Utah Places: Albion Basin

Should I put this one on the list?

Albion is by far one of the favorite spots in Utah. In fact, we love it to death. I am afraid too many people go there when the flowers are blooming, and the Forest Service encourages them.

There is a long dirt grade climbing up the hill to Albion from the Alta parking area, and sometimes it is choked with cars and dust.

Of course, the destination from Albion was always the Cecret Lake Trail. The lake is an alpine gem a short hike above the parking area at Albion.

 Cecret Lake

It is beautiful beyond compare. Like all alpine lakes, the water is cold and crystal clear. The air is crisp and clean, even in mid-summer. Crowds of people don't seem such a bother. But the area is generally crowded all the time now, to the point that it is difficult to find a parking place in Albion anymore during weekend hours.

I fear for tomorrow.

For me, at least, that spoils some of the enjoyment of what wilderness should be. What can we do? I don't know? It worries me. Someday I think it will become more like Disneyland.

I will never go there again.

That will be a sad day.

Utah Places: Wasatch Mountain State Park

You can make a free and beautiful traverse between Salt Lake Valley, Heber, the ski resorts, and Park City. All summer long. Not many use this road, and its a good thing. It summits over Guardsman’s pass, and there are trails connecting in every direction, including connections from American Fork Canyon, Heber Valley, Cascade Springs, and other locations along the Wasatch. The roads are only good enough for light traffic, but ideally suited for vehicles like the 4runner. A more spectacular vista of the skyline all around cannot be found anywhere. Be sure to wear cold weather gear -- its always cold and windy up here.

Good place for a Sunday afternoon drive to look at wildflowers. All the side canyons along the way compete for the best.

More info here.

Utah Places: Forest City

A ghost story. In Utah. This one is sadly all true.

Read r the Wikipedia entry about the mining town of Forest City, Utah.

It makes good reading, especially for those not well informed about infuenza epidemics and what effect that had before widespread public immunization.

If you're really going to go to all that trouble, find out about some of the serious 4wd trails around Mineral Basin and Pittsburgh Lake. There are a few that are real challenges! They are all good fun, and most of the Utah 4 wheelers are a bunch of wussies who cry if they see a scratch in their paint. But if you can get past that, and are not above stacking a few rocks to compensate for not having lockers you can crawl with the best of them!

The guys in the YouTube video make a big deal about a few rocks, but it's really not that bad of a trail, especially travelling in such a big convoy.  I've always gone by myself, of course.  Lots of fun.

The paint and the rockers on the 4runner have no reason to save anything anymore. And Ruth, you would not believe what kind of punishment I have put those tires through. Don't worry about flat tires.

You should see some of the places I have driven at Topaz Mountain. You would not want your boots on that kind of terrain! The 4runner cruised over it at 5mph, with no problem.

Pshrinking, Pshrinking!!

I hope you don't mind.

My head seems to be a bit too large at the moment, so I'm having it refitted. Let me reassure you, it seems painless so far, and is only a temporary inconvenience. I hope to have all operations back to normal and working on all cylinders in very short order.

In the mean time, please return tray tables to their stored position, and return your seats to their full upright and locked position. Please keep heads and arms inside the ride at all times.

Thank you for your cooperation.

(BTW, my new friends from Ephraim said they might join. I meant this picture as a facsimile of how I see MYSELF, no reflection on anyone else. Hope I did not give that impression. Don't want to offend anyone, certainly not people who were so kind and delightful to talk to and so HELPFUL.)

Utah Places: Silver Flats Reservoir

Not only is this a beautiful place, but not many come here. It is isolated enough that the fishing pressure is light, so you can always count on catching a few, enough to have a good feast around the fire at night. It's just on the limit of alpine splendor, which is why I have always liked it. And the long history of American Fork Canyon has always fascinated me, which is another reason I kept going back there so many times.

