Lazy Day
Soapstone Basin // PINES, BB GUNS, AND DOING NOTHING
Nights out: 1 Miles driven: 143 Soundtrack: Prof, Pookie Baby
Hammock Science
One night in the Uintas with the boys, the Bronco, a few bikes, too many mosquitoes, and no real agenda beyond being outside.
Day 1
The boys and I packed up the Bronco with the essentials: bikes, bacon, beers, BB guns, and bamera gear.
We hit the road mid-morning Saturday and headed to one of our close-to-home zones. I’ve got a few spots in this area where I can beat the heat, get away from the crowds, and feel pretty remote. Best part is, the drive is only an hour and a half, including a Maverik stop.
My favorite spot in the area is right on top of a peak, with a gentle slope and a huge clearing to the west. Back the truck into the trees at the edge of the clearing, set up camp, and watch the sun set over the entire Wasatch Range.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it. The road was blocked by a tangle of downed trees, and my mighty folding saw wasn’t going to cut it.
So we settled for Plan B, just down the road. The views weren’t as grandiose, but there’s something about being tucked into pines and aspens that still does the trick.
After spending a few minutes setting up camp, we buckled our helmets, grabbed our bikes, and took off for some two-wheel exploring. We had the entire day with nothing to do. The calendar was ours, and this seemed like the best way to fill it.
We spent the next few hours splashing bikes through mud puddles, plinking cans, and taking naps in the hammock.
Huck and Tom would have been jealous.
As the day wore on, the mosquitoes waged war against us. The Uinta range is notorious for hordes of mosquitoes that could make the dinosaurs run for cover. We hunkered down in the tent for the evening with chips and salsa, Oreos, and some Matt’s Off Road Recovery.
Once the temperature dropped enough, the mosquitoes retreated, and we emerged from our fort. Then we got right back to doing absolutely nothing.
Just how we liked it.
Night fell, baby wipe showers were taken, and we precariously hoisted the dog into the rooftop tent. Our lazy day had wiped us out.
Day: 2
I woke up at 3:30 and climbed out of the tent to go see a man about a horse. The night was dead calm. No breeze, no noise, no clouds.
The stars made it impossible to climb back into the tent.
So I sat outside for an hour, just watching.
We slept in long after the sun rose. It appeared we were in for another lazy day. But first, bacon.
We cooked all the bacon we had, sat around drinking coffee, and made beer cans nervous with the BB gun. Then it was off for some more biking, hiking, and getting dirty.
We were due at home, so we packed up, cleaned up, and headed out with our mental batteries recharged.
The body batteries, however, were going to need more naps.
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Soapstone Basin is in the western Uinta Mountains of Utah, not far from Kamas and the Mirror Lake Highway corridor. It’s a close-to-home mountain zone for Salt Lake City campers looking for cooler temperatures, dirt roads, pine and aspen forests, and easy access to dispersed camping.
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Soapstone Basin is roughly an hour and a half from Salt Lake City, depending on your starting point, traffic, road conditions, and how long you spend inside Maverik pretending you only need one thing.
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Soapstone Basin can be a great place to camp with kids if you’re prepared for dirt roads, bugs, changing weather, and primitive camping. It’s the kind of place where a lazy day can turn into biking, hiking, BB gun plinking, mud puddles, hammock naps, and general outdoor wandering.
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Yes. In warmer months, mosquitoes can be serious in the Uinta Mountains, especially near wet meadows, ponds, creeks, and muddy areas. Bring bug spray, long sleeves, a tent or screened shelter, and the emotional resilience of a frontier raccoon.
Keep Wandering
More mountain biking: Captain Ahab
More bikes with more community: White Rim Jamboree
Wandering weird desert landscapes: Goblin Valley
