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UT TRAIL HERO OCt 6-10, Sand Hollow UT

I've wanting to go to this since it started, I usually get sucked into "we need to wrap this job up" and can't take the time off. This year might work out, who knows.
 
Cool, hit me up if you make it out. Or need a place to park. I have plenty of room.
 
I have been to every trail hero. It is a good event. I like Winter Jam more, because it feels better organized, but Trail Hero is good, I will be there this year. I dont remember what trails I am on.
 
I'll be taking the canned ham since our buggy is still months from moving. We live 45 minutes up the hill.
 
Planning to be there, hopefully will have my Jeep done enough to be 'wheeling. If the camping is like last year, I'll be in the staff gravel lot.
 
Pyleit said:
I am free. Hit me up when you arrive.
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Sounds good. We will be in the Sand Pit right next to the showers.

We will be running all the normal trails. DeKlined, Sandthrax, Chutes and Ladders, TNT, Arrowhead, and Chain Breaker.

We will be looking for Master Link and Super Smash Brothers.
 
I am kicking around the idea of trying to make it out there since Chile Challenge got cancelled. What is the scoop on camping? Does the main camp area fill up pretty quickly? I have camped before in this area that they shown on on the Trail Hero Website, but I would prefer to camp where the showers are:
Washington%20Dam%20Exit.fw.png


It also sounds like your registration covers the park entry/camping fees, is this true?
 
This video answered a lot of my questions, so I figured I would post it up in case it helps someone else:


I am probably going by myself, so anyone interested in camping in a non-Overbear fashion? :flipoff2:
 
FYI to everyone, there is no primitive camping in sand hollow right now. So if you used to camp on the beach, no bueno. Only designated spots currently. This applies only in the state park itself, so that spot above and the surrounding area near the water towers, warner valley, etc. is all free game.
 
snivilous said:
FYI to everyone, there is no primitive camping in sand hollow right now. So if you used to camp on the beach, no bueno. Only designated spots currently. This applies only in the state park itself, so that spot above and the surrounding area near the water towers, warner valley, etc. is all free game.
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Can you obtain a "designated spot" and camp in it with a tent? Or RV only? I was under the impression that the park was closed or semi-closed to camping until Tuesday, but it's a bit confusing.
 
ScottRS said:
Can you obtain a "designated spot" and camp in it with a tent? Or RV only? I was under the impression that the park was closed or semi-closed to camping until Tuesday, but it's a bit confusing.
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I don't know specifics, but I know on the south side (where the beaches are) that campground some people appear to tent camp, I don't think it's specific to RVs. I think the north side (near the paved entrance) is maybe RV specific? I've never camped in a designated spot so can't say, though I have a friend coming who got a RV spot reserved already. Their website says no primitive/beach camping, which matches what I see when i go in that the dedicated camping spots have people in them but no one is camping anywhere else.

I was hoping beach camping would be open by TH but it doesn't look that way. To make matters even more confusing, half the time on the weekends the main entrance is closed because the park is over capacity--which seems to be a COVID thing since it wasn't like this last year ever. The tunnel/offroad entrance is still open though, but if you don't have a reserved camping spot and you show up at like 1pm hoping to park in the staging area they'll turn you around. Multiple times this year we had to unload at the water towers, or take my Tundra with jet skis in the back all the way over to the tunnel entrance lol. And we have a park pass, so unless you have camping reservations they wont let you in regardless of what passes you seem to have. I doubt this will change for Trail Hero, but maybe Rich has worked something out. If the park is full and gets closed at 11am, I imagine it's gonna piss off a lot of people showing up, let alone if they don't know that camping is essentially totally restricted in the park right now.

TL;DR -- you can maybe get a tent camping site, but I would be surprised if they're not all booked. I would also expect to unload your rig outside of the park and drive it in through the tunnel (unless you get a reserved camping spot).
 
snivilous said:
FYI to everyone, there is no primitive camping in sand hollow right now. So if you used to camp on the beach, no bueno. Only designated spots currently. This applies only in the state park itself, so that spot above and the surrounding area near the water towers, warner valley, etc. is all free game.
Click to expand...

ScottRS said:
Can you obtain a "designated spot" and camp in it with a tent? Or RV only? I was under the impression that the park was closed or semi-closed to camping until Tuesday, but it's a bit confusing.
Click to expand...

snivilous said:
I don't know specifics, but I know on the south side (where the beaches are) that campground some people appear to tent camp, I don't think it's specific to RVs. I think the north side (near the paved entrance) is maybe RV specific? I've never camped in a designated spot so can't say, though I have a friend coming who got a RV spot reserved already. Their website says no primitive/beach camping, which matches what I see when i go in that the dedicated camping spots have people in them but no one is camping anywhere else.

