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Logan River Trail
The Logan River Trail is an easy trail, close to town, where
you can get a taste of biking without too much work. It's a mellow ride
with a short section of singletrack to test your appetite for real
mountain biking.
Looking
up the Logan River, near the beginning of the trail. Photos August 31,
2001 by Bruce Argyle |
| The trail is 3.6
miles in length, and rises only 300 feet as it follows the Logan River in
Logan Canyon. As an out-and-back, you'll cover 7.2 miles.
The first 2 miles is a wide, hard-base gravel track. It's suitable for
smaller children, and for bike-trailers. This first section is a good trail
for a family biking picnic or a bike-and-fish expedition. |
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But if you're
looking for solitude, you won't find it here. There's a lot of traffic in
Logan Canyon, and the highway is only 100 feet away. Four bridges bring
hikers and fishermen onto the trail.
Looking down the canyon on the broad
first section of the trail. |
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The trail starts at the same altitude as Logan, 4700 feet. It can be fairly
warm on a summer's day. It clears of snow in May and remains open until
November. The trail passes through a lower-altitude riparian habitat.
Trees include box elder, willow, elderberry, chokecherry, maple, dogwood
shrub, and (of course) Utah's gambel oak.
Want to brew your own? Hops, the
ingredient that gives beer its distinctive flavor, grow along the river. |
| In the middle of the trail, a sweet section of narrow
intermediate technical singletrack has been inserted. This part is great
fun, although tragically short, being only one mile long. But it's a good
trail for a beginning or out-of-shape rider to grab a bit of singletrack
without committing to a big brutal ride.
View along a typical section of the
singletrack, showing oak and maple along the trail's edge. |
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Mom can ride this section out-and-back while Dad stops at the end of
the wide-track to fix sandwiches for the kids. Then Dad can ride it while
Mom helps the kids catch a fish. |
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You'll pass two large ponds, where on most days you'll
encounter fishermen. But the track in this area is wide and straight, so you'll see them (and they'll see you) in plenty of time, and
there's lots of room to pass.
View of the first pond, from the
trail. On the other side, wooden fishing platforms provide easy access to
the water for little fishermen.
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On the mountainsides, you see limestone and occasional dolomite dating from the
Ordovician Period. 500 to 430 million years ago, all major animal groups (phylla)
were in existence, but true fishes and land animals had not yet evolved.
This region was shallow ocean just off the western shoreline of the North American
continent. The rocks were formed from shells of tiny animals and
precipitated calcium and magnesium carbonate. Looking
at the north wall of the canyon from the trail. The foreground trees are
box elder. |
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Getting there: In Logan, turn east on US-89 towards
Logan Canyon (about 2 miles). After you enter the canyon, watch for a
turnoff on the right with parking about 0.6 miles from the canyon mouth.
The trail is through the gate. |
Copyright 2002 Mad Scientist Software Inc
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