Dutch John ~ Flaming Gorge, Utah

Dutch John ~ Flaming Gorge, Utah is where we recently ventured. This was a new place for both of us, one of which Larry was particularly interested in visiting. The Flaming Gorge Reservoir spans northeastern Utah and southwestern Wyoming. One of the reservoir’s biggest draws is its vivid red-orange cliffs that stretch majestically along its shores. These cliffs, a result of iron oxide deposits, create a stunning contrast against the emerald waters, thus earning the name “Flaming Gorge.”

We chose to travel to the Utah side as it possesses a little more of a forested landscape than Wyoming. Like all of our other trips this summer, the weather was not on our side for much of our time there. Regardless, we were able to do a few things, and it is fun to go somewhere new. In Dutch John, the primary activities revolve around the Flaming Gorge Reservoir and the Green River. Rafting tours and fly fishing on the river are abundant!

The day after we arrived, we drove to Vernal, Utah to check out McCoy Flats to do some biking since there is not much available in Dutch John. At McCoy Flats, we were not sure what to expect. Larry and I have very different preferences for biking terrain. McCoy Flats has 10 different (dirt and rock) bike trails snaking throughout the desert terrain.

I started out about a half mile down the “And Cookies!” trail before turning around, while Larry continued. I opted to relax under the gazebo with a book. Larry biked on the “And Cookies!” and returned on “Combo” trail to complete his loop. It should be mentioned, McCoy Flats is a totally exposed high desert environment. Keep this in mind before heading out on the trail and be certain to bring plenty of water.

On our way back to Dutch John, the rain began so that was it for the day. But all was not lost on our trip to McCoy Flats because we traversed the eastern end of the Unita’s and the Ashley National Forest. The Uinta Moutain Range is the only major range in the contiguous United States with an east-west orientation. It gave us thoughts of returning for a winter adventure of backcountry skiing and snowshoeing as we made our way back to Dutch John.

The next day, we set out early to paddleboard and kayak on the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. We parked the Tahoe at Sunny Cove, which is the closest spot to get down to the water from Dutch John. There isn’t a “beach,” but there are a few spots around the cove to stake a claim and set up camp for the day on the grass. From the parking lot there is a little bit of a walk on an uneven, manmade path in order to get to the water’s edge, so carrying a lot of stuff might require a few trips. We had to be quite careful carrying the paddleboards and kayak up and down the path.

Because we knew the winds were forecasted to pick up later that afternoon, we immediately set out on our paddleboards. We paddled east along the north side of the cove. The neat thing about paddling from Sunny Cove is there are several coves to explore and we managed to explore each one. After paddling 3.5 miles, we loaded the paddlebaords back onto the Tahoe and ventured out in the kayak.

We paddled the “Big Mango” out of Sunny Cove heading south before turning west towards the Mustang Ridge Boat Launch. Staying the course along the shore we were able to see the remnants of the Sunny Cove Fire which started and was contained 4 days prior to our arrival. Thankfully, the fire was limited to 100 acres; however, it impacted one of the few sandy beaches on the Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

Continuing our journey along the shore we ran into a small group of Bighorn Sheep The group include 3 ewes and a kid, truly a photographic moment from the kayak. Paddling a bit further we decided to retrace our path as the winds began to kick in, as expected. Crossing the inlet into Sunny Cove we loosely retraced the area that we had paddle boarded earlier, before loading the kayak onto the Tahoe and returning to the campground for the rest of the day. It was a short paddle of only about 8 miles but we had a great time, despite the intermittent gusts that we had to fight.

Unfortunately, on our final day in Dutch John, the weather did not cooperate as the wind and rain started early and festered all day, keeping us off the water. Instead, we played a lot of Othello and Pente’ and just relaxed before heading back home the next day.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I would not rank our trip to Dutch John ~ Flaming Gorge as one of my favorites for a few reasons. I think Larry enjoyed it more than myself. On a side note, we now can say we have been to the headwaters of the Green River (Wind River Range), the midpoint (Flaming Gorge), and its confluence with the Colorado River (Canyonlands National Park). However, getting away from Denver and spending time together in our Winnebago Micro Minnie FLX travel trailer is always fun, regardless of where we are or the weather.

WHERE IS BASECAMP @ GRAND LAKE HEADED NEXT?