I was hoping beach camping would be open by TH but it doesn't look that way. To make matters even more confusing, half the time on the weekends the main entrance is closed because the park is over capacity--which seems to be a COVID thing since it wasn't like this last year ever. The tunnel/offroad entrance is still open though, but if you don't have a reserved camping spot and you show up at like 1pm hoping to park in the staging area they'll turn you around. Multiple times this year we had to unload at the water towers, or take my Tundra with jet skis in the back all the way over to the tunnel entrance lol. And we have a park pass, so unless you have camping reservations they wont let you in regardless of what passes you seem to have. I doubt this will change for Trail Hero, but maybe Rich has worked something out. If the park is full and gets closed at 11am, I imagine it's gonna piss off a lot of people showing up, let alone if they don't know that camping is essentially totally restricted in the park right now.

TL;DR -- you can maybe get a tent camping site, but I would be surprised if they're not all booked. I would also expect to unload your rig outside of the park and drive it in through the tunnel (unless you get a reserved camping spot).
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All of your questions are answered by Rich early in the video I posted above :laughing:


Here are the cliff notes that I suppose I should have posted with the video:
  • All the reservable spots have been booked since May, but were open to anyone including average Joes not there for Trail Hero.
  • The primitive camping by the beach is only open to volunteers, organizers, media personnel, and participants who have purchased 3 or more trails beginning Tuesday at 7:00AM on a first-come basis and ending Sunday.
    • The park Rangers will have a list of the people who qualify, and if you aren't on that list, you will not be allowed to camp there.
  • You can camp anywhere on BLM land for free and it is completely unregulated.
    • Long Valley (AKA Washington Dam staging area), and Warner Valley would be the main areas to camp.
  • If you are an actual participant (i.e. you have paid for trails) stop by registration before entering the park so you don't get charged the entrance fee which is already covered by your registration.
    • The park entry fee is only covered for the days you have registered for trails.
 
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Oh I didn't realize there was more in that video, I had clicked on it and was like oh this is just an old video where they're doing Nasty Half or whatever. I didn't see that timer in the bottom, my bad haha
 
I am a bit confused on the actual trail situation. Do you have to be registered to hit these trails or can you just head out and cruise around on them at your leisure if you wanted to? I don’t mind paying some one type of fee but organized trail runs don’t appeal to me all that much, however I do want to go check out the event and do wine wheeling there. I haven’t ever been to sand hollow.
 
Skiman26 said:
I am a bit confused on the actual trail situation. Do you have to be registered to hit these trails or can you just head out and cruise around on them at your leisure if you wanted to? I don’t mind paying some one type of fee but organized trail runs don’t appeal to me all that much, however I do want to go check out the event and do wine wheeling there. I haven’t ever been to sand hollow.
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You don't have to sign up for the organized trail runs if you don't want to. You can run the trails on your own, and most of the wheeling events are outside the state park, so you don't need to pay to enter the park to watch the Trail Breaker event and the like.

Personally, I think it is nice to try and support the event in some way though. You don't necessarily have to sign up for organized trail runs, you can participate in some of the other aspects of the event.
 
Skiman26 said:
So the trails aren’t closed to the public like what happens in Moab?
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No, but you should be courteous and stay out of the way of the organized runs. This is the first I have heard of trails being closed in Moab during the Jeep Safari. I know a lot of people, myself included, who have run trails up in Moab outside of the official Safari.
 
Skiman26 said:
So the trails aren’t closed to the public like what happens in Moab?
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You don't have to pay to do anything or watch any events, and the guided trail runs are in the morning and the trails aren't closed off (I don't think they could do that if they wanted, unlike Moab everything is free reign at SH so there's not mandated paths for trails).
 
I have run trails in Moab during safari week for years but the last 3 years if you look at their schedule on certain trails ( the fun ones) they have exclusive use during certain hours and the hours are pretty much all day. The have people at both ends of the trail and block it off. Volunteers literally park a vehicle sideways blocking the trail. Sure you could drive around them but they make it seem as though you would be ticketed by ranger or local PD for this. I haven’t ever wanted to be a dick so we just go find another place for the day.
 
Skiman26 said:
I have run trails in Moab during safari week for years but the last 3 years if you look at their schedule on certain trails ( the fun ones) they have exclusive use during certain hours and the hours are pretty much all day. The have people at both ends of the trail and block it off. Volunteers literally park a vehicle sideways blocking the trail. Sure you could drive around them but they make it seem as though you would be ticketed by ranger or local PD for this. I haven’t ever wanted to be a dick so we just go find another place for the day.
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Interesting. I was in Moab during the beginning of Safari week about 6 years ago and I didn't see or hear of any of that going on, but I intentionally stayed on less popular trails because I don't like trail traffic.
 
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