got to Lake Wilde around 515PM ahead of Jeff. We found a stretch along the north edge of the lake that would accommodate our three tents. We weren't there very long before a storm with thunder and heavy rain blew through with hail and possibly graupel.

The storm passed relatively quickly. After hunkering down in my tent during the storm, I was able cook and eat outside afterward. It looked pretty nice. After an hour another stronger storm blew in. This storm packed a punch and dumped hail that covered the ground.

View over Lake Wilde

We were camped at about 11,200' and I was worried it would be a rough night. The storm moved out as quickly as it came and the sun came out for the rest of the evening. The rest of the night was quiet.

After the storm with hail on the ground

Hail

Day 3 

Lake Wilde to 1/2 before Fox Lake

After an uneventful night, we hit the trail around 730AM to bright blue skies. The trail climbs above the lake on its way to Gabbro Pass. This 11,600'+ pass is the first of many along the Uinta Highline. We passed by a s small, lingering pocket of snow just below the pass.

Climbing above Lake Wilde

View back down to the lake

Lingering snow

Leaving the pass, we dropped into another meadow with cows. We passed Deadman Lake before descending below 11,000' for about eight miles. The trail travels through a mix of forests and meadows. The trail was quite marshy at a few spots.

Cows deep in the backcountry

Descending through a rocky section

Deadman Lake

Along Deadman Lake

Climbing above Deadman Lake

Getting rocky

As the day went on, clouds moved in. While there was some distance thunder and iffy looking skies, only a few brief sprinkles fell. We stopped for a break to dry our tents and a snack at Whiterocks Lake. We took our lunch at Chipeta Lake. A forest service road leads to a trailhead by Chipeta Lake for an alternative start/end point to the trail.

Whiterocks Lake

Flat hiking in a meadow

Chipeta Lake

A cairn marking the way

Another lake below the trail

Thick willows along the trail

A little muddy here

After spending miles in the forest and meadows, the trail begins a long climb up to North Pole Pass. Jeff and I stopped for water near the start of the final push to the pass, while Josh continued. For the climb of the pass we all hiked our own pace. This was the only time all three of us hiked alone.  

View back while climbing North Pole Pass

Interesting terrain enroute to North Pole Pass

Heading west, the climb up North Pole Pass is fairly gradual. It gets rocky at times, but never too steep. I was happy to have fairly nice weather as I climbed the pass. It was after 4PM and it didn't look like any weather was moving in.

You can see the gradual trail ahead

View southeast

North Pole Pass sits around 12,200'. This was the first time the trail reaches 12,000'. Once at the pass, the trail follows a flat stretch along the crest for a little bit following large cairns. It was pretty windy but still looked like good weather ahead. The trail enters the High Uintas Wilderness here and stays in the Wilderness for most of the remaining miles of the trail.

Wilderness boundary

High section near the pass

The trail drops steeply over switchbacks on the west side of the pass. The terrain gets quite rocky at times. I stopped frequently to admire the scenery ahead and take pictures.

Looking into the next basin

Definitely some rocky areas

Good look at the lakes below

As the trail loses elevation, it crosses a creek several times and often follows the creek. Numerous small cascades drop along this creek. I took my time following the creek to enjoy all the waterfalls.

Start of the waterfalls

This creek cascaded a long way

The falls were pretty constant in this stretch

I went off trail for several of these pictures

A bigger waterfall

After the waterfalls, the trail enters a meadow. I was still hiking by myself at this point. By a small lake, I could see something dark. It was a bull moose. I tried taking a picture, but it was moving and I didn't really get a clear line with the nearby trees. It was nice to see nonetheless.

Not more than a couple minutes later I caught up to Josh, sitting along the trail. I thought he was trying to watch the moose I had just seen. He wasn't. Just ahead in the willows was another massive bull moose. The moose was happily eating the willows like it was an all you can eat buffet. He didn't mind our presence. The massive moose knew he was much bigger and stronger than us and we were no threat. We watched the moose for a while. We carefully passed by it, hoping it wouldn't move so Jeff could see it when he passed by. We caught another glimpse of the first moose in the distance as we moved down the trail.

