Millcreek Canyon Snowshoe Hike to Yurt

The Yurt

An interesting "bug-eyed" bug out for a stroll

This is why I love snowshoeing!

 I did this hike November 16. It starts about 5 miles up Millcreek Canyon, which is as far as you can drive this time of year. It is almost 10 miles round trip to hike to the yurt and back. It took me 2 1/2 hours to go up, take pictures, etc. and about 1 1/4 to go back down at a brisk pace, even running a bit. You can rent the yurt from the Forest Service. It has a wood stove, all the firewood you need, and even restrooms near by. It sleeps 6 to 8 people. I want to try that sometime!  There was only one car in the lot when I started up at 7 AM.  I met this person at about the 3 mile mark, and she was cross-country skiing down with SIX dogs!  By the time I got back to the parking area, the lot was full of cars.
 More people ski this than snowshoe it, but there are a couple of
steep icy runs that I don't like, so I usually just snowshoe.  Many people just wear boots or running shoes, as it is usually well-packed and groomed.  I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of snow for this time of year; the road was completely covered.  One thing you don't want to do is dress too warmly, as it doesn't take long to work up a sweat. Layers of clothing is the way to go.  This was my first time out snowshoeing this year, and I forgot to bring my coat, but I
didn't need it. I was fine in my Underarmor shirt and pants.  The gloves were nice to have, though. I bought them at Recreation Outlet a while back on sale for about $5!   I saw tracks from a large moose, and a smaller one, that were made that morning. (No ice crystals formed in the prints, and the prints were very well-defined, and no frozen crust of snow in the prints.)  Several years ago we saw a moose in this canyon on our way up to snowshoe. We stopped our car and watched it, and several cars stopped behind us. A delivery truck was on the way down the canyon. The driver honked his horn, and when the moose did not move, he got out of his truck and tried to shoo it off the road by waving his arms. I wish I had gotten it on video! You CANNOT shoo a moose! The moose charged him, and with terror in his eyes, he jumped back in his truck!  Now the moose was mad, and it charged toward my Expedition. I guess the Expedition was larger than it wanted to tangle with, so it turned away, and instead charged the cute little red Volkswagon Jetta right behind us.  The moose kicked it several times, causing the two girls inside to scream loudly.  I'll bet that was an interesting insurance claim.  I took a picture of the moose with its tongue hanging out, and the Salt Lake Tribune published it  with the above story.  Anyway this is a fun hike with lots of options to go on side trails that I will blog about in the future.  If I had to have a dog, I would definitely bring it along on this hike (but only ONE dog, not SIX!)

Update 12/7/12   Andy and I drove up Millcreek Canyon this morning, driving very slowly where I slid off the road (see comments), and we hiked up to the yurt. We made good time, one hour, 45 minutes, without snowshoes.  Much of the snow had melted and there were many icy spots and bare spots on the road.  It was a beautiful day for a hike.  (But to me, ANY day is a beautiful day for a hike!)  The yurt was occupied this time, and seemed cozy with smoke coming out the flue.  We saw the lady with the six dogs that I had seen last time. She seemed happy as she was going back down, but as we were hiking down, we saw her going UP again, with only four dogs and no smile on her face, as two of the six dogs were running away from her.

Sun Just appearing about 8:15

I obeyed this sign after 2 hours of snowshoeing.

Trekking poles happy to wear snow baskets

These mittens are great for easy access to fingers for taking pictures or using GPS

At the 1.25 mile mark

The fog burning off to reveal a gorgeous day (12/7/12)

Me at the yurt on 12/7/12

Green's Basin

The destination, Green's Basin.

Beginning of the trail

 This is a nice little side hike off of Day's Fork trail. To get to the trailhead,, go 9.7 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon, and turn right into the Spruces Campground parking lot. (parking is free when the campground is closed, or you can park out on the road.) Head through the gate at the West end of the parking lot, pass some restrooms, and look for the trail sign to the right of a baseball field.  The first 1/4 mile is fairly steep. Just past the place where it levels out, you will see a trail branching off to the left. This is the trail to Green's Basin.  The hike is about 1.5 miles each way. About 1/4 mile before the meadow, is a trail on the left that goes straight down. I did not take it, but it looks like it goes to the cabins in Silver Fork.
     This is a beautiful hike, even when the Aspens are barren, and when I got to the meadow, I couldn't resist climbing to the top of the surrounding ridges to check out the view.  When I saw the huge old pine tree, I was pondering about why it is still here after all these years, and had not been cut down by loggers in the early days of Utah.  I think maybe it was because it was "defective" with its crooked trunk.

One week earlier, the aspens were covered with leaves; now they are bare.

I wonder how old this tree is.

The edge of Green's Basin