Mirror Lake Scenic Byway

I took this drive with my best friend who came to visit from LA. We packed a lunch and headed out. It took about 2 hours from East Ogden in the middle of fall and it was one of the most breath taking refreshing places I’ve ever been.
We went around the time that there were still really warm days, but it was at least 15 degrees cooler up there than in Ogden.
I can’t wait to come back and camp up here. It’s closed for winter and opens up again sometime during June or July depending on how quickly it gets hot.
It was a great day trip and short hike around the main mirror lake. Definitely worth it.

It costs $ 6 for a three-​day pass – have the correct amount. We hiked to Long Lake (2 miles from trailhead). Several signs on the trail were missing so it was confusing if you don’t know the area. Big parking lots with toilets. Good fishing. We saw several deer, squirrels, birds, etc. Lots of rocks – be careful not to twist your ankle!

After staying for 4 months in high dessert Morgan, Utah surrounded by aspen trees and sage brush, never thought I see this beautiful lake just 1hour drive. Smell of fresh mature pine trees and beautiful lake reminded of me a picture I’ve seen in travel magazine before.
On the way to Mirror lake, stop by @ mile mark 26 Provo river fall!

This is a must do on your visit to Park City. The Unita mountains are one of two mountain ranges in US that traverse EAST-​WEST vs NORTH SOUTH. There is something for everyone on this stretch of highway. Its $ 6.00 to park for three days and you can just drive the 32 miles and stop and pull over and see waterfalls, or walk around and see lakes. We saw deer from the car. So be careful driving, one was in middle of road, and we had to stop so we didn’t kill it. Ask the ranger for a map and take a hike to one of the lakes, he suggests based on weather and checking out your crew. They have nice easy walks through meadows and forests that go to a lake, or they have Bald Mountain. Its a 12,000+ mountain summit, that is a challenging trek, about 1 — 1.5 hour hike up, and when you get up there you can see forever. I was glad I had hiking stick but you don’t need ropes etc to summit this place. It get cold and windy so you need layers, including a wind breaker. Crazy but we saw, little kids, families and even people with dogs on leashes going up the switch backs. I wouldn’t take my dog up Bald Mountain as she might chase a squirrel and take us both off the cliff. Incredible place!

Came for a day, spending a lifetime

One of the greatest stretches of Highway in the United States. Boom.
Now, that’s a pretty bold statement. But it’s probably well-​deserved and here’s why: this stretch of Highway 150 is the poster child for drives through the forest. You pass deep gorges, a cascading waterfall, scenic overlooks, campground after campground, a tumbling mountain river, roadside lakes, a bald mountain peak, stunning views, and then slowly descend back out of the trees as you leave the state.
The scenery is what makes this so stellar. Starting in Kamas, you climb up the Upper Provo River until you leave the last bit of the civilized world and reach your first aspen stands. They’re shimmering, quaking leaves are resplendent in the summer, fiery yellow in the Fall, haunting like bony fingers reaching skyward through the Winter only to swell with bright green life each Spring.
The snow falls early and heavy in these parts, so the road is closed each Winter. Although they try to have it open by around Memorial Day, some years it just doesn’t happen that early. Some years it opens mid-​May.
The one thorn in this beautiful mountain rose is that it’s now a fee area. If you’re driving straight through, then you don’t have to pay. But parked cars must display a pass. As of this moment, the Forest Service website is incorrect. The correct fee schedule is:
3-​day pass — $ 6
7-​day pass — $ 12
Annual pass — $ 45
I get it. I really do. And in some ways, I think it hopefully keeps massive mobs away. But it stings. I pony up and buy the annual pass (available at the Forest Service fee station a few miles up the byway from Kamas, self-​serve stations near Provo River Falls, or a few local places like Kamas Food Town) but I’m not super pleased about it. I don’t use too many of the facilities (campgrounds, restrooms, picnic areas) but rather launch off from the area into the backcountry.
So what’s to do? Where to begin. There are dozens of hikes, both day and backpacking trips, that you can begin from the MLH. There are dozens of lakes either on the road or a very short walk from it. Most are managed put-​and-​take fisheries because of the heavy angling pressure, but they’re amazing opps for the kids. Picnicking? Check. Wildlife? Lots of it (bring bug spray, too). Camping? Official campgrounds dot the side of the road. They’re an additional cost beyond the MLH pass. In the Winter you’ve got snowmobiling and snowshoeing as well.
Now, there are plenty of folks who use this area. Holiday weekends are kind of a zoo, and most summer weekends you’ll need to get there early. But it’s really just so accessible and beautiful it’s hard to blame anyone for wanting a piece of the action. So it’s also extra important to take care of the area. Stop hacking down the trees and leaving garbage and it’ll be there for our kids’ kids to enjoy.
Whether a nice mountain drive or a weekend destination, the ML Scenic Byway is terrific. Load up the kids, the dog, and a few cans of beans and make a moment out of it.