Cruising the High Country with Uinta Recreation - 11,749 foot Mount Timpanogos in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah coming into view

Had one of the best outdoor experiences ever the other weekend when my family and I traveled up to Heber,Utah to go for an ATV ride. We don’t have ATVs so I looked around on the internet and came across the Uinta Recreation website and I was impressed with the presentation there so I gave them a call and set the deal up. We met Adam Pulley, owner / operator at his office located just off of US 40 in Heber.  Adam welcomed us in a friendly manner,  sized us for helmets and then we walked outside to look at the machines we would be renting. They were of the finest caliber of ATVs. We had 4 machines in all – 3 ATVs that looked pretty mean even though they were pretty looking as well, and we had one four seat Razor 800. Adam gave us a class on safe operating practices and general do’s and don’ts. This was important information and it was delivered in a manner that everyone could understand. Not being very familiar with ATVs, Adam made every one in the group comfortable with the basics of thier safe operation.  After that,  the machines were loaded on a trailer and we followed Adam to the trailhead that was just north of Deer Creek Reservoir in the tiny town of Midway, Utah which is nestled up to the backside of the mighty Wasatch Mountains. The setting couldn’t be any prettier. The cool thing about the machines we rented was that they are all street legal so we were able to ride em anywhere on the streets as long as we obeyed the traffic regulations. Adam unloaded the machines and we all saddled up so to speak – my wife and son had their own bad “A” machines; my little girl rode one with me; and my parents rode side by side in the razor with a cooler strapped to the back for a picnic lunch.  After a few cool pics at the trailhead we were off heading up into the mountains. We followed a well maintained dirt road up above Soldier Hollow towards Cascade Springs. It was so fun driving those things with majestic 11,749 foot Mount Timpanogos coming into view with the warm sun shining down and a cool breeze on your face. My wife and son really got a kick out of just “taking off” so to speak and cruising up the road. Once over the ridge top, we descended a steep road down to Cascade Springs where we parked the machines in the parking lot.  A prettier place than Cascade Springs can hardly be imagined as there is a trail that winds around the massive pure springs as they emerge from the mountain. There are boardwalks, interpretive signs, stone steps and bridges. Numerous trees and bushes shade the springs and various water plants grow at the edges. There are many fish visible in the water and it is a generally peaceful place. We took advantage of the setting and walked the trail. There are also good restroom facilities here.  After Cascade Springs we headed north towards the beautiful loop of Deer Creek Campground nestled below 10,350 footMillCanyonPeak. Just before the campground we took a hard switch back and really began to climb with the views of the Wasatch and theHeberValleyunfolding ever further with each foot of elevation gained. The machines effortlessly climbed this steep portion of the trail much to our satisfaction. At about 1130am we found ourselves at a turnout near the top of a high ridge that had an amazing view of Mill Canyon Peak to the west and the mighty peaks of Timpanogos, Cascade and Provo to the south so we broke out the cooler and stopped for lunch.  After lunch we continued north and west towards Pole Line Pass through wonderful stands of white bark aspen and various ferns and wildflowers. When we crested the ridge at the pass, we dropped down into north fork of American Fork canyon via numerous switchbacks in deep dark pines. Every now and then there would be a break in the forest and we would get incredible views of snow strewn 11,101 foot Box Elder Peak and 11,321 foot White Baldy. It was cool and refreshing in the forest where a thick rich smell of bark, damp earth and pine filled the air.  Once in the bottom of the canyon we followed a very rough road parallel to the river that in some places was down right scary as the mountainside dropped clean off on one side down to the river far below. Even though the roads were rough, rocky and steep in places, our machines operated flawlessly and they were easy to manage, drive and maneuver. We finally arrived at a campground with a restroom where we decided to turn around. We then drove up a ways past old historic ghost town / mine workings in Mineral Basin below 10,920 Devil’s Castle and 11,489 American Fork Twin Peaks. We would have gone farther but storm clouds had started to develop as they often do on a late summer afternoon in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, so we decided to begin the journey back to the trailhead. As is the case when you are in the mountains, you can never outrun the rain and it caught us but as it was a warm summer day, the cool of the rain on my face was refreshing and it was an enjoyable and memorable experience cruising through the Uinta National Forest with my family just taking the rain and loving every minute of it.  As one of my favorite quotes states……..some people walk (ride) in the rain………others just get wet. But I digress. I’ll never forget riding the high ridges of Wasatch Mountain State Park watching my family in front of me on their machines cruising along the dirt trails in the high up hills having fun without a care. Memories like this can sometimes be bought and that day we did. When we reached Cascade Springs on our way back, we called Adam and by the time we got back to the trailhead in Midway, he was waiting there with his trailer. It was an outstanding day on the trail and I will forever be grateful to Adam and his outfit for taking such good care of us that day. I can honestly say it was worth every penny spent to take part in this outdoor activity. Due to the fact that I will most certainly come back to Uinta Recreation again, I wanted to scrounge some more information and while doing so I discovered that you are not limited to the outstanding Wasatch Mountain trails as they will deliver the machines to a variety of different places or you can rent the machines with a trailer and take them down to the red rock of Moab, out to sand dunes at Knolls or up to the dark pines of the Paiute ATV trail in central Utah. Uinta Recreation also offers guided ATV tours, Snow Mobile rentals – where again they deliver the machines and provide free use of helmets, snow suits and boots. I was also happy to discover that they offer horse back riding and fly fishing adventures as well. As their brochure states, they offer “superior service – and have quality well maintained equipment” which when coupled with being only 45 min from Salt Lake City makes for an exceptional value.  If you are looking for a great way to make some lasting family memories out in the mountains, Uinta Recreation has something for everyone. If you ever find yourself in the Salt Lake City area with some time to spare, I highly recommend that you contact Adam at Uinta Recreation and set up a memorable experience of your own. We will be back without a doubt!