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By now, many people have probably had their share of Fourth of July celebrations. But there's still a lot to do this weekend.
We went up to the Uinta Mountains to scout out campgrounds.
Fourth of July: food, fun, fireworks and snow?
John Duddleston, a camper from Riverton, said, "We've got water on the snow right there. So that's helped out a little bit. We don't have to run into town for ice or anything."
Larry Weber, a camper from West Jordan, said, "There's just enough by our campsite. We can stick a couple Cokes and bottled waters in it to keep cool. [There's] extra for our coolers. So, a little bit of snow is OK."
In fact two campgrounds - Butterfly and Moosehorn - are still closed. But that's not stopping anyone from going to the mountains.
Virginia Daniel, a Wasatch National Forest ranger, said, "We're expecting an extremely busy weekend. We're expecting the campgrounds to fill up. We're expecting the trails to definitely be heavily used."
Those trails have been cleared, but even in 70-degree weather you'll still see some snow.
"Be prepared for it," Daniel said. "Bring long pants, wear high shoes. Don't hike in sandals."
Another safety tip: Be sure to clean up your campsite and put food away in the car.
With national gas prices at their highest ever and locally over $4 a gallon, many people are having a tougher time getting away for the Fourth this year than in the past. But if you're going to the Uinta Mountains, it's only a two-hour drive.
John Duddleston said, "I'd say camping's the way to go. Save money and get to spend good time with your family. It keeps us all together."
Even though camping might be cheap, prices have gone up since the Wasatch and Uinta National Forests have combined. A three-day pass is $6. And the price of the week pass, which was $6 last year, has gone up to $12.
Larry Weber said, "We just paid it, whatever it was. It's OK. It's not that expensive. It's a lot cheaper than the Holiday Inn."
E-mail: ngonzales @ksl.com
