Go Camping on the Nebo Loop Scenic Byway

Published on Nov 20, 2009 in Get Fit! Get Active: Heart, Mind and Soul

Need to get away from the daily grind? Ascend Utah's Nebo Loop Scenic Byway nestled in the firs, aspens, oaks and maples of the Uinta National Forest where you can find the perfect getaway campsite. While relaxing in your campground, listen to the prelude of the crickets’ symphony and the postlude of the birds’ sonata. Each year, more than one million people visit the Nebo Loop, many of them reserving their campsites a year in advance to get a good spot to stay, relax, and recreate for a few days.

If your ideal camping trip includes fishing, pick one of the plentiful sites near the Payson Lake Area and let your line float while you roast marshmallows over a campfire. While Big East, the largest lake in the Payson Lake Area, is the most popular place to fish on Nebo Loop, McClellan Lake, Box Lake, and Maple Lake are all well-stocked and not far from the byway. Also, enjoy hiking the nearby trails, swimming, boating, and observing the fiery colors of the towering firs and aspen in season.

Don’t forget your mountain bike on your camping adventure--you won’t want to miss the Blackhawk Loop Trail. Winding through meadows and groves of pine and aspen, the singletrack Blackhawk Loop Trail is full of thrilling twists, turns and runs to get your blood pumping and your spirit soaring. You'll need to be a strong rider to tackle this 18-mile loop that rises from Payson Canyon to the heights of Nebo Loop Scenic Byway! The trail circles through Blackhawk Campground. Open to groups, horseback-riding, campers and RVs, as well as tents, this developed and shady campground is just five miles away from trout-stocked Payson Lake.

Tinney Flat Campground, about 10 miles from Blackhawk Campground, is another great area with hiking. Enjoy the scenery of the canyon setting and take a few calm moments amid nature to meditate while you hike from the Tinney Flat Trailhead to the Nebo Basin Trail. This is also a great area for bird watching and other wildlife-viewing opportunities. Check travel conditions before you go -- the campground has both group and RV sites, but the road to the campground from the byway is not paved!

Want to pack some hiking adventures into your camping trip? Open May through October, the 23-site Ponderosa Campground is right by the Loafer Mountain Trail, the easiest access to the Mt. Nebo Wilderness Area. Go six miles north of Ponderosa to the Devil’s Kitchen, a natural amphitheater of redrock “hoodoos” that looks like a miniature Bryce Canyon and offers a refreshing view that will rejuvenate your soul. The byway’s namesake, 11,928-foot Mt. Nebo, is also near the Ponderosa Campground. From where you perch on one of the many overlooks, Mt. Nebo looks near enough to touch. Keep in mind that all campgrounds on Nebo Loop close for winter, as does the byway.

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