Hiking

Take a hike! A leisurely nature walk or a challenging multi-day trek, the Forest offers a variety of hiking opportunities for every skill level.

Backpacking

Whether you're roughing it in a tent or planning a family picnic, there are many ways to make sure that your experience is fun and safe.

Be prepared
- Pack a first aid kit. Your kit can prove invaluable if you or a member of your group suffers a cut, bee sting or allergic reaction. Pack antiseptics for cuts and scrapes, tweezers, insect repellent, a snake bite kit, pain relievers, and sunscreen. Tailor your kit to your family's special needs.
- Bring emergency supplies. In addition to a first aid kit, you should also have a map of the area, compass, flashlight, knife, waterproof fire starter, personal shelter, whistle, warm clothing, high energy food, water, water-purifying tablets, and insect repellant.
Check the elements
- Check the weather report before you leave home. When you arrive at the site, keep on eye on the skies for changes and, if possible, carry a compact weather radio. In inclement weather, take shelter until the bad weather passes. Stay dry - wet clothes contribute to heat loss.
- Forest and grassland home pages post alerts you should know before you go. Many of our forests and grasslands also post alerts on social media.

General Hiking

Hiking is a wonderful way to see and experience the many wonders of the Ashley National Forest. Over 1,000 miles of trail exist on the forest providing visitors with access to backcountry and wilderness areas. Trailhead locations for many of these trails are listed under trails.

Visit the local ranger district office, our All Maps page, or National Forest Store to obtain a trail map to help you plan your route based on your ability, available time and interest. Please follow these safety tips to ensure a safe journey:

Being prepared includes knowing how to be a responsible hiker. Learn more on our Responsible Recreation page.
- Stay on marked trails.
- Don’t hike alone. Let the slowest person in your party set the pace. This is especially important when children are a part of your group.
- Leave your itinerary with a friend or family member and check in with them upon your return.
- Develop an emergency plan before you start your trip. Make sure everyone knows what to do if they become lost or a medical emergency arises. Give children whistles with the instructions to "stop and blow" if they become lost.
- Take frequent rests or vary your pace to maintain your energy level.
- Drink plenty of water, even on cool, wet days. Never drink your entire supply between refills.
- Wear appropriate clothing, including sturdy boots that are broken in and are comfortable.
- Consider using a hiking pole or walking stick to help maintain your balance in unlevel or hazardous areas.
  - Be aware of your surroundings, and pre-plan your approach before hiking through more hazardous areas. Wet surfaces can be a hazard and even more so if it's on a slope.
  - Consider what you'll do if you start to slide or fall so that you are prepared.
  - If falling, do not try to catch yourself; try to avoid landing on your hands, elbows or knees. Landing on the side of your body is much safer.
  - If the slope is such where you know you are going to slide, lowering your center of gravity, by sitting down and sliding on your feet or bottom, is safer.
  - If sliding while standing up, keep your weight over your feet and bend your knees—do not lean back or forward while sliding.

Trail Conditions

Trail conditions in the High Uintas Wilderness are generally poor. Expect muddy, rocky, trenched, and sometimes submerged trails. Nevertheless, please stay on the trail – don’t make conditions worse by widening or creating new trails! Wilderness trails are intended to be primitive and largely undeveloped, so they are inherently challenging. However, heavy use, thin and rocky soils, poor alignments, and declining funding have resulted in an enormous maintenance backlog and many miles of trail have degraded well below acceptable standards. However, our trail crews must focus their attention on correcting serious safety hazards, mitigating or preventing damage to natural resources, and clearing logs and other obstacles.

Alpine trails (above treeline) are much less used than many other trails and can be difficult to follow. Less used trails in other areas may be difficult to follow as well, particularly where they cross meadows. Where they disappear, we have constructed rock cairns for you to follow. Note that these may be missing – use your map. Where alpine trails are visible, usually on steeper slopes, they are often badly trenched and braided due to thick soils, poor drainage, and the lack of natural obstacles to confine visitors to the trail. Please stay on the trail!

Trails over alpine passes may remain snowbound late into the season, particularly after a hard winter. When under snow, some of these passes cannot be safely crossed without technical equipment. Even when free of snow, trails over alpine passes can be treacherous. Visitors on horseback should be especially cautious.

As a matter of wilderness policy, signs are kept to a bare minimum in wilderness and they are primitive in design. Generally, only trail junctions are signed, unless a serious management problem exists that requires signs. There are literally hundreds of trail junctions in the High Uintas Wilderness and many have damaged or missing signs. We are in the process of replacing these.

Trail bridges are not built in wilderness for the convenience of visitors. Bridges have been built on many stream crossings that are considered particularly hazardous or on crossings where stream banks and vegetation have been severely damaged or are at risk of severe damage from high use. Crossing streams without bridges can range in difficulty from very easy to very difficult, depending on water depth and speed, channel width, and your skills. Many streams can be difficult to cross during periods of rapid snowmelt or heavy rains. Use caution!

Day Hikes

On a day hike, extra weight wears you down and reduces your agility over uneven terrain. Pack as light as possible. Leave the extras behind, but consider bringing these essentials:

Map
- Sunglasses and a hat
- Sunscreen
- Flashlight
- Waterproof matches
- First aid kit
- Water and water-purifying tablets
- High-energy bars, granola, candy, or fruit
- Extra clothing. Temperatures can change dramatically, particularly if there is an elevation change. For every 1,000 feet of elevation gain, the temperature often drops three to five degrees.