Big bull moose

Bull moose in the distance

We didn't hike much further. We found a spot to camp on the edge of the trees along a meadow, about a 1/2 mile before Fox Lake. Not much later Jeff showed up smiling. He also saw the two moose. 

View from our campsite

Pretty colors as the sun set

Day 4

1/2 Mile before Fox Lake to Paintbrush Basin

We started our day around 750AM with nice looking weather. We soon hiked by Fox Lake and stayed in lower elevations for the rest of the day. On the Uinta Highline, lower elevation means under 11,000'. It's still pretty high and doesn't drop below 10,000' until the final miles of the trail. Lower elevation also means a mix of subalpine meadows and spruce forests.

Fox Lake

Across Fox Lake

Old cabin

With frequent stretches of trail through meadows, there are usually views of the surrounding higher mountains. We had good weather for the morning before taking lunch at Kidney Lakes. Jeff saw a bald eagle here. Near the end of our break, we heard a few distant rumbles of thunder 

These flat meadows provided
 a nice break from tougher terrain

Open meadows allowed for lots of views

Every cloud you see, makes you wonder if it will rain

One of the Kidney Lakes

Despite the thunder, the skies didn't look too threatening. More clouds soon rolled in however. The skies grew darker as we hiked. Around 1PM the rain started. Thunder and lightning accompanied the rain. As we pressed on, the storm grew worse. The rain became quite heavy. Just for fun, a steady round of hail joined in on the party. Soon the trail was flowing from the heavy rain. We tried to escaped the worst of it under spruce trees, but their branches don't provide the best cover. With nothing else to do, we plodded along. The hail began to cover the ground like a dusting of snow. The hail also dams the flow of the water along the trail causing the water on the tread to get somewhat deep.

The weather seems to be holding off nicely

Maybe a little cloudier now

That escalated quickly, the trail is a river
with a dusting of hail

Although it seems like an eternity when you are pelted with hail and heavy rain while nearby lightning and thunder add to the ambience, I don't think the worst of the storm lasted much more than a half hour.

We soon reached some wide open meadows. Thankfully the storm moved on by the time we reached the meadows with no cover.

Glad the rain let up before hail pelted us
in the exposed meadow

Kings Peak

Paintbrush

Lingering hail on the ground

We had originally planned on making a side quest to climb Kings Peak, the highest point in Utah. With the sky looking less than favorable, we decided against it. We reached a nice open meadow in Paintbrush Basin about 3.5 miles short of the ridge leading to Kings Peak. 

We reached the meadow around 230PM. The sky at this point was still pretty bleak, but some blue started to show. After the weather we just encountered, we were hesitant to climb another 2,000' to the summit let alone to the pass 3.5 miles ahead. We decided to camp here and try for the summit in the morning when the weather would likely be more stable. This would be our shortest day of the trip.

Soon after we set up our tents, the skies cleared and it became quite beautiful. It was even on the hot side in my tent. It almost felt foolish to stay, but we were settled in at this point. If nothing else, nestled below the highest point in Utah in a meadow surrounded by mountains, it was one of the prettiest campsites I stayed at in a long time.

Not a bad campsite

View from our campsite

It turned out we made the right choice to set up camp. By 515PM the next round of weather moved in. Thunder, lightning, and hail all joined the rain. The rain fell on and off for the evening until I fell asleep. Had we continued, we would have most likely been caught in it above 13,000 on Kings Peak. Shortly after 8PM, the rain moved off long enough to provide a pretty glow from the setting sun over the mountains and a rainbow to the east. 

