My third trip to Willard Canyon, only this time I came prepared to hike/climb the canyon all the way to the source of the stream (for some reason this canyon has fascinated me since I moved here -- perhaps because it's not a trail, so it's a cross-country bushwhack of sorts). Anyway, I set out from the canyon mouth across from Willard Bay State Park on the Great Salt Lake (andafter passing between the two horrible open-pit mines -- see earlier post) and entered the canyon. The fall colors were in riot, and the creek/stream was relatively low, so even though at times you have to hike in the water, it was very manageable. There are parts of the canyon where you have to do a bit of rock scrabbling, but nothing that requires the whole rope/harness deal. I loved this hike and found it very beautiful (and a work-out!), but this is one of the few hikes where I actually got scared. I was hiking beside the stream, and in places it gets quite noisy. I was clambering down some rocks and was about to step off to the ground when I happened to notice I was about to LITERALLY step ON a Great Basin rattlesnake! He was coiled up and hissing and shaking his tail to beat the band, but because of the noise of the water I couldn't hear him. Needless to say I froze (poised less than a foot above this very large rattlesnake), and after about 15 years the snake finally uncoiled and slithered away. Then I had to sit down and wait for the adrenaline after-effects to wear off before I resumed my hike. This is in no way the first rattlesnake I've seen while hiking in Utah, but it was definitely the closest I've ever come to one physically. They're not particularly aggressive (at least the Great Basin Rattlers aren't) and they warn you well in advance -- when you can hear them.
Anyway, I finally reached the small lake that is the creek source (the bushwhacking got pretty difficult at several points), and I realized I was standing in the cirque created by Willard Peak, Inspiration Point, and Grizzly Peak. These are areas I have been wanting to hike, but in this case I was standing BENEATH these mountains. So, after resting a while beside a beautiful waterfall pool, I hiked back out (rattlesnake-free), and made my way back to the car. A great day, but not a hike for casual hikers -- it was a lot of work.
Educational Moment: Willard Bay Reservoir is a 9900 acre portion of the Great Salt Lake that was diked off and dewatered. It was then filled with water from the Weber River that would otherwise have flowed into the Great Salt Lake, and stored for irrigation and other uses as may be needed on the northern Wasatch Front.
Willard Bay is a very popular reservoir with both boaters and fishermen. Willard is currently the only place in Utah where you can catch a Wiper -- a hybrid between a white bass & a Striped Bass. Wipers are known for being aggressive fighters, and are very popular with local Utah anglers. Willard Bay State Park also features a beach for swimming and sunbathing.
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