Willard Rock Art- Part 1

View from the trailhead.  Somewhere up above us was our destination.

Last week I finally had the breakthrough I've been looking for.  Over the past year, I had heard from numerous locations that there are petroglyphs above Willard.  The problem I kept running into though is a lack of lack of any clues substantial enough to go off of.  I'd find a wisp here and there, and a few tantalizing photographs in a book called "Traces of Fremont" that I checked out from the local library, but that was it.  Late in the week, a tip came in that was solid enough that I planned a hike for Saturday.  A storm was supposed to come in later over the Presidents Day weekend and Saturday promised decent weather.     


Site 1 Figure

I made a few phone calls and invited some friends and family to come along.  I made no promises- No, I don't really know where I'm going.  I have no idea what the trail will be like, let alone if there will be a trail at all.  I have no idea how long it will take.  We will have fun though, and if we're lucky find some rock art that few people have seen.  A few takers later, we were on our way.  We stopped a few places to try to piece together where our destination would be, then made a few more attempts to find a starting spot.  A kind resident of Willard told us where the best local trailhead was.  A little more driving around and it was time to hike. 


Site 1 Figure

We hiked up to the canal road along the base of the mountain, then followed it until we thought it was time to leave it.  Then the bushwhacking began.  It was quite a climb, with no discernable trail but we made good time, minus a few stops to catch our breath.  Finally we made it to our goal.  Success or failure?   

"Superman" and other anthropomorph

Success!  We found several pictographs painted onto the rock face.  A few of them were a very vibrant red color, but most of them were in various stages of fading and water damage.  Several were clearly anthropomorphs (human figures), while others were line squiggles.  The majority though were smudges of red that were beyond recognition. We spent a while looking around and enjoying the pictographs.  Amazing!   

Double squiggle from Site 2

The tip I'd recieved indicated another picture that we didn't find at Site 1, so we carefully climbed around to look for any other potential spots it could be.  We ultimately did not find the drawing we were looking for, but did find Site 2.  Site 2 was more condensed, and had more pictographs than Site 1 did, but they were more faded and damaged than the ones at the first location.  My favorite pictograph from the outing was the one I've labeled "Superman".  He appears to have a superhero insignia on his chest.  Soon after finding the second location we had to leave.  We picked our way back down the mountain and back to the car.      

Site 2 Figure.

We found more pictographs in Northern Utah!  It's always amazing to find a site so close to home when so many people think that the petroglyphs and pictographs are only a Southern Utah or Arizona thing.  I definitely plan on returning again to track down the additional locations that I know are there. 

Nearest City: Willard, UT
Location: N° W°   The trailhead is on 7425 S.  The sites will remain locationless for their protection. 
Time Needed: Several Hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Kid Friendly:
Additional Info:  If you do go hiking above Willard, the mountains are known for rattlesnakes in the warmer months.

The Spiral Jetty

Saturday we went out to the Spiral Jetty.  I'd heard about it several times before, but had always heard that the road out there was bad.  Actually, the people at the Golden Spike National Historic Site just down the road don't speak highly about the road to the Spiral Jetty either (Maybe it's just a National Park Service policy to make things sound harder than they actually are).  We had no problems on the drive.  In fact, any low clearance vehicle should have no problem with the road out there when it's in dry conditions.  There were a few washboard sections, but it's a gravel/dirt road that is in great shape.  To get there, go to the Golden Spike NHS, then follow the signs as you drive further west for another 16 miles.

We had the place to ourselves.  The lake was high and we could just make out the shape of the Spiral Jetty under the surface.  A few rocks on the stem were poking out.  I wanted to walk out there, but then I reminded myself that it was February and the water would be freezing cold. 

I had fun along the beach instead.  We found a little salt bar that poked into the water.  I say salt bar, because it literally was made up of salt crystals.  See the picture below.  It's awesomely crazy! 

