Logan Canyon

Logan Canyon is a canyon that cuts its way through the Bear River Mountains, a branch of the Wasatch Range, in northeastern Utah. It connects the Cache and Bear Lake valleys and is traversed by U.S. Route 89. The highway through the canyon has been designated a National Scenic Byway. The canyon is popular for both summer and winter activities, especially rock-climbing, hiking, camping, fishing, snowmobiling, and skiing, at the Beaver Mountain ski resort. The canyon rises to an elevation of approximately 7,800 ft (2,400 m) after a vertical climb of about 2,900 feet (900 m). Just beyond the summit is a steep road leading into Bear Lake Valley and scenic overlooks that provide breathtaking views of deep blue Bear Lake. The western terminus is at Logan in Cache County and the eastern terminus is at Garden City in Rich County. Among the most famous hiking trails is the treacherous Crimson Trail. It begins at Spring Hollow Campground and ends at Guinivah Campground and is noted for its amazing views.

The Logan River runs south to southwest through most of the canyon into Cache Valley and is a popular fishing attraction. The river is dammed in three locations near the western mouth of the canyon.

Recent construction and proposed enhancements to US-89 that runs through the canyon have been the focus of a decades-long confrontation between environmentalists and the Utah Department of Transportation. Some of the improvements have included reconstructing the bridges, which were in poor shape, straightening the road leading to Bear Lake, and reconstructing the Bear Lake Overlook, making it much larger and more attractive and adding basic facilities.

For much of the 1970s and 1980s, Logan Canyon was used as the photographic backdrop for the Sears-Roebuck fall catalog.

External links

* [http://www.utah.com/byways/logan_canyon.htm Utah Scenic Byways] by Utah office of Tourism
* [http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2001/ Logan Canyon Scenic Byway] by U.S. Department of Transportation National Scenic Byways Program
* [http://www.trailbrain.com/wiki/index.php?title=Logan_River_Trail Logan River Trail] by trailbrain.com