Getting the rest of my gear together as I was getting pelted by penny size hail. Still, I put it all in the adventure mobile (named by my grandaughter) and rolled off to the Lower Hobble Creek Wildlife Management area. There waiting in there truck with kayaks still mounted on their vehicle were Jeff and Teresa with a slightly worried look on there face as they listened to the weather reports on the radio. I check the internet weather report and it looked like they were about 30 or 40 minutes off with the storm front coming through. I felt like it was going to pass and so we waited in our vehicles for the desired window of opportunity.
Last year I did a river to river trip from the Spanish Fork River to the Jordan River . It made sense based on the direction that the rivers run. Utah Lake is fed by several water sources and it has one exit river, The Jordan River. However, there is an inlet to the lake that is slow moving and can be used as a valuable kayaking excursion exit with not to much against current resistance, Mill Race. This leaves an abundance of river to river possibilities.
Mill Race is not seen on the above map. However, you can clearly see Hobble Creek. Hobble Creek is mostly non-navigable on the east side of the interstate 15 as it runs through pipes going under railroad tracks, roads and a freeway. The Creek on the west side of interstate 15 is a wildlife management area and has been designated as a revitalization zone for the June Sucker, an endangered species of fish in Utah Lake. The natural possibilities of what you might view here in a kayak are vast., from giant blue heron to muskrats, beaver and even river otters. With Mill Race as a kayaking exit, the "Hobble Creek to Mill Race" is about a 2 or 3 hour excursion with some navigational challenges. I will list some helpful waypoints in here that will lead you to the mouth of Mill Race because it can be difficult to find approaching from the bay.
Mill Race is not seen on the above map. However, you can clearly see Hobble Creek. Hobble Creek is mostly non-navigable on the east side of the interstate 15 as it runs through pipes going under railroad tracks, roads and a freeway. The Creek on the west side of interstate 15 is a wildlife management area and has been designated as a revitalization zone for the June Sucker, an endangered species of fish in Utah Lake. The natural possibilities of what you might view here in a kayak are vast., from giant blue heron to muskrats, beaver and even river otters. With Mill Race as a kayaking exit, the "Hobble Creek to Mill Race" is about a 2 or 3 hour excursion with some navigational challenges. I will list some helpful waypoints in here that will lead you to the mouth of Mill Race because it can be difficult to find approaching from the bay.
Beaver lodge in the center.
Crazy amount of water fowl in the area. Old video of mine.
Utah Lake Lightning. Keep an eye on the weather:
Video: Storm at the Stern
The Excursion:
Equipment recommendations:
Bilge pump-There is nowhere to stand and empty your kayak if you swamp it.
GPS-You will need assistance to find the mouth of Mill Race.
Flashlight-This is an amazing sunset excursion, so just incase.
Put in:
Click here for map:
Put in at Lower Hobble Creek Wildlife Management area (click)
The put in here is the swiftist part of the trip. There will be a few small rapids just around the corner of the picture above, then the creek will taper into a pleasant current toward the Bay.
As the creek fans out into the bay I have found that a general rule of staying to the right works really well.
Watch out for the wind. In high wind the waves in the bay can be overwhelming. The average depth in the bay is 4ft. It is possible you could meet the bottom in between a large wave. Check the wind here:
Wind report (click)
Utah Lake 20 mph wind
Now that you have entered into the bay it gets a little tricky from a navigational standpoint. The gravel boat ramp: Waypoint 40.2016331, -111.6547126 is your end destination. The mouth of the Mill Race from the bay is marked as follows, East to west:
40°11'57.3"N 111°40'23.3"W
40°11'58.9"N 111°40'19.3"W
40°12'01.0"N 111°40'14.8"W
40°12'02.5"N 111°40'06.0"W
The mouth of Mill Race is in a shallow bay and the appearance can change. The coordinance listed are from google map and it is not like following a road map. I recommend you put in all waymarkers because they will point you in the right direction. At the very least you should mark the first and the last marker for the purpose of a vector that will point the way home (Mill Race road access).
A great explorer once said:
"I am a most noteworthy sinner, but I have cried out to the Lord for grace and mercy, and they have covered me completely. I have found the sweetest consolation since I made it my whole purpose to enjoy His marvellous Presence."
Christopher Columbus
I thought this might be useful in case you get lost.
A great explorer once said:
"I am a most noteworthy sinner, but I have cried out to the Lord for grace and mercy, and they have covered me completely. I have found the sweetest consolation since I made it my whole purpose to enjoy His marvellous Presence."
Christopher Columbus
I thought this might be useful in case you get lost.
Your journey up Mill Race is against current. However, You will find that it is very manageable.
There is a parking area here at MIll Race. If you accidently went left at the fork and did not end up here then you are just a stone's throw away from here. Just walk a little to the south and you will find you vehicle there, that is if you remembered to leave one.
The Provo River (click)
The Treasure of the Diamond (click)
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