Campground Review:

First of all, this campground has to be in the top three coolest campgrounds we've ever been to. It's right on the edge of Moosehorn Lake, and our site had a trail right down to the lake. It's well-forested, so you don't feel like you're right on top of your neighborhoods. The pit toilets are well placed throughout the campground and well cared for (and they didn't stink at all when we were there, which is a huge plus). Even though it's right off of the Mirror Lake Highway, it feels very secluded and is very quiet. The stars are also pretty amazing here!

A few things to note- there is not potable water available throughout most of the High Uintas, so come prepared with your own water. There is a water filling station at somewhat-nearby Lost Creek campground, and the water there is clean and cold (a bonus during the Utah summer heat). The mosquitoes here are also absolutely atrocious, especially in the sites by the lake. Bring lots of bug spray, citronella candles, and anti-itch cream, because you WILL get bitten. This campground is also at a fairly high elevation (nearly 11,000 feet) so if you are prone to elevation sickness, be aware of that.

Come prepared also for FUN! The High Uintas are an absolute playground for all sorts of activities. We (okay, I, my husband hiked with the pup) did a lot of mountain and road biking (the Mirror Lake Highway is in great condition since it is closed all winter and doesn't get destroyed by plows), and are planning to return ASAP with kayaks/SUPs to play on Moosehorn Lake or any of the nearly countless lakes in the Uintas. We foolishly forgot our fishing poles, so we didn't have an opportunity to experience the reportedly excellent fishing. Sometimes we get so caught up in our love for the national parks that we forget that some of our best opportunities are close to home (roughly 90-120 minutes from our home south of Salt Lake City)! We had a great time and are already planning our trip back.

Product Review:

As Rangers for the Dyrt, we get products to test from time to time on our camping trips. This was one trip that I was super excited for, since we got to try out the Saris Freedom Superclamp 2. From my long history in outdoor retail I have a lot of experience with bike racks of varying brands, so it was fun to put a rack through its paces. From the get-go I was really surprised at how light it was! Even my UPS driver commented on it when he dropped it off. Setup was a super breeze (though I'll note that we couldn't find our standard size hex key which was problematic for taking the 2" shim off when we wanted to use it on our 1 1/4" hitch- not a big deal in the long run) and the fact that it came with a lock for the hitch pin was a nice bonus that we'll likely use even beyond the bike rack.

Since I planned to do some road biking and mountain biking, I got to see how the Freedom Superclamp handles bikes of differing sizes. I have a 19" Kona 29er, and a 58cm Fuji road bike, and their wheel bases are definitely a bit different. It took a little bit of adjusting to get everything just right, but the wheel trays slide very easily along the main bar of the rack, and tighten down with a super user-friendly tightener. The only slightly tricky bit was getting the arms of the rack over the 29 inch mountain bike wheels, and I've definitely wondered if it would be a struggle to get them over large fat tire bikes (which are very popular here in Utah in the winter). Overall though, it was insanely easy to use and I've been really happy with it.

Pros:

• I really like that this rack has arms for both front and back wheels, even if it makes it a little trickier with two bikes of differing sizes. Most other brands will only have an arm for the front wheel and a ratcheting strap for the back wheel. I'm not saying that doesn't work, but I personally prefer having both wheels secured by arms. If you have bikes that have very different wheelbases, this could cause issues, but for the two of us, who will only be carrying adult bikes that don't vary much in wheelbase size, it's not an issue.
• the buttons on this rack are BRIGHT YELLOW. Coming back from an evening ride it was nice to be able to see them even though the light was dying pretty fast. Maybe a superfluous pro, but one I appreciated nonetheless
• Saris provides a decal for you to put on your rack so you know exactly how far into your hitch receiver you need to put it to be able to put the pin in. I love when things are uncomplicated without me having to MacGyver some sort of solution (like scratching the paint off or using unsightly duct tape). A+ on that one, Saris!
• The arms themselves and the wheel holders on the arms having ratcheting systems is really nice. It's satisfying to hear that "click" and know the rack is locked in place exactly where you want it.
• Having arms that only come in contact with the wheels as opposed to the frame is a huge bonus, especially for those with nice carbon frame bikes.
• This rack is compatible with both 1 1/4" and 2" hitch receivers, which is a huge bonus as our vehicles have different hitch sizes, so we can use them on either car.
• The hitch pin lock and the bike cable locks are super easy to use, and have the same key- easy peasy!

Cons:

• I really, really wish this rack folded up. Yes, it admittedly is pretty small, but we have super limited parking space at our house (a single-wide driveway with two SUVs AND a 15' travel trailer... it's a squeeze) so I would have really loved for this rack to be able to fold up and give me an extra foot or so of room before I have to be concerned about hanging out into the sidewalk. This one is just me being nitpicky, really.
• I also feel like this rack puts the bikes a little high, and it makes it hard to access the back of the car. If the bikes were even 4-6 inches lower (straight out from the hitch as opposed to raised) we'd be able to get the glass portion of our liftgate open, which would be really nice. The bikes also take up essentially the entirety of the rearview mirror as high as they are, which isn't a huge deal but I'd prefer them to be a little lower.
• Getting the arms to match up with bikes of different wheelbases was a little tricky, and would be a lot more difficult if you were trying to, say, do a small women's bike and a large men's bike (or a large women's bike, I suppose) at the same time. I like having both wheels have arms, but I could definitely see how it could make this rack tricky to work with for some people.

Overall, I was really happy with the rack, AND the campground, and I will whole-heartedly recommend them both!