Glowing sky as the sun set in the rain

Rainbow

Day 5

Paintbrush Basin to Creek Crossing in Porcupine Basin

As expected, the weather cleared overnight and we were on the trail about 740AM with nice weather to climb Kings Peak. Our day began with a climb to the highest point on the official Uinta Highline at 12,700' Anderson Pass.

Nice blue skies to summit Utah

Gunsight Pass

West Gunsight Peak

We could see people making their way up the ridge of Kings Peak well before we reached the pass. We also passed some groups on the plateau below the pass. As with most state high points, they are popular hiking destinations, and Kings Peak was no exception. 

Ridge leading to Kings

View at Anderson Pass

We saw quite a few people making their way up the mountain as we reached the pass. When we got to the pass, we stashed our packs to lighten the load for the mile trip to the summit. There isn't a formal trail to the summit, but the route follows the ridge with a few visible paths along the way. Generally take the path of least resistance as you climb and you'll get there. I went ahead of Jeff and Josh along the way to the summit.

Tomcat at Anderson Pass below Kings Peak

Lots of talus

View on west side of Kings

The climb to the summit isn't overly technical, but it travels over rocky terrain the entire route. A few places require some easy scrambling. The west side of the ridge features cliffs that drop dramatically, more than 2,000', to a large alpine basin below. The cliffs also make for stunning scenery as you climb.

Upper part of the ridge

Near the summit

Near rocks along the way

View near the summit 

View along the ridge from the summit

The final push to the summit might be the most technical, but still not that sketchy. At the most it might be a class 2+ climb if you pick a poor line. A handful of people were on the summit when I reached it.

As you would expect, the 13,528' summit provides sweeping views in all directions. The weather was nearly perfect on top. I hadn't been above 13,000' in elevation since my Colorado Trail hike in 2024.  Maybe 15 minutes after I reached the summit, Jeff and Josh soon arrived. The mile back to the pass went quickly with gravity on our side. We had a snack at the pass before beginning our descent into the basin below.

On top of Kings Peak

Another look from the summit

On the descent

Fortunately most of the talus is stable

The great views continued as we descended from the pass. We dropped into the basin, down to around 11,000'. At a small creek we refilled our water and ate some lunch. Oddly, the ground looked like this side of the mountain didn't get any of the rain we experienced the day before.

View near the pass

West side of Kings

A variety of wildflowers in the rocks

Into the next basin

The hiking through the basin flew by on the easier terrain. We began to climb gradually. As we climbed the sky grew more ominous looking. We continued to pass through nice scenery but the looming threat of incoming weather was on my mind after the rough conditions yesterday.

This basin had more willows than most on the trail

The faint trail barely visible

The mountains are interesting in the Uinta Range

More willow along a creek

A distant waterfall along the cliffs

Every basin had nice scenery

Even more willows

Inevitably we started to get some showers. Fortunately they were fairly light to start as we made our way over the barely noticeable Tungsten Pass. Dropping to Tungsten Lake on the other side of the pass looked less promising. The terrain was beautiful with several alpine lakes in the open terrain. However the conditions began to deteriorate with heavier rain and hail. At this point the thunder and lightning picked, up as well as the wind.    

Approaching a small lake

To make matters worse, we had to climb back over 12,000' at Porcupine Pass. While I managed to keep my feet moderately dry up to this point. A flooded section trail near North Star Lake left my feet completely soaked. Beyond North Star Lake, we  made the final push to the pass. I don't know if it was a great idea to keep climbing with the weather, but we were fully exposed in the weather at this point already. At least the surrounding mountains were higher would hopefully attract the lightning.

Rain started to move in when we reached this lake

Descending toward Tungsten Lake

As we climbed above North Star Lake the conditions worsened. The hail and rain were blowing sideways and the lightning and thunder were much closer. We finally made the decision to hunker down in some brushy spruce. If nothing else it blocked the wind. We waited out the worst of the weather below the pass as rain and hail pelted us and lightning struck the surrounding summits with loud claps of thunder.

