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Ryder
Lake
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Distance:
21.8 miles (round trip)
Walking
time:
day 1: 6 1/2 hours
day 2: 4 1/2 hours
day 3: 4 hours
Elevations:
1,770 ft. gain/loss
• Christmas Meadows Trailhead
(start): 8,790 ft.
• Ryder Lake: 10,560
ft.
• Kermsuh Lake: 10,300
ft.
Trail:
Good trail, but very rocky in places. Can also be muddy
in spots, especially in the early summer before all of
the snow has melted. A compass is useful for finding McPheters
Lake.
Season:
Midsummer through mid-fall. The higher parts of the trail
are usually covered with snow until July. For current
conditions call the Evanston Ranger District, Wasatch-Cache
National Forest, at (801) 642-6662.
Vicinity:
The High Uintas Wilderness Area, near Kamas and Evanston,
Wyoming
Ryder
and Kermsuh Lakes are the other two major lakes, besides
Amethyst Lake, that lie within the Stillwater Drainage
of the High Uintas Wilderness Area. When ancient glaciers
were carving the glove-shaped valley during the past ice
age, three large fingers were gouged out of its southern
flanks. Today we call these depressions Amethyst Basin,
West Basin, and Middle Basin. These high mountain basins
became natural places for the formation of lakes when
the glaciers melted; hence the presence of Ryder, Kermsuh,
and Amethyst lakes. Amethyst Lake, of course, is located
in Amethyst Basin. Kermsuh Lake is in West Basin and Ryder
is in Middle Basin. All are surrounded almost entirely
by the billion-year-old Precambrian quartzite cliffs that
define the Uinta Crest.
Day
1
For the first 2.6 miles
the trail to Kermsuh and Ryder Lakes is the same as the
trail to Amethyst Lake. The path winds lazily along the
eastern side of Christmas Meadows. Moose are common in
this area, and if you gaze out into the meadow from time
to time there is a good chance of seeing at least a moose
cow or young bull. Don’t count on seeing an older
bull, however, as they are much more reclusive than the
younger males. There are also a lot of beaver in the meadow,
as evidenced by the fallen aspen along the way. Beaver
seem to prefer aspen to the other trees-probably because
the wood is softer and less resinous.
After about two miles Christmas
Meadows and most of the quaking aspen are left behind,
the canyon floor narrows, and the creek begins to run
a little faster. At this point the forest is predominantly
lodgepole pine, with some scattered Engelmann spruce.
Soon you will encounter a forest service sign informing
you that you have crossed the northern boundary of the
High Uintas Wilderness Area, and a few minutes later you
will see the trail to Amethyst Lake leaving on the left.
Keep to the right here, continuing to follow along the
left bank of the Stillwater Creek.
The trail continues on for
another 2.0 miles, climbing very gradually along the canyon
floor until it comes to the next trail junction. As you
walk you will begin to see glimpses of A-1 Peak through
the trees on your right and Mount Agassiz straight ahead.
These rocky peaks, reaching 3,000 feet above the Stillwater
Creek, are a preview of what lies ahead. Finally, at a
point which is directly magnetic east of A-1 Peak the
trail forks again, and a small sign on a tree indicates
the way to Kermsuh Lake on the right. You should make
a mental note of this trail junction because you will
be taking the Kermsuh Lake trail on the return from Ryder,
and it is easy to miss the sign when walking in the opposite
direction. For now, however, continue straight ahead along
the Stillwater.
The trail continues for
another 1.8 miles beyond the Kermsuh Lake trail junction
before leaving Stillwater Creek. At an elevation of 9,870
feet, the path crosses the creek and begins climbing for
the last 1.7 miles into the Middle Basin. But when you
reach this point you will probably want to pause for a
while before continuing, because the scenery is delightful.
A clearing in the forest presents you with an marvelous
view of Mount Agassiz across a grassy meadow. If it is
late summer the meadow will be filled with wildflowers.
From Stillwater Creek the
trail climbs rather steeply for 0.5 mile, then levels
out for another beautiful, gentle walk through the high
alpine meadows towards the back of the basin. It is a
stunning approach to the lake. For almost 360 degrees
around you you can see the rocky cliffs that surround
Middle Basin, and as you progress westward you will see
Hayden Peak rising up on your right. Finally, after passing
several small ponds, you will cross a small rise in the
land to see the large lake in front of you. Ryder Lake
is some 600 feet wide and 1/3 of a mile long. It is surrounded
by Engelmann spruce, and there are some very nice camping
sites on the eastern side. Frequently there are no other
people camping at the lake, and if you are there on one
of those days it will feel as if you own the entire Middle
Basin.
Day
2
If you have time after breaking
camp, you should take a short side hike to McPheters Lake,
only 0.4 mile northwest of Ryder. If you have a compass,
select a heading due northwest of Ryder. If you don’t
have a compass just head for the lowest point in the ridge
east of Hayden Peak. You should see the lake after a fifteen-minute
walk and an elevation gain of about 240 feet. McPheters,
about the same size as Ryder, is reputed to be deeper
and there are said to be some large fish in the bottom
of the Lake. There are not many trees around the lake,
however, and the camping is far nicer at Ryder.
From the Middle Basin you
must backtrack to Stillwater Creek and down to the Kermsuh
Lake Trail, which you passed on the way to Ryder. Again,
the trail to Kermsuh Lake rises rather steeply for about
0.5 mile after leaving Stillwater, but soon settles down
to a very pleasant walk through a series of meadows to
the back of West Basin. Finally, 2.8 miles from Stillwater
Creek and 920 feet higher in elevation, you will come
to Kermsuh Lake. Kermsuh is somewhat smaller than either
Ryder or McPheters Lakes-about 400 feet wide and 1700
feet long. There are no camp sites here quite as nice
as those at Ryder; you may prefer to camp in one of the
meadows you passed just below Kermsuh. There is, however,
a marvelous view of Hayden Peak from Kermsuh. Also, although
you can’t see it, McPheters Lake is only a mile away
on the other side of the ridge between West Basin and
Middle Basin.
Day
3
From Kermsuh Lake it is
an easy downhill walk back to Stillwater Creek and from
there to Christmas Meadows. The total distance is 7.4
miles, and the elevation loss is 1,510 feet.
Content
provided by David
Day of utahtrails.com. Click here to order his book
Utah's
Favorite Hiking Trails.
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