Fall splendor in the Tushars

The places lightly visited by us near our new volunteer role make for a bonus.

We have some places we want to see more such as the Fish Lake area and places we’ve visited in the past.

Among these places? The Tushar Mountains.

This range contains the third-highest peak in Utah and features broad, tundra-covered walks.

With the last bit of fall color in the high country and the crisp weather, these mountains seemed a perfect place to visit.

After looking over our site, we drove to the mountains and found a suitable dispersed camp for the evening.

The edge of the meadow provided a grand view of where we’d spend the next few days.

The following morning we made the short drive to the trailhead, hoisted our packs, walked down the trail, and veered cross country to get near the cusp of the treeline.

With the gray clouds moving in and the related colder temps moving in as well, we decided to find a camp in the later afternoon and go higher in the morning. We found a perfect site near a spring, at the edge of the treeline, sheltered in the trees, and cow approved!

Among the cow pies. PCO Joan.

The following morning we climbed up from our campsite and to the ridge.

PCO Joan.

We could take in the fall splendor from the ridge itself with the crisp air, deep blue skies, and the last bit of autumn color on the landscape.

From the summit, we headed down the tundra and enjoyed the fall weather.

From the edge of the treeline, we made a lower loop back to our campsite with a faint horse packers trail leading the way in places.

The following day we followed the Skyline Trail to make a route back to the trailhead.

Rather than follow the same route back, we decided to stick to our tradition (!?) and follow a lightly used jeep track to make a fuller loop.

PCO Joan

We soon reached the edge of the meadow and made it back in time for an early lunch on the tailgate.

We saw only a handful of people, even in vehicles, during our time here. The colder weather at night may keep the people away, but it means we get to have the wild places more to ourselves.

And that’s how we like it. 🙂