ATV Ride 5/30/15 - Summit Loop

This past Saturday Willie and I took our new side by side out to explore the network of trails near our home. We had no idea we were so close to so many gorgeous views! We set out from Summit, Utah and hit the trails, making a loop around so that we would end up back in Summit by the end of the trip. Here's some of the cool stuff that we saw:

Our first stop on the loop afforded us a glimpse of Brian Head Peak in the distance...

Brian Head Peak

...As well as Sugarloaf Mountain.

Sugarloaf Mountain

The next series of photos is a waterfall where one of the creeks came down the mountain, crossed the road, and then turned back into a waterfall to continue down the mountain. This was in the Dry Lakes Creek area, near the Twisted Forest Trailhead, but I'm not entirely sure which creek this one actually is. It was pretty cool, so I took lots of shots. There's even a picture of our side-by-side "conquering" the creek.

The twisted trees of the Twisted Forest Trailhead, which is right on the edge of the Ashdown Gorge Wilderness.

On our stop at the Twisted Forest Trailhead we began to be able to see over into Cedar Breaks National Monument. These next photos were taken at three different stops along the way. The middle three photos are the same ridge. I took three shots of it so that I could get the whole thing.

And, of course, I can't go anywhere without taking pictures of flowers! This little tiny, itty bitty plant was near the Twisted Forest Trailhead. I haven't been able to positively identify it yet, but it looks like a flowering succulent of some sort.

I'm fairly certain that these cute flowers are Little Sunflowers. We found a whole meadow that was just full of these little guys! The plants didn't grow very tall, as you can see, but each plant had at least a half dozen flowers on it.

There were other cool plants, waterfalls, cliffs, and scenic overlooks, but they were in areas where it was too dangerous to stop, or at the end of our trip when we didn't have as much time to stop and photograph. We were surprised to learn just how geographically close we are to Brian Head Ski Resort and Cedar Breaks National Monument. When you don't have to follow the main roads you can get to places like that a lot easier.

On this trip out we were really glad that we had our riding gear: glasses, hats, and kerchiefs to keep the dust and bugs out of our mouths. Willie remembered sunblock, I did not. We brought along our map, which had all the trails marked, so that we could plan out our trip. We brought beverages, and remembered toilet paper at the last minute. We also brought jackets and waterproof clothing. Our ATV doesn't have a roof, so if it started to rain we would definitely be needing those! Lastly we brought tools and a tire repair kit, in case something happened to the ATV.

There were also some things that we had wished we had. The first thing is a shovel or entrenching tool. If you have to poop in the woods, it's always best to bury it. It also comes in handy to have one if you get your vehicle stuck. The next thing we thought up is a Gerber Shard. It is a bottle opener, phillips head screwdriver, flat head screwdriver, and prying tool and it goes on your keychain. Next was a tarp, in case of a sudden heavy downpour, or in case you need a shady spot to rest on a long trip. It also occurred to me while we were out and about that we didn't bring any food with us, so I've started making some 72 hour food supplies that we can stow in our ATV for outings. You never know what might happen, right?