Messing About in Boats
Photography: Timothy Thimmes
As ubiquitous as ski racks are across Park City’s landscape during the winter months, come summertime, kayak and canoe racks are the preferred automobile accoutrement. And why not? Despite the heavily treed mountains and undulating meadows that surround town, there are more than a few areas for folks to dip a paddle, ride a rooster tail, or catch a breeze.
True, Utah is indeed one of the most arid states in the nation. But because of that, the state does an admirable job of capturing the water gravity pulls downhill into reservoirs that double as liquid playgrounds. Within a half-hour of downtown Park City, one can get wet in a sextet of reservoirs: Deer Creek, East Canyon, Echo, Jordanelle, Little Dell and Rockport. Each of those aqueous bodies bodes well for water babies with toys that range from canoes and kayaks to wakeboards and kiteboards.
Willing to add 10 or 15 minutes to your commute? If so, you’ll enhance your prospects by heading down the Mirror Lake Highway into the Wasatch-Cache National Forest (www.fs.fed.us/r4/uinta) where you’ll discover Washington, Trial and Mirror lakes along with a handful of smaller lakes shimmering under the sun and welcoming non-motorized craft. Even serious kayakers can find places to challenge themselves. The sometimes-technical Weber River that runs out of the Uintas and into Ogden is a notorious lure for double-bladers.
So where do you head? That depends a bit, but not entirely, on what you want to do.
“We’re a water park,” says Natalie Bateman, a ranger at Deer Creek State Park just southwest of Heber City. “We welcome motorboats, canoes, sailboats. Windsurfers love it because the winds are strong, and they’re predictable from one direction at a certain time. Afternoons it’s just crazy here. It will blow a lot all the time, because we get the canyon winds.”
Located along U.S. 189 at the head of Provo Canyon, the state park also draws a steady crowd of waterskiers, wakeboarders and anglers from the Provo area as well as from nearby Heber City. With 63 campsites to choose from, the crowds usually show up early on Fridays and stay for the weekend, according to Bateman.
Of course, strong winds are also a hallmark at Jordanelle State Park just southeast of Park City via Utah 248 and U.S. 40. There, steady late-morning to mid-afternoon gusts top the reservoir’s dam from the southwest, luring windsurfers who love the big water.
“We have winds about every afternoon for a four-hour block,” says Tracy See, the park’s assistant manager, adding that by darting into the reservoir’s eastern arm, windsurfers can cover roughly two miles of water. “They can cut right into the eastern arm and turn around and come back.”
The reliable winds also make Jordanelle a favorite of sailboaters, and See anticipates a growing number of kiteboarders this summer, who use large expanses of nylon to help them skim across the water.
Of course, Jordanelle is also a sweet spot for those who enjoy jet skis and other personal watercraft. The state park went out of its way to cater to those water-hounds, building a separate parking area that’s designed to accommodate trailer-hauling big rigs as well as a dock with slips sized perfectly for personal watercraft. But the popularity of the Jordanelle with Wasatch Front residents makes it critical that you plan to start your day early.
“We’re usually sold out (on campsites) every weekend,” See says, adding that the day-use lot typically fills by 10 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
While canoers are also common visitors to the park, kayakers have been a relatively recent addition. “I’ve been here almost the whole ten years we’ve been open, and the kayaks have only become big the last three years,” says See. “We tend to see them more with families.” Among the regulars, though, are some Park City residents who head for the water two or three times a week after work to get a good workout in, she says. One enthusiast, an early riser, often shows up by 6 a .m. to paddle.
You don’t even need your own gear to enjoy the water, as the Jordanelle Marina (435.655.9919; www.jordanelle.com) and Deer Creek Island Resort (435.654.2155) rent a variety of watercraft.
Of course, the Uinta Mountain lakes are more desirable for those in search of human-powered locomotion, a slice of solitude, and a picturesque national forest backdrop. The lakes are a bit small for more than a half day’s outing if all you want to do is paddle, but toss a fishing rod into your boat, a picnic lunch and a bottle of wine, and you’ve designed a perfect day’s adventure.
Finally, if you prefer someone else to work up the sweat while you kick back and relax, Park City Rafting (www.parkcityrafting.net or 435.655.3800) offers both a two-hour and a full-day raft trip down the Weber River below Echo Reservoir between mid-May and mid-September. These trips, which allow you to either sit back and brace yourself for the rapids or paddle through them while the guide uses oars to control your progress, feature class II-III rapids and the spectacular scenery of Weber Canyon.
Be assured that even here in Utah, you won’t run out of water.
“Kurt Repanshek bases his life and playtime, all in the name of work, in Park City. His efforts have appeared in Smithsonian, National Geographic Traveler, Hemispheres, and The North Face web-zine www.exploreepic.com.
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