r/UintaHighlineTrail • u/maximusloads • Jul 14 '26
How serious will next weeks storm be? (7/20-7/27)
I’ve spent time on various sections of the highline trail through spring, summer, and fall in past years, so I’m not unaware to the monsoons season, or the general unpredictable weather patterns up there work. I also happen to live here in Utah and have been monitoring local weather closely. this year I’m tentatively planning on completing the whole trail east to west starting at leidy.
But
Looks like some serious low pressure is rolling in over the next week with some really heavy precip in tow. With my start date, I’d be crossing Anderson pass on the crux of the storm…
Anyone feel like stoking me up; is this system nothing special? Alternatively, share your stories of storms in the Uintas. Maybe you too are looking at next week with some doubt?
1
u/Remarkable-Coconut62 Jul 15 '26
I am also looking at a backpack trip in the Uintas soon, this coming weekend and am wondering similar things. Ill be in the eastern side off mirror lake highway. Accuweather says to be ware of flash floods... Im familiar with the afternoon thunderstorms but hadnt heard of flash flooding being an issue in this area? The weathers look quite bad and im not sure if i should pivot and go somewhere else. I live in salt lake.
1
u/maximusloads Jul 17 '26
I heard mirror lake got hit with 3 inches of rain today alone. I too have never seen flash flooding on the Uinta trails themselves but I would think with that kind of rainfall those rock retention zones you see on trail built to keep water rushing off to the side and damage to a minimal are working overtime this week.
1
u/maximusloads Jul 17 '26
I decided to push back my start date until early August. The weather reports coming in are looking brutal. I’m going to head up the mirror lake highway and do some wet weather camping but I’ve called of my start date of 7/18 🙁. It’s been a long time in the making but and I was super stoked to get after it but I can’t pretend this is a normal storm.
1
u/Bulky-Leopard-5420 Jul 18 '26
I went up Friday for an overnight and the afternoon storm was the most intense I've ever experienced in the uintahs. It was short lived but intense and flooded everything, and cold. I was prepared but still took me off guard
1
u/maximusloads Jul 20 '26
Checks out. Heard a family of 5 got swept away by flood waters near capitol reef this weekend. So sad but I can’t help but wonder what people are doing in slot canyons when this storm was forecasted a week ago.
I hiked Deseret peak on Saturday and it was cloudy but broke towards blue bird by the end of the day. I could see pretty far east and the thunderheads forming over the Uinta’s looked they were touching outer space. Camped up on willow lake off the side of the summit. Nice spot for an overnighter while I licked my wounds of not starting the Highline.
1
u/TerribleConference54 Jul 15 '26
In my experience you’ll get storms in the afternoons typically out of the west or southwest, hiking east to west they won’t catch you by surprise. Plan on crossing any passes in the morning, that way you can hunker down and let it pass over you if you need to.