The beauty of owning land in Duchesne County is the sheer amount of outdoor adventures that are at your fingertips. It doesn’t matter where in the basin your land is, you are within minutes of hiking, fishing, 4 wheeling, hunting and more. And in about a thirty minute drive you can be at the borders of the High Uintas Willderness.
On the south western edge of the High Uintas is the Grandaddy Basin. One of the most renowned areas of the High Uintas Wilderness. It is well known for multiple reasons. First and foremost is Grandaddy lake, the largest lake in the wilderness area. Sitting at about 10,300 ft, the lake is surrounded by thick forest, has multiple islands and lies at the base of a towering peak.
Grandaddy is well known for its fantastic fishing and a very rare breed called Golden Trout can be found in select lakes around the basin. The main types of fish you will find are rainbow, cutthroat, brooke, tiger trout and grayling.
When there is a nice hatch of bugs in the air, small flies such as the Royal Coachman and Renegade work very well for trout. On hotter days when the fish are deeper, spinners and spoons are best for both trout and grayling. The Golden Jake spinner is my personal go to on those warm days.
Grandaddy is just the largest and most popular lake in the basin but there are 20 plus lakes and small ponds in the vicinity, all carrying beautiful high country trout. If you would like to wander further, you can reach Four Lakes basin and Naturalist basin to the north. There is no shortage of hiking trails and raw wilderness in the area.
The best way to access this area from Fruitland or Duchesne is to head toward Tabiona and go up the North Fork of the Duchesne river by Defa’s Dude Ranch. There are signs on highway 40 that will point you in the right direction. The hike is 8 miles from this trailhead, which should take about 4-6 hours. The climb from the trailhead up into Grandaddy basin is almost 3,000 feet in elevation gain. So be prepared with plenty of water and healthy energy snacks. And don’t forget the mosquito repellant!
The High Uintas Wilderness is widely held as one of the most remote regions of the lower 48 states. So when you venture out into this beautiful, untouched wilderness, please be sure to be prepared. Read up about the areas, check the weather as rain and thunderstorms happen almost daily in the high country and always tell people where you are going. Also, be aware of the animal life in the region. This wilderness has bear, cougar, bobcat and other predatory wildlife. Generally, these animals will not threaten you unless antagonized. So be aware of what is out there and take the proper precautions.
And most importantly, please be respectful of these areas. We are extremely lucky to have areas such as this to find peace and see the real beauty of nature. There are specific rules for this wilderness area, which are meant to protect it. Please follow the rules to make sure we keep this incredible wilderness intact. That includes not having camp fires during fire bans, no motorized equipment of any kind, camping at least 200 ft away from any water source and cleaning up your trash. Please follow these rules to ensure we can keep this highly protected area pristine for decades to come. Now go enjoy it!
Mountains West Ranches