The sand is pretty cool too.  It reminded me of the little balls of dry yeast that you use when making homemade bread.  It's a special kind of sand called oolitic sand.  Basically, instead of forming from rocks that have broken down into little pieces (like most sand), the oolitic sand is formed in the water from dissolved minerals.  The minerals build up around a center made up of brine shrimp poo or something else. 

We had a picnic, went on a walk on the beach, and skipped rocks.  It was a relaxing getaway, especially with the kids sleeping in the back for the drive.  I'll have to come back sometime when the water is warmer and go for a swim. 

Nearest City: Corinne, UT
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 2+ Hours
Difficulty: Easy
Kid Friendly: Yes
Additional Info:

Elk Watching at Hardware Ranch

The last weekend in January we went up to the Hardware Ranch.  The Utah DWR feeds the elk there every winter to keep them from wandering down to Cache Valley and munching on crops and gardens there.  It's about 60 miles from Ogden, or 2 hours from Salt Lake City. 

We enjoyed looking at the elk and were glad to see several bigger bulls among them.  The week before there were only a few spikes with the herd.  I forgot to bring cash, so we didn't go on the wagon ride and had to watch them from the road instead. 

The visitor center had several exhibits, including a full body mount of a bull elk, animal skins from several different native species, and a footprint stamping area for kids. The kids really loved feeling the fur of the different animals and pressing the stamps for different footprints on a paper to bring home. 

I had a good time, but going on that wagon ride sure would have been fun!

Nearest City: Hyrum, UT
Location: N° W°
Time Needed:
Difficulty: Easy
Kid Friendly: Yes
Additional Info: Utah Division of Wildlife Hardware Ranch Website  Wagon rides out into the elk herd cost $5/adult and $3/kid.  They don't take credit cards.

The Boardwalk at the Bird Refuge

In mid-December, we went out to Farmington Bay one evening after work.  Most of the time when we go to Farmington Bay, we drive out along the dike roads and look at the birds from the car.  It's fun, but you're not doing anything except driving in the car.  This trip we drove on Glover Lane past the entrance to the dike roads and pulled into a small parking area 1/4 mile later.  There's a nice road that leads to a big parking lot and restrooms, but every time I've been by the gate has been locked at Glover Lane.  There's a path through the fence for pedestrians, so we parked and went for a walk. 

Near the restroom and big inaccessible parking lot, there's a boardwalk that leads off through the marshes.  The path winds and loops through the lowlands, around a small pond, and across several irrigation ditches. 

We saw several ducks and birds, and the footprints of a fox across the frozen pond.   I thought the boardwalk was pretty cool. It would be fun to come back in warmer weather.

Nearest City: Farmington, UT
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 30-60 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Kid Friendly:  Yes
Additional Info:  Another fun boardwalk is at the Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve.

The Ogden Mystery Glyphs

It's been a while since I've posted!  The adventures have slowed down a little bit lately, but we've still found a way to get out and see a few fun things.  Mid- December we went up to find the Ogden "Mystery Glyphs". 

The mystery glyphs are in the foothils above Ogden.  Nobody seems to know who made them or why they are there.  Several theories exist, but nothing has been shown that's conclusive.  After visiting the site, I personally lean toward the thought that they are not an ancient work.  The lines just have the appearance of being recently worked, and there's not the varnish or lichen growth that would be on older rock art.   

We parked at the 24th Street Trailhead, then hiked up the hill.  After scrambling around in the rocks and boulders for quite a while, we concluded that we were too high up the mountain.  We dropped down lower and finally found the glyphs in a cluster of boulders in the midst of some oak brush.  The glyphs are on the northern boulder and face south.  We were close to giving up when we found them.  They're fun to find and intriguing to ponder about.  Legit?  Who knows! 

Nearest City: Ogden, UT
Location: N 41° 13.354 W 111° 55.617
Time Needed: 1 hour+
Difficulty: Moderate
Kid Friendly: Sure
Additional Info: