Fall Fishing in the Tushars

With the temperatures still hovering around 100­° in St. George, and not wanting to sit around and waste a couple of Fall Saturdays, we decided it was time to head for the Tushars to do some fishing on one of the best streams on the mountain.  We enjoyed our time so much, that two weeks later, we returned to do it all over again!  Below are some pictures, taken over those weeks, showcasing why the Tushars are some of our favorite mountains in Utah.

Passing through Beaver we spotted these nice bucks in someone's yard!
(They have very smart deer in Beaver!)

Believe it or not, there is a little stream flowing below the tree line

Time to get fishing!
(The stream flow is generally lower during the fall months, but don't let that fool you!)
 

It wasn't long before we had a very nice wild Rainbow!

Red Willow roots add a nice pop of color

Three weeks ago the aspens were green . . .
Today there's only a few trees left that are still hanging onto their golden leaves

A single Mountain Aster was still in bloom, in October!

 

Here's a close up of that earlier aspen grove . . . as we work our way downstream

Oh, man this looks like a nice pool to be hiding a trout or two!

It was peaceful listening to the creek and watching the water swirl over and around the rocks

Yep, the pool held another gorgeous Cutthroat!

We just love fishing small streams like this one!
(It's surprising how many people overlook these hidden gems)

A sign of Fall

Not sure if this is a wild Rainbow or a cross between a Rainbow and a Cutthroat??
Either way, a very nice fish!

We found part of an old trail sign on the ground
(If you're curious as to where we were fishing, you might try to decipher what it says!)

One last look at the aspens before we head back to the truck . . .
It's been a great day!

 

Sorry, we didn't tell you the name of the creek.  If you're a small stream fisherman, you understand how hesitant we are to give out such information . . . if we did, it wouldn't be long until they'd be fished out!  Altogether we caught about eight fish (each trip), kept a few to eat, and released the rest to be caught another day . . . maybe by you!

Blind Lake

Utah is certainly a diverse state!  One moment you're being "wowed" by the unique red and white sandstone features of Capitol Reef and in the next you can be hiking on the golden aspen clad Boulder Mountain.  After spending the night, near Singletree Falls, in a campground of a similar name, we are off to explore some mountain lakes and see if we can entice some trout to take our bait.  What better way to spend a beautiful Fall day!  We've been looking forward to this hike and are excited to hit the trail!

The aspens are glowing . . . and we're just starting down the trail!

The trail (at times) appeared to be an old road . . . 
Possibly the one they used to construct the dam, for Blind Lake, in the early 1900's

It took us about 30 minutes to reach Blind Lake (10,240 ft) . . . it's stunning!

We spotted this Osprey high up on a snag . . .
It wasn't until we downloaded this picture that we saw he was snacking on his prize fish . . .
Possibly the one Kent was trying to catch! Ha!

We were really surprised to see Kokanee salmon . . .
They change from silver to red before spawning

The perfect Christmas tree surrounded by a hillside of orange glowing aspens . . .
After spending some time fishing and soaking in the beauty of Blind Lake,
it was time to continue on down the trail to some other mountain lakes

The trail skirted by Pear Lake . . . we didn't stop to fish
(We had read that this was a shallow "dead lake" that occasionally goes dry)

The "road" became more of a trail after Blind Lake

After another mile hike we came to pretty Beaver Dam Reservoir . . .
If you want to test your vehicle's 4WD capability you can drive (crawl) here from the Fish Creek Trailhead . . .
There were a few people fishing and seeming to have good luck on this small lake

We continued on down the road for a quarter mile heading for Fish Creek Lake

Fish Creek Lake was our turnaround point . . .
After making a few attempts to lure in some nice brookies, we decided to head back for 
the solitude of Blind Lake and then head for Fish Creek later in the afternoon

Here's the size of trout you can expect to find in these pretty lakes . . .
Although, we've heard many fishermen tell us there are Arctic Grayling in the waters of Blind Lake

Back to the tranquil water of Blind Lake . . . we had it all to ourselves!

The Osprey was still sitting high on the snag . . . the fish was no more!

Kent tried a few more casts . . . no fish . . . he'll settle for some great memories

The leaves were fluttering to the ground as we passed by . . .
A gentle breeze sets the leaves in motion and the sound can be described as whispering, rustling or rain 

Looking east toward the Henry Mountains (11,522 ft) . . . Capitol Reef NP lies between us and them . . .
We hiked Mt. Ellen & Ellen Peak in 2015

This engraving caught Allison's eye . . . we better stop and see if it's true!

Kent is giving Fish Creek a try . . .
It flows out of Fish Creek Lake and Beaver Dam Reservoir a few miles upstream
(We both caught lots of small brookies, but most were only in the 6-inch range)

As we came down off Boulder Mountain we were treated to a beautiful view of
Thousand Lake Mountain (11,300 ft) . . . we really need to do this one sometime!

After a good night's rest, at Singletree Campground, we arose to this beautiful sunrise
(That's Ellen Peak - 11,520 ft - blocking the sun from coming up)

Here's an aerial view of our route, starting from the Blind Lake Trailhead (lower right of picture) . . .
From the trailhead to Blind Lake was a little over a mile with about 450 ft of elevation gain . . .
Blind Lake was the highest point along the trail at an elevation of 10,240 ft.
(Click on the picture for an enlarged view)

What a great day!  The weather was perfect and the aspens were in their prime . . . what more could you ask for?  Okay, maybe that the trout were a little more hungry!  If you're interested in doing this hike it's about 6.5 miles r/t (closer to 7 miles if you hike around Blind Lake).  Road Trip Ryan has provided directions, GPS tracks and coordinates, along with a map.  You can click here for a link to his excellent website (it's free!).

Singletree Falls

We had planned on being in Oregon this week to do some hiking around the Prineville area, but due to the many forest fires and heavy smoke, we decided to cancel our trip.  Okay, so now what were we suppose to do?  Kent quickly went to the Utah map and started looking for places that we could go for an extended weekend.  After searching, for awhile, he finally settled on the east side of Boulder Mountain . . . an area we hadn't visited in close to twenty years!  It ended up being a great choice as we were able to escape to higher/cooler ground as summer sent one more blast of heat to southern Utah . . . And the fall colors weren't too bad, either!

Is there a more beautiful road in America than Highway 12?
(This picture was taken, at an overlook, just east of Escalante and is looking towards the Henry Mountains)

 We recently purchased this oil painting from a lady who commissioned an artist to paint it from a
photograph she had taken several years ago.  She told us the old gas station was located in Boulder, Utah.
Since we are going through Boulder, we're going to try and find it!

We found the gas station!
 Today is our 37th Anniversary, we are celebrating with a camping & hiking trip

The aspens are changing . . . what a treat!

To our amazement Singletree campground was basically empty . . . 
Most sites are first come first served . . . we chose #10

Singletree Creek was flowing behind our campsite

After setting up camp, we took a drive to check out some creeks and trailheads . . .
 Kent noticed this aspen and ponderosa pine, we've never seem anything like this before! 

Hwy 12 is spectacular in itself, but the fall colors really added to the experience

Colorful aspen leaf

Pleasant Creek was fun to fish
(The Brookies we caught weren't big, but they were hungry!)

We had nice views of the Henry Mountains and Ellen Peak . . .
We hiked the Henry's many falls ago for our 28th anniversary!

Before dinner we took a hike to Singletree Falls . . . the trail starts in the campground

Singletree Creek is a pretty small stream . . . we were wondering how "good" the Falls were going to be!

Below the stream crossing, the trail quickly headed downhill

To our surprise, Singletree Falls, ended up being quite a nice cascade!

Tomorrow we will continue our Fall outing with a hike to Blind Lake.  If today is any indication, then we should be in for a real treat with the aspens showcasing all their glorious golden color!  If you're interested in knowing more about Singletree Falls, you can click here for a link to Road Trip Ryan's post.  He does a fantastic job with his website (directions, printable map and GPS tracks)

 . . . and best of all he provides it for free!