Campground Review:
This is our favorite drive-up campsite in the Uintas just because of the amount there is to do in the area! Nearby by is the namesake lake for not only the campground but the Highway as well. It is a gorgeous lake with views of both Bald Mountain to the west and Hayden peak to the northeast. Each year at least a thousand rainbow trout are stocked with numerous other trout including tiger and brook. We've had good luck fishing there with a classic bubble and fly and other lures like a Jake lure or a spinner.
As for the actual campground there are over 60 sites of which all of them will fill on a summer weekend so get there early!. If you are camping during the week, however, you can still find some solitude as the parties will be a little more spaced out but again no solitude like you can find backpacking only 1/2 mile from most trail heads. Each campground has a picnic table and fire ring, while some also have corrals for livestock. Vault toilets are interspersed throughout the campsites.
Some specifics about things to do in the area include hiking for a little bit on the Highline Trail at the east end of the campground. This trail spans the entire spine of the Uintas from west to east or vice versa. Which is uinique in itself because the Uintas are the tallest east west mountain range in the Lower 48. Most people that take the trail take the ridge line through to Kings Peak and out Painters Basin by Atwood Lake. Very close by is also a great climbing area known as the Cobrazone. It contains easy to intermediate trad and sport routes with an approach sport route that lands you on top of a large ledge, "The Cobrazone", which gets you access to the rest of the routes!
Product Review:
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, we occasionally to get products to test! While at Mirror Lake Campground we tested the Chicken Fried Rice freeze-dried meal by Mountain House from their 5-day emergency meal kit. We ate the meal off a point on the east side of the lake while fishing during one of our days there.
Chicken Fried Rice:
Pros:
- The chicken was very tender and surprisingly juicy in the meal and the amount and variety of vegetables was nice including: mushrooms, carrots, red peppers, and green peas.
- The convenience of being able to cook and eat from the same pouch makes cleaning up easy and enables you to bring just a stove and pot plus some fuel. In that regard it's great for backpacking trips at lower elevations.
Cons:
- We think this meal is best suited as a side dish to a heartier main entree. While it did taste very good, it was the repetitive texture that made us desire a little change up. If you're car camping this can easily be remedied by adding some fresh veggies or making it a easy to prepare side dish to a main entree.
- The only other complaints we had was that while the simplicity of the design cuts down on extra dishes we wish the packaging itself was also recyclable. Also if you plan on going on very high elevation trips eating beyond 12k' then we would recommend the pro-paks as they are vacuum sealed. You can also vacuum seal them yourself if you plan on serving in bowls on your backpacking trip. Just keep in mind that the pro-paks are smaller than the pouches.
As they have been in business since 1969 Mountain House definitely delivers a quality product and even if Fried Rice isn't your flavor, we're pretty sure you'll be able to find something you like, as long as you're a meat eater. Unfortunately there's not many vegetarian options
Chicken Fried Rice: 4/5 Tastes great, more of a side than entree
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