There are some good hikes and 4wd or ATV trails above here. Be careful, though. Not maintained, any more. Some of them are washouts. Some are dead ends. Some are just plain dead drops a thousand feet to no where.

One day, soon after I bought my brand new 4runner, I was having the time of my life following old mining roads above silver flats high in the mountains. The trails were a thrill because many of them were so very steep, I could not see the ground of the downhill side of the mogul past the end of the hood. Looking out the windshield, all I could see was empty space in front of me. Then, the front end would roll over the hump and down, and I could see down the next hill.

This was very fun, and I was following tire tracks, so I thought it was relatively safe, driving it alone without anyone to spot. Then all of a sudden, I came to what appeared to be another mogul that gave me a very funny feeling. I stopped well short, and walked up to the top to look over. It was not another mogul at all!

I was standing atop a tailings dump, that emptied down a sheer cliff!

At least 1000 feet below me were the ruins of an old pickup truck and assorted other old machinery long since abandoned and tossed over the precipice. If I had followed the leading wheel tracks a few more feet, afraid my momentum would have carried me over that ledge.

Am I better off today? I am not so sure, but I am mighty relieved that my trusty 4runner was not hurt!

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.

Utah Places: Cascade Springs

Cannot find any photos that really do a bit of justice to the magnificence of this natural beauty. It has been loved by so many visitor through the decades, and enhanced by the addition of the walkway surrounding the quiet flowing springs and pools that spring right up from the rock.

Lush vegetation and abundant flowers through an extended growing season are th exceptional attraction, as well as many water-borne species not seen in such collections anywhere else.

If there was ever a natural setting for an afternoon walk more at peace with nature, more conducive for reflective thought, better for having the kids race each other around in circles to exhaustion, and fine fried chicken picnics, I cannot think of a place.

Links are plentiful, try here.

Utah Places: Topaz Mountain

Ruth, did you ever hear the saying that all that glitters is not gold? How about topaz gemstones?

Topaz Mountain is easy to get to, and is one of the world's leading source of these fabulous gems. The area is administered by the BLM, and the have adopted a very liberal multi-use policy for the area, which basically states that you are free to carry away whatever you dig and pick up with your own two hands. Under the proper motivation, for me, that can amount to quite a bit. And remember, with gemstones, a little can go a very long way!

You guys have been with us to Topaz Mountain before. We just spent enough time to get a little taste for it. If you're serious about finding good wine-dark colored topaz, you need to spend some serious time working it, at a good site. There are lots of good reference materials on the web. Like a few to start you off here and here. Have fun prospecting!

Utah Places: Birdseye Marble Quarry

Birdseye Marble is a sort of misnomer. I think the mineral is not calcium-carbonate based like the limestone that real marble is formed from. But the Birdseye is beautiful stone, and at one time, the quarry was worked in great abundance.

In the area, there is a marker erected to commemorate the site the was put up by the DUP. It stands in front of the old Birdseye Chapel.


On the monument are some nice samples of the unfinished stone such as were taken from the quarry.

Further information about the site can be found here.

BTW, I have found many other deposits of Birdseye Marble at various locations throughout the area, so always keep your eyes open!

Snow in Sanpete

Snow so far this season is about average as it goes. I am not getting out much, but this SNOTEL plot from the Mammoth-Cottonwood site up Fairview Canyon shows the story for so far this year. The dark blue line traces Snow Water Equivalent, which is very near but just below the ten-year average, probably because it has been warmer than normal on the Skyline so far. The Total Precipitation, the dark red line, shows well ahead of the ten-year average, shown by the yellow. So our water year is off to the very best of starts.

The snow pack is not as deep as in some years, because the melt rate has been higher due to warmer temps, but the water is there, to water crops and gardens next spring.

And to make the wildflowers blossom.


This specimen is Palmer's Penstemen (Penstemen palmeri) BTW. It is a common but sparse resident of Sanpete County in late spring and early summer at elevations ranging from 3000 to 6000 feet at roadside waste place with little extra water and dry sandy soil.