UTAH JUNE 1st MEET!

So I may be able to make the second half of the meet next Saturday. I had a two night campout planed with somefriends but sounds like it’s only going to be Friday night. If we have group that wants to camp Saturday night I’m in. I’ll probably get to American Fork Canyon around 3:00.

 

I'm down for sure, the only problem is I have drill this weekend so the 2nd is a no go for me... But if people wanna meet on the 9th that'd be awesome

 

My 8 year old and I are planning on the 2nd for a run up the Tibble Fork trail in AF. Anybody is welcome to come along if you'd rather be a passenger than a driver. I know some folks want to run a trail as a passenger once before risking their own vehicle on it. Tibble Fork is pretty mild most of the time though.

 

Just to add... probably the easiest route for this first run is the Tibble Fork trail as it has a few turnouts, which helps when groups coming down want to pass, and such. When you get to the very top and it splits off into two separate trails, then you can decide if you want to turn around and head back, or there is a big area to have fires if you want to camp or cook something, and you can head down the hill and the river is at the bottom. Great place for sight-seeing and a big space to park and shoot the breeze for a few and rest. Let kids run around, snap some photos, etc. I know the place I'm thinking of... does anybody else?

About a quarter mile past it there is a spot that forks off... one roading heading toward the backside of timp and I've gone up that one a couple of miles in my old FJ and things got a bit sticky as the road was way narrow and quite rocky. The left fork I believe heads for Cascade Springs and eventually takes you out into Provo Canyon.

If you ask for a map when we go into the pay station at the front of the canyon the rangers will typically give you one as long as they aren't all out. You can pay for a year long pass, or I believe a 48 hour pass. So have a few bucks set aside. I usually buy the day pass if I'm not sure how the canyon is going to be and check things out, then get a year pass the next time I go up if things look like it will be a good season. I think I'll go with the full pass this time up though as the snowpack was so paltry. There should be lots to explore this year and very few closed areas and washouts. I'm happy to lead for a bit if anybody wants me to, or I'm happy to take up the tail end for helping the slow movers to get to the right spot (I know everybody drives it at different speeds.... parts are really narrow and sometimes you'll get stuck letting another group coming through that is coming back down the other side where it's only wide enough for one vehicle to fit comfortably... you'll have to back down to a turnout and wait it out).

 

What time are you planning on going sparky? Yes I know where you are talking about. The left fork goes up past mineral basin all the way to snowbird and is a fun trail...you do have a pretty good boulder field though to cross at the beginning. The trail changes every year
Due to run-off. The right fork goes to cascade springs and is very mild. There are also several trails that branch off before that main fork which are of varying difficulties.

 

Please put my name on the list. I am interested in AF either weekend. Not sure if I can do both though. Work and Family is pretty crazy right now.....

 

Please add me to both weekends OP

 

OP updated

 

I'm in for sure on 2nd this Saturday. If the weather holds up i'm planning on throwing down a ground tent and making some dinner and most likely start a big campfire. Tibble Fork trail sounds great. I've never been up there so looking forward to it. Hope it is not too difficult of a drive and can get my stock 06 up there.

 

I guess I'm sparky. Haha.

I'll plan on meeting at Cabelas with everybody at 1:00 or 2:00 (whatever the plan was). I'm free all day as long as I'm alive (I've had a really high fever all day, but it seems to be letting up).

Let me know what to bring, how many people are going. If we aren't doing food then that's cool with me. Just throwing it out there as an idea. I know there are a few fast food places on the Alpine Highway (or whatever it's called now) on your way over from Cabelas. There is also a Smith's Marketplace for those who need snacks and such on their way, and a few gas stations before entering the canyon. The FJ guys used to meet at the Chevron that was the last place to stop before entering the canyon, but Cabelas is easy because it's right off the freeway. Cabelas has a snack bar/restaurant as well for those who want to snag lunch before heading up if you're going to go shop around before leaving. Plus you can buy ammo.

 

Any of you guys going on the second have cb's?

 

not this guy.

 

You'll make it easily Sparky. I literally saw some people from overseas driving a rental Toyota Corolla back down the other side last time I was up there. It was getting beat to hell, but it was making it. They were laughing their heads off. Something tells me they got the insurance.

I was stuck behind a guy pulling up a solid axle trailer with his camping gear, and he didn't have any leaf springs on it (WHAT?!!!). It was just u-bolted to the frame, and that thing looked like it was going to take his rear end off of his truck due to the rocks and bumpiness.

If you air down a little (for comfort... but I don't think it's required) then it's a pretty easy trip. I've done it without 4 wheel drive engaged in my FJ a few times. I believe the second time I popped it into 4x4 for a minute where a section of a hairpin turn had sort of washed out and I had to take a weird angle, but that was more me wanting to put it in 4x4 than anything.

