We began at the French Hollow trailhead (8400 ft) south of Strawberry Reservoir. The path travels through budding aspen, past an old trough,
and ends up at Willow Creek. Instead of following the creek, as we have before, we found a new trail that heads up to Willow Creek Ridge (about 10,000 ft)
We saw some interesting insects:
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| western swallowtails |
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| Western tailed Blue |
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| Is it a fly or a bee? |
Primrose, wild strawberry, violets, and larkspur were blooming along the way.
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| evening primrose |
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| wild strawberry |
Daisy liked taking a dip below a series of cascades.
A few hundred feet higher, she found patches of snow to cool her belly.
Someone has done a lot of clearing on the forest path, which made the route easy. When we reached open terrain near the ridge, we spotted a coyote scampering away.
Up top, the views were magnificent in every direction.
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| View toward the Wasatch Range, 40 miles away |
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| View of Strawberry Reservoir and the snow-covered Uintas, 60 miles away |
A lot of trails connect to this one, so we will certainly return to explore other possibilities.
Love the beautiful butterflies, bees, wildflowers and gorgeous views of French Hollow.
ReplyDeleteIt appears Daisy loved the creek water and snow better.
I wish I could step right into your photos. Daisy looks like she is loving her cool-down
ReplyDeleteWonderful country. I like that Blue.
ReplyDeleteFun to see the snow still lingering. (That's the best type of snow.) Also convenient that somebody cleared the path. (Did they know you were coming?)
ReplyDeleteWow---what a great view. I LOVE being on top of a mountain looking out in all directions... Awesome!!!!
ReplyDeleteDaisy was in 7th heaven in that snow and water, wasn't she???? ha
Love that blue butterfly ... That is gorgeous.
Hugs,
Betsy
Glorious trails to ride and the reward of great views. The Blue butterfly is so pretty.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful place for a ride. The views from the top are magnificent. You got some wonderful pictures of the butterflies. I'm glad Daisy found some snow to enjoy.
ReplyDeletebeautiful views!
ReplyDeleteYou ride through some of the most beautiful countryside. Wonder what the story is behind the trough.
ReplyDeleteI am curious about the trough, too. As always, I clicked to enlarge the photos and they are even more stunning. The macro of the bee, in particular, is quite impressive. Lots of pollen on its hind end. Daisy always makes me giggle when I see her plop down in the snow, but I'm sure she must get pretty warm from all the exercise. Gorgeous views there, up on the mountain top.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful place to ride. I love the swallowtails and the creek looks so refreshing!
ReplyDeleteWow, again, great adventure and sights and I am so glad that you took us along.
ReplyDeletewow wow! what a beautiful place..i envy you! and lovely camera work!
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed that someone is keeping the path so easy to follow. I love the insect and flower photos. And I cannot believe Daisy is still fortunante to find snow!
ReplyDeleteAhh! another fun ride it looks like, happy horses and dogs (and people!) Love that western tailed blue!
ReplyDeleteWell, I would recognize that bee anywhere...it's my cousin Jo-Bob. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the photos...especially all the winged cuties....and of course, the yellow furry cutie too!
I would never get tired of that scenery. (and i never get tired of your posts!)
ReplyDelete- The Equestrian Vagabond