Happy ATV Trails

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Sept. 27, 2011 Visit to Monk's Hollow ATV Trail

This ATV trail is between Price and Salt Lake City. If coming from Salt Lake Valley, exit I-15 at exit 258 to US-6 toward Price/Manti. Go about 11.5 miles, then turn left onto Diamond Fork Rd. Diamond Campground is about 6 miles up this canyon. Go past Diamond Fork Campground about 1.5 miles, then turn right at sign that reads Diamond Fork Campground Group Site. There is a large parking lot here (A). The trail leads south to Highway 6. The altitude at the trail head is approximately 5332 feet. The trail is steep and rocky and rutted quite badly in some places. The trail ascends to about 7050 feet. We decided to turn around after we went about 8.8 miles (B). The trail ahead looked too steep and rocky to navigate very well. I think we were about 1 mile from Highway 6 when we turned around.

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Lake Canyon Recreation Area Utah

2 Deer in Lake Canyon Campground

Deer were plentiful in and around the campground.

Huntington Reservoir from Skyline Drive

Huntington Mammoth sign

Huntington Reservoir

Mount Pleasant from Skyline Drive

Rolfson Reservoir

Cleveland Reservoir (not pictured) is to the east of Huntington Reservoir.

Skyline Drive Ridge

Skyline Drive Wildflowers

Trail 12 Near Huntington Reservoir

Typical ATV Trail in Lake Canyon Campground

Lake Canyon Recreation Area, Utah, More Flora

More Flowers near Lake Canyon

Rhexia Leaf Paintbrush Castilleja rhexiifolia

Rocky Mountain Penstemon Penstemon strictus

Showy Daisy Erigeron speciosus

Shrubby Cinquefoil Potentilla fruticosa

Wallflower Erysimum asperum

Western Coneflower Rudbeckia occidentalis

Lake Canyon Recreation Area, Utah

Lake Canyon Flora

Alpine Buttercup Ranunculus adoneus

Cow Parsnip Heracleum lanatum

False Hellebore Veratrum californicum


Lion's Beard Clematus hirsutissima

Nootka Rose Rosa nutkana

Orange Sneezeweed Hymenoxys hoopesii

Penstemon

Pretty Jacob's Ladder Polemonium pulcherrimum

Friday, September 23, 2011

August 10, 2011 Visit to Lake Canyon Campground, Utah

Lake Canyon Campground is located up Fairview Canyon. This was formerly called Miller Flat Campground and is in Manti-LaSal National Forest. To get there, turn east at 400 North in Fairview, Utah. This turns into UT-31 E/Canyon Rd. Follow UT-31 about 17 miles. Huntington Reservoir will be on your right. About 1/2 mile past Huntington Reservoir will be Miller Flat Road on your right. Turn here. There are about 46 campsites in this area; 11, 17, 24 and 41 are reservation sites, as well as the group sites Miller Flat, Lake Canyon, and Rolfson Group sites A, B, and C. The other 42 individual sites are first come first served. Long trailers can be parked at many of these sites. The cost is $5.00 per vehicle. This area is very ATV friendly.

Lake Canyon Multiple-Use Trail System Map

This map shows there are 9.5 miles of ATV trails rated as "easy," meaning the grades are not too steep and the tread surface is relatively smooth. There are 3 learners' loops. When we were there, we tried out the Lake Canyon Learners' Loop and the Rolfson Learner's loop. However, the Rolfson Loop had deep water, probably up to a foot or more deep, in the ruts of the loops. This was definitely not for learners. We got stuck in one of the loops and had to pull the ATV out backwards. Even though it was one-way through the loops, we were forced to go back out the way we'd gone in. Use CAUTION in the loops.

Another dangerous part of the trail was on Trail No. 12 just southeast of Huntington Reservoir. There were deep ruts filled with water here too.