Small Lakes below a steep mountainside

Patches of blue sky behind us

Fortunately the worst of the storm moved on. The rain mostly stopped and the thunder sounded more distant. It was a chilly climb to the pass though with the strong winds. We reached the 12,200' Porcupine Pass without further weather besides the wind.

Headed toward Porcupine Pass

Rocky terrain below Porcupine Pass

The next basin looks lovely

Headed into the basin eventually

At Porcupine Pass

Video from Porcupine Pass

Dropping from Porcupine Pass, the beautiful scenery continues. Without the immediate threat of a storm, I could enjoy the cliffs that rose along the side of the trail and views into the next alpine basin. .

Descending to the basin seemed slow

The flowers often grew in the rocks

Inching down Porcupine Pass

The trail skirted below the cliffs

Once in the basin, the trail travels down the of valley below the cliffs. Despite the stark looking skies, the weather held off as we made our way through the open basin. The wind was still somewhat chilly. 

Finally in the basin

It looked like rain most of the time in this basin

It was chilly along the trail here

This valley seemed to stretch a long way

We found an established campsite just before 7PM along a good creek. While we were setting up, a few sprinkles fell. Fortunately they didn't last long and we could enjoy the lingering daylight without hunkering down in our tents.

Steep mountainsides rising above the basin

Continuing through the basin

With the long line of cliffs still rising above us, this made for another pretty campsite. Not long after hitting the tent for the night, we could hear elk bugling in the distance. I haven't heard elk bugling since I lived in Colorado.

Not a bad view from the campsite

Around midnight another round of rain moved in. It showered on and off through the night. At one point in the night I was awakened. In my stupor, awakened from a nice sleep, it sounded like a herd of horses. It turned out to be a large rockfall on the nearby cliffs.

Day 6

Creek Crossing in Porcupine Basin to Jack and Jill Lakes

Showers were still falling as the sun started to rise. Not eager to start the day with rain, we weren't too quick to get moving. We started to get ready for the trail and the rain stopped for good a little after 8AM. This would be our latest start besides the first day.

Clouds clung to the nearby cliffs to start the day. They quickly lifted as we hiked. The trail wraps around the base of Mt Lovenia for a while with nice views of its rocky cliffs.

The clouds lingering on the summits

The clouds lifted a little bit

Blue skies shortly after we started

Nice reflection

Moving through rocky terrain

A lot of rockfall below this cliff band

The trail didn't normally stay this rocky too long

Good views of the surrounding peaks

Trees reflecting in the water

Many of the peaks in this area were over 13,000'

Dropping into trees

I think this is Lovenia Peak

Passing through the fallen rock

We dropped to about 10,400' at the Lake Fork River. We took a break along a side creek near the river. The trail then began a climb into another large alpine basin as it make its way toward 12,000' Red Knob Pass.

Passing by jagged cliffs

There were a few mushrooms along the trail

We could hear domestic sheep bleating while grazing in the distance in this basin below the pass. We could just barely see them in the distance, blending into the rocks. There were a couple of horses grazing in this area. There was also a structure nearby, which we figured was the sheep herders cabin.

Clouds seem to be building

I think this is Meadow Peak 

Red Knob Pass sits at a grassy saddle below Meadow Peak's sharp profile and cliffs. Headed into the other side of the pass, the trail dropped into another alpine basin. While much of the trail hikes through stunning alpine terrain, this basin featured some extremely jagged peaks. It was reminiscent of Glacier National Park or the Banff area. 

Impressive peaks near the pass

The Uinta Range is stunning

Red Knob Pass

Video from Red Knob Pass

You can see the trail below the summit ahead

Looking back into the last basin

Jagged profile on this mountain

If I didn't know better, this looks 
like Glacier National Park

Very steep profile on this mountain

I thought this was one of the prettier basins

We dropped back down to about 10,400' in the meadow. With all the jagged peaks around the basin, it's hard not to take a lot of pictures and just gawk at the scenery. We walked through some stretches of forest at times.

