Utah Snowpack 2017

USDA NRCS Snotel (snow telemetry) provides selected monitoring sites throughout Utah and the western US.  This particular graphic characterizes the snow accumulation at Timpanogos Divide monitoring site.

Another graph illustrating SWE and Precip at Daniels-Strawberry monitoring station, 2017-to-date compared with 2016 data.  Note the dramatic contrast, more than 100% difference.

Another graph showing accumulation data from Ben Lomond Peak north of Ogden.  Again comparing the current and previous year.  If you note, for this location the scale is staggering.

Lines showing what seems to be "normal" or "average" are nothing of the sort.  Rather, they plot the data accumulation over a selected range of past history.  For weather patterns, there really seems to be no such thing as "normal".  Or perhaps more accurately, if you need to see what is "normal" today, stick your head out the window and check.

In any case, the accumulated total precip and snow water equivalent are trending rather high compared to past weather data.  Some would even say it is not too early to start planning for catastrophic flooding when the weather turns hot.  Many of Utah's reservoirs, which also serve as flood control resources, are already filled over nominal capacity.

So get ready for an interesting and lively spring season.  Our problems in Utah will be nothing compared to the potential wave of disaster that threatens to crest over California.

This graph plots snow accumulation data from near Mammoth Lakes in California.  Comparing current and last year.

Wow.  Oh, wow!  Are you California guys STILL complaining of drought?

Utah Places: Timpanogos Front End

I´m sure most all resident of Utah have witnessed the awesome transformation. Mount Timpnogos is colored with the fiery blaze of sunset as the orange ball disappears behind the Oquirrh Mountains in the west. The backdrop of dramatic scenery is nearly wasted on hoardes of hurrying Wasatch Front residents, packed onto I-15, jamming up the freeway during rush hour. Instead of enjoying the beauty, too many are cultivating their hypertension and considering another road-rage incident on the public highway.

Up close and personal, the south and west slopes of Timp are not nearly as well developed as the traditional Mutual Dell or Timpanooke or Aspen Grove on the east or north. As it happens, there are roads, but they are not for the timid. Best suited for 4wd or ATV. Many trails lead out from the Pleasant Grove and Orem high bench areas. The lower down regions tend to be clogged with houses, but after you get by them, you´re on your own. If you venture out, you will discover there are many false leads, as well. Lots if rugged individualists have left their mark here. As a result, there are trails through the thick chapparal that lead everywhere and nowhere. Pick your course with some judicious care, and be prepared to backtrack.

Not that the lowland parks are bad. They serve their purpose well, and get lots of use. But to those few to whom the freedom of the hills beckons..

In several canyons on the west face of Timp, I have picked up many fossil specimens. Some of the canyons that run down the west face are apparently eroded through the layers of geological time, exposing the fossilized wonders of the past that were witnessed before the slopes were raised high. I won´t tell exactly where -- that would be giving away too much. But for the ambitious, they can be found, in great variety and profusion.

There is a mountain road that affords access to higher ground, accesible through Timpoonokie Campground. It is a long drive that wind around the shoulder of the mountain, eventually ending up in meadows above Pleasant Grove. A very nice place for a picnic, or just look at the wild flowers and enjoy the view. The view is unparalleled.

Utah Places: Alpine Loop

There isn't a photo that does any part of it justice. The entire loop is a tour of magnificence, either direction you approach from, the Alpine side, or the Sundance side.

 A Profusion of Wildflowers

 Wyethia

Timapnogos is the crowning centerpiece throughout the drive. Around every corner there are sights and scenes of wonder to behold.

 Epilobium

Every season the tableau changes. From spring to summer through fall, there is never a day that the scene is the same. The road closes sometime early in the winter, whenever county snow plows can no longer push their way safely through the deepening drifts. Then they abandon the road until next spring to the ski touring and snow machines.

The mountain itself is so loved and so popular, there are hundreds of attractions on the sides and within the near vicinity. I will only list a few of the less visited and rarely known. The others, you can find yourself as you wind around the foot of Timp, working your way over that venerable old shoulder.