I decided that such a video, while boring to some, could prove beneficial and useful to many hunters who have never been into the Ashley National Forest/High Uintas Wilderness Area. The roads vary in condition depending on what area of the forest or wilderness you are in. However, if you know what expect with regards to the elements, it can help ensure that you are over-prepared, rather than under. In my opinion, the roads into and throughout the Ashley National Forest were very well established and maintained. Even in the areas where I encountered dense snow and ice, I was able to negotiate the turns, climbs, and down-hills without ever going into 4WD. At the lower elevations, specifically the Pole Creek area (2), I even encountered two-wheel drive vehicles (family sedans, 2WD jeeps) that had made it to the meadow without any problems. This brings me to my last point concerning driving into the High Uintas: The elements, and the roads affected by them, change drastically with elevation. If you're using an app for your smartphone such as Theodolite (which I highly recommend), you may notice that, although you may have only traveled 3/4 of a mile, you have climbed from dense aspens and sparse snow into plateaus of dense Fir, Ponderosas and ice. So, although the road may be built equally well as those at lower elevations, the elements are, in the end, the final determinate as to how well you will travel them.
Below is the video I made and posted on YouTube of my drive-in the day before the 2013 rifle elk hunt. I sped up the footage, which varies from 200x-400x, in order to condense a 4-hour trip into about 8 minutes. I hope this video, and the future posts on this Blog will prove to be helpful and informative. Good luck...
(1) http://youtu.be/u8VLniz5N9w
(2) http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5097865.pdf
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