Not what I expected in Utah

The peaks could blend in with the Canadian Rockies

I took a lot of picture in this stretch

This might be South Allsop Peak

Back into the forest

While walking through a forested section. We heard a large splash through the trees, in a clearing below the trail. There was a small pool with a cow moose. At first she was leery of us and watched. As we watched from a distance she soon relaxed. She eventually went back to pool to drink. You could hear her noises as she drank and water ran off her back into the pool. Not too far beyond the moose, we saw three large mule deer in the distance. While they were too far for a good photo, we could clearly see their large racks.

Wary moose

She's back in the pool of water

Video of drinking moose

Not long after the wildlife sightings, we began climbing out of the forest toward Dead Horse Lake. We got a good look at what stood before us on Dead Horse Pass. At 11,580', Dead Horse Pass isn't the highest pass on the Uinta Highline. However it has a reputation for being the most challenging traverse on the trail, particularly when hiking the trail westbound like we were. From the lake, we could see the switchbacks rose steeply between bands of cliffs. We took a short break for a snack before he headed up the pass. Although the clouds had been increasing for a while, we didn't have any rain since early in the morning and the only thunder we heard early seemed distant. We hoped the weather would not get any worse as we negotiated the pass.

Looking back through the basin

Crossing a small creek

Clouds are building again

Another look down the basin

Dead Horse Lake

The climb was steep as promised. Steep switchbacks cut through talus under large cliffs. I stopped frequently to take in the sweeping views and took lots of photos. Despite the steep switchbacking climb, the trail only gains about 600' through the pass. You earn that 600' however.

Closeup of the steep terrain ahead

The trail climbs through here

Looking across the ridge higher on the pass

Looking down as I climbed the pass

Dead Horse Lake from above

The sweeping views from the pass are quite impressive, particularly to the west. The beauty of this trail is quite remarkable. During the climb we could see a few piles of horse manure. I couldn't imagine riding a horse up the pass. Given the terrain, I wouldn't be surprised if the pass was named for an unfortunate horse mishap leading to a dead horse.

Tomcat at the pass

Video from Dead Horse Pass

The descent on the other side of the pass is much less dramatic. The trail descends to a vast area of exposed bedrock. As we continued to descend, we started to encounter some sections of trees with burns from an old fire. The Uinta Highline drops into an old burn from 2020 covering 90,000 acres along the Rock Creek drainage that is in rough shape. Many hikers now choose to avoid the rough burn scar. We also chose to do this by traveling on the Head of Rock Creek and Jack and Jill Trails.

Exposed bedrock on the other side of the pass

Continuing below the other side of Dead Horse Pass

Beautiful reflection

The peak in distance looks framed in the trees

We were hoping to camp along one of the Jack and Jill Lakes. We still passed some charred trees. We reached the first of the Jack and Jill Lakes with no luck finding a campsite. Around 730PM we reached the second lake and found a spot. It wasn't the best campsite of the trip, but it served its purpose. We saw a mule deer doe pass by the campsite. I saw an owl fly over the lake near dark. We also heard a bugling elk in the distance. After midnight, there were a few light showers on and off through the night.

Head of Rock Creek Trail

Our view from the campsite at dusk

Day 7

Jack and Jill Lakes to Mirror Lake

After on and off showers overnight, we had okay weather by the time we were ready to hike for the day at 805AM. We quickly got some nice views over Brinkley Lake. After passing the lake, the trail started to pass through more burn areas. The trail was a little difficult to follow at times. The tread vanished at times in a jumble of downed trees in the burn.

Brinkley Lake

Another beautiful reflection

Closeup of the reflection

The sky was usually very blue in the mornings

Hiking through a burn

Distant burned trees

Fireweed

You can barely make out the trail here

After a couple miles we rejoined the Uinta Highline and left the remnants of the burn as we approached Rocky Sea Pass. We stopped at a lake below the pass to take a break and dry our tents from the overnight showers. Rocky Sea Pass would be our final pass of the trip.

