We had finally done it- moved out of Minnesota. After 5 years in the land of 10,000 lakes we found ourselves situated out West in the second driest state, Utah.
It took us all of 2 weeks of being here, after getting situated, unpacked, and starting new jobs, to get out on the trails. Where did we go first? Great question. We found one of the most popular places Salt Lake residents frequent, 5 mile pass.
5 mile pass is a section of BLM-managed recreation land within an hour of the city. It's the perfect place to take out your summer toys for a first drive after the snowy Utah winters. We usually see quite the array of UTV's, ATV's, dirt bikes, and Jeeps, all out having fun in the sun. We made sure to pack our water bottle holder to keep our Hydro Flask fastened and in easy reach for drinking water. It gets so dusty and dry out in the desert you always need to be sure to stay hydrated. Utah DNR's recommendation is for 1/2 liter of water per hour per person for less strenuous activity (like Jeeping).
At 5 mile pass we were able to drive a fun little loop in the Jeep, getting nice and dusty, before deciding to put the tops back on and visit Lake Utah for an afternoon of paddleboarding. This wouldn't be the last time we visited with the Jeep in our first summer, and little did we know, just one year, later my wife would be taking her first ride on a dirt bike through the large oversized parking. More on that to come...