Once we get to the top, there are plenty of offshoot trails like fireulice mentioned that can be challenging and that rocky area he talked about (mineral basin I think) could require some 4x4. I think any competent driver in a stock vehicle, even a 2 wheel drive pre-runner should make it ok if you have a lift of any sort you should clear any of the taller rocks, but you can still pick a good line and avoid a lot of the stuff that creates issues (the tall rocks are usually on the side, and some jokers try to go over them in small vehicles and get hung up).

I wouldn't be too worried either way. I have a hitch and the rear diff lock and could probably pull somebody free if they got hung up anyway, as I'm sure others could. Mine is a 2012 and I'm not real keen on beating it up, so I'm not going to do anything too crazy. I typically just enjoy the ride, and Tibble Fork is a good starter trail and intro to AF Canyon, which you could spend your whole summer exploring.

 

I do. Its tuned pretty good on the lower channels. I ran on ch. 2 in Moab. I get a couple miles out of my K30 antennae. I can def keep it on and listen for you when you come up. I doubt the cells work but we could try.

I'm planning the same. If its not too cold for the kids, we will throw down a tent and stay.

 

Channel 2 it is then. I've not played with the range on mine so it could be interesting.

 

Sign me up for the 2nd and 9th. I'll probably drag a friend with his jeep along as well. Planning on staying overnight in AF. Maybe in Farmington, depending if we can get back to the smith creek lakes or not.

We may break off and do Forest Lake to see how its changed this year. Camping will either be at the lake, or at Pittsburgh Lake parking lot. If others are planning to camp that cant make it up to the lake, we'll probably do the Pittsburgh Lake parking. Maybe run Mineral Basin in the morning.

Weather looks good this weekend, so I'll just be airing up the mattress and tossing it in the back of the truck.

I wouldn't recommend 2wd up mineral basin. 4x4 with a 2" lift was able to get through it last year, but there was a lot of slider and armor contact. Thats a trail I would easily say that if you dont have armor, you will walk away with damage. Of course, just like every other trail, it changes a bit every year (last year was easier than the year before).

Forest Lake got a little bit harder last year than the previous year, and from pics I've seen of the water pit, its probably about the same as last year. (I wish I knew how we could fix it...)

 

Sorry... I realize I wasn't clear at all there. Thanks for pointing out and clarifying what I totally blew it on. What I meant to say and should have said was that a stocker can easily make it up to the fork in the road that I discussed before up at the top of the Tibble Fork trail. I wouldn't even attempt to take one past that point personally. I took my FJ Trail Teams up there, and it did fine, but it had a pretty heavy duty suspension, great off-road tires, and all of the goodies you need to get through any situation that doesn't require too massive of a lift. I think my Tacoma will do ok, but the FJ was unstoppable anywhere I went. I tried to get it stuck many times and couldn't come close. Of course I didn't do anything that was truck-ruin worthy, but your typical off-roading with some moderate difficult was no problem for it, and I rarely ever had to use 4x4 (and only HAD to use lo-range once). The Tacoma has mostly the same features (A-Trac, RR Diff Lock, hi and lo, etc.) so I am sure I and those with the same setup will be ok on the more moderately difficult parts, but even without those options I think people will be fine to make it to the top of the Tibble Fork trail even without 4x4, as long as it isn't super muddy/slick/snowy, or you get stuck goofing around on a spur trail and get high centered or something.

I know that people have moved the rocks completely out of the way on the rocky stretch you speak of, and then others will spend all day rebuilding the rock walls and making it worthy of your time once again. I think what happens is a group will get all the way up and realize they can't handle it and will start moving rocks around. I've heard of a few incidents where groups have gotten into some pretty heated exchanges for the changes they make of the rocky areas. Most don't mind if you have to move things to get through, they just ask that you put it back to how it was before moving on. That is where the "disagreements" happen.

I think anybody in the group will make it to the big camping area/split in the road spot without issue, and then can turn around and head back down which is a fun drive even though you're backtracking. It's different going backward and the view is a lot different as you have an easier time seeing the scenery off to the west, which is the backside of Timp and it has some amazing views. They aren't all that easy to see when you're going up and trying to look across your vehicle out the side window and avoid going over the edge.

 

Looks like my camping buddy probably bailed on me, so unless someone else confirms they're going to be staying overnight, neither will I.

 

I'm game to camp if you want or if you want to camp next week up in Farminton I'm down for that.

What does everyone else want to do?

 

I'm camping for sure, so is Sparky36.