After standing at the bottom of Inspiration Point on my hike to Willard Canyon last week (see earlier post), I decided I just had to stand on top. I had been told by locals that there was a jeep road up to within a mile or so of Inspiration Point, so I set out with my trusty Utah backcountry 4x4 trail book (given to me by my dear friends Laura and Stephanie), made my way to Mantua (pronounced Man-a-way, go figure), and steered my awesome Xterra up the jeep road.You take Hwy 89 out of Brigham City into Sardine Canyon, when you come to little Mantua -- a town of around 700 people that crouches at the edge of the Mantua Reservoir (at an elevation of 5,000 feet). You take a "Y" at the edge of the town (such as it is), and after a short distance you pick up the jeep road. The road is very narrow and curvy (and sheer in places), and portions were covered in an early snowfall last week (and not yet melted). It was a little scary but GREAT FUN! As you climb more than 4,000 feet, the route, which the state of Utah has designated the Willard Scenic Backway, provides spectacular high-elevation scenery, from mountain basins to the spine of the Wasatch Range, the Great Salt Lake and the Great Basin. It ends after about 14 miles at aptly named Inspiration Point, on 9,422-foot Willard Mountain, named for Willard Richards, a counselor to Mormon leader Brigham Young.
You can park here and do some short hikes -- 2 hours or so to Willard Peak (9,593 feet), or over to Ben Lomond Peak (9,764 feet) or Grizzly Peak (8,734 feet). The views are awesome, and since you drive most of the way, an obviously easy trip. The biggest obstacle is the condition of the jeep road, which (due to it's north facing exposure) stays covered with snow for all but a few short months. Still, a fun time!
Educational Moment: Mantua was settled in the mid-19th Century when future Mormon President and then apostle and head church authority in Box Elder County Lorenzo Snow sent settlers to the valley to grow flax. The first group arrived in Mantua in 1863. They were all from Denmark and their local leader was Hans Jens Jensen. Snow was from Mantua, Ohio, and the town was named after the Ohio community in his honor. Mantua is widely known and considered to be a horrific speed trap -- In 2007, its two police officers issued over 1,300 speeding tickets, amounting to fines of approximately $60,000, or more than half of the town's total yearly revenue.
No comments:
Post a Comment