Dear Editor:
On a brisk September day two couples decided to have lunch at the Flaming Gorge lodge and decided to do it in a slightly different way. We decided to do it on an ATV. The most miles either of these couples had previously done in a one-day trip was 304.8 miles (Kemmerer, WY to Alpine, WY and return).
By mapping the distance out on Google Earth and by looking at maps we knew it would be much greater than that and closer to the 370-mile range. Another item to note is that one of the ATV riders was 81 years old and all the others were 50-plus years of age.
We left Coalville, UT, at 7:17 a.m. and the temperature was a brisk 38 degrees F. Because our ATVs are Utah street legal we were able to ride the Chalk Creek Highway approximately 25 miles to the state corner (Wyoming/Utah).
The road from that point was all gravel until reaching Wyoming SR 150. We then went north on SR 150 about two miles to a backcountry road that goes through the old town of Piedmont which is home to turn-of-the-century charcoal kilns. This route is also a part of the original Mormon trail from Wyoming to Utah.
From there we traveled to the windmill farm just off I-80 at the top of the third sister if heading east on I-80 just before Fort Bridger, WY. We then turned south and many miles later came to Meeks Cabin Reservoir. All the traveling now is on the North Slope forest road going east and proceeding by China Meadows, Marsh Lake and State Line Reservoir.
When we reached the north end of the Stateline Reservoir we took a right, which would take us to the Henrys Fork drainage. At that point we had traveled close to 130 miles, so we decided to put in our first 2.5 gallons of gasoline which we had carried with us. (This route is a BYOG.)
After fueling we proceeded through the Beaver Creek drainage and to Hoop Lake, then to Beaver Meadow Reservoir, then to the Spirit Lake Road junction. At that point we turned left heading east by the Ute Mountain Fire lookout to the Deep Creek junction road. We made a right and headed south/east into the Deep Creek drainage and onto SR 44. We traveled south on SR 44 to the Greendale Junction and then made a left onto SR 191, which took us to the Flaming Gorge Dam. At this point we had been a little more than six hours on the road and were 180 miles from Coalville, 45 of which was on improved hard surface highways.
After spending time at the dam and having a wonderful lunch at the lodge, we started the return trip which was the same as we had going over for the first 30 miles. When we got to the West Beaver Junction we turned north toward Lone Tree, WY, then to the Bridger Gas plant. From there we proceeded west to Quarter Corner and then to the State Line Reservoir road.
From that point we turned north toward Mt. View, WY, for several miles to a cutoff road that took us through Robertson, WY. We then proceeded back through the windmill farm, Piedmont (Mormon trail), and onto an old railroad grade which took us by Sulphur Creek Reservoir, then to Chalk Creek and back to Coalville via Upton, UT.
We arrived at our original starting point in Coalville, at about 8:15 p.m. (13 hours) and 370.1 miles for the total trip.
The ATVs we rode were of the two-up variety which made the trip highly enjoyable even considering the distance and type of terrain. The views along the way were simply gorgeous and enjoyed by all.
A map using a GPS SPOT device shows and confirms the entire trip. The first SPOT track is inside Wyoming because it takes about an hour for the satellite to put down its first track. The last, No. 50, is at our start/stop point in Coalville.
G. Lucky Faust
Riverdale, UT
(ED--Wow, that sounds like a great ride. Thanks for sharing it with us. We definitely like those longer rides and the challenges associated with them, from the planning and logistics all the way to the actual ride and any surprises we find along the way.)
