4/28 Yuba Lake, UT

My back is still bothering me from the pulled muscle I got at Monument Valley in the extremely rough tour truck.  Flying back and forth to Ohio did not help, to say the least.  So, I decided to skip Capitol Reef National Park because it would be a longer drive and also because it has no cell service access which I need to teach online. 

Heading slowly and directly to Zion National Park, where I have a week's reservation starting on Saturday would allow me to rest my back more and do some exploring.  Hopefully, I will do Capitol Reef next year. 

In my fourth year of this hopefully long-term adventure, I have been staying about 50% of the time at campgrounds I have been to before and enjoy, and about 50% new places.  I like to try out new places for only a day or two and then return in the future.  So, after doing some research, I found Yuba Lake State Park about 75 miles south of Provo--perfect distance!  It has been cold and this place is out of the way with a lake having very little water in it, so I was pretty sure I would NOT need a reservation.

Nice road, isn't this?  Hardly any traffic and smooth pavement.  Yuba Lake is pretty much in the middle of Utah in an area away from the big national parks, so I really had never explored this area.

There are actually several snow-capped mountains in the distance, but the low rain/snow clouds obscure them. Elevation here is about 5,500 feet, so it is definitely cold.  

Now THIS is my idea of a campground!  Most importantly, it is empty.  It is also scenic and has paved camping spots with electric and water.  It also costs only $20 per night, which is a bargain for partial hookups.

Signs on the campsites told me many were reserved for the next night, but almost all were available tonight, which is a Thursday.  Found this long pull-through right along the ridge overlooking the lake, which made for a very good view, another thing I really value in a campsite!  Got a self-check envelope and put a check in it, then returned it to the canister at the unmanned entrance booth.  Only three other camping units in this campground, but none are nearby.  

Cloudy are interesting, but all is cozy and warm inside my motorhome!  Good cell service so I could use my Verizon Jetpack to connect.  No overhanging trees so I could get good satellite reception.

The lake is very low, but I saw people walking on the beach, and you could easily kayak or canoe on this lake.

Anyway, I would be happy to come back here and settle in for a few days sometime in the future.