Rocky Sea Pass

Headed up the pass

Although rocky, as it name implies, the climb up Rocky Sea Pass is well switchbacked and not too terribly tough. By now, our packs were getting pretty light and the journey would be over later in the day. We had hiked just under 100 miles. I felt the climb to the final pass went relatively quickly. 

A bit rocky at times

View from higher up the pass

I got to Rocky Sea Pass ahead of the other two by a few minutes. We took a few minutes to enjoy our final point above 11,000' before dropping into the next basin. We only had 10 miles left in our journey from the pass. 

Rocky Sea Pass

A look at the terrain near the pass

From Rocky Sea Pass, it's all downhill- well sort of. Generally the trail trends downhill the rest of the way, though the terrain is more rolling. The trail stays above treeline for several more miles after leaving the pass. Eventually as the elevation decreases, the trail travels through stretches of forest.

Looking west

Rocky Sea Pass Peak

Arnica

Start of the descent from the pass

Most of our days on trail had some showers or rain and thunder. Our final afternoon was no exception. We had thunder and light rain for a bit. The rain was light and the thunder wasn't too threatening. It was as if the trail wanted to let us know we weren't out of the mountains just yet.

We skipped the last 1/2 mile of the official Uinta Highline and extended our hike a couple miles by hiking to Mirror Lake. Mirror Lake is said to provide a more scenic finish with mountains rising by the lake. The last mile or so of trail to Mirror Lake passed by drive in campsites and eventually along the shore of the lake. It was a Sunday afternoon and a lot of people were out enjoying the weekend. We passed too many people to count around the lake.

I can't speak for the official trail end at the Hayden Pass Trailhead, but finishing at Mirror Lake does provide some nice views of the mountains rising around the lake. After seven days in the wilderness, the crowds of people were a little overwhelming. We reached the trailhead around 320PM.

Mirror Lake

Another view over Mirror Lake

We were out on the trail for seven days. With our side trips, burn scar bypass, and Mirror Lake end point; we ended up hiking at least 110 miles. The official trail is closer to 105 miles. 

I honestly don't know why the Uinta Highline isn't better known. This trail travels through stunning scenery. Apart from the first 20 or so miles, you are immersed in or looking at alpine scenery. I think the remoteness, somewhat tricky shuttle, potential for storms, and its reputation for hard to follow tread keeps a lot of less experienced and casual backpackers away from the area. Perhaps most people think of desert and arches in Utah and overlook the state for alpine mountains. 

The trail lived up to its reputation in a lot of aspects. I think it thundered everyday and we had at least a rain shower most days. We experienced hail on several days. The trail can be difficult to follow at times when it traverses long expanses of grassy meadow. Apart from the Kings Peak area, we saw only a handful of backpackers and a few groups of horsepackers.

We also experienced quite a few wildlife encounters. We saw at least one elk in the distance and heard the males bugle a couple nights. We saw three moose and several mule deer. In the higher rocky areas, we could hear marmots and pikas chirping with a few sightings. I'm pretty sure we saw at least two golden eagles. Jeff saw a bald eagle and I saw an owl.

I really loved the Uinta Highline Trail and would considerate one of my all time favorite backpacking trips. If you are comfortable and experienced negotiating remote alpine areas, I highly recommend this trail. Even with the challenges it throws at you, it's an incredible trail and well worth the effort to visit the stunning landscapes.

Within minutes of finishing the trail, I parted ways with Jeff and Josh. I made my way to Idaho for another backpacking trip in the Sawtooth Wilderness. If you enjoyed this post, keep checking back for that trip report. It was hard to tell which hike was better between the Uinta Highline and the Sawtooth Loop that I put together.

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