Google Maps And Utah State Parks

Google maps have become quite useful in a number of situations. As I have time, I’ll incorporate some here to improve this website. I’ve got specific ideas about how I can use them to lead readers to specific information about fishing and other recreational activities.

Meanwhile, at http://www.utah.com/ we’ve been incorporating Google maps on a number of pages, using them to help readers navigate to desired info. Our most recent efforts appear on our main State Parks page, with an interactive map showing park locations.

The map makes it easy to see at a glance where state parks are located. Mouse over one of the pins and the name of the park is displayed. Click on a pin and a bubble opens showing details about the park, with a link to that park’s web page.

You can pan the map and make it zoom in and out. It will zoom down to street level, allowing you to see exactly where the parks are located and plan routes.

The Google maps provides amazing detail. We’ve checked locations carefully and we think it is a great improvement. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Since this is a new service, there is always the possibility of mistakes. Let me know if you see any problems.

- Dave
dave@redrockadventure.com

Extreme Adventure Rentals Offers ATVs, Snowmobiles, Watercraft

If you are looking for a fun adventure, try riding ATVs over the desert and mountain trails in Castle Valley, south of Price. It is very scenic country, with excellent trails that are not overrun by enthusiasts. And it is only a couple hours away from the Wasatch Front. It’s one of my favorite playgrounds.

Don’t have ATVs? No problem. You can rent them from a company called Extreme Adventure Rentals, located in Castledale. You can rent machines for your entire family, multiple times, for much less than you would spend buying just one ATV. My friend, Jonathan Fauver, runs the operation.

The also rent watercraft, for use on reservoirs in their area and also on major waters around the state. In winter they rent snowmobiles.

I helped them put together this website: www.earentals.com. It isn’t completely finished yet, but is a very good start.

Give Jon a call and he’ll set you up for adventure: 866-596-RIDE (7433).

- Dave

The Citadel Anasazi Ruins

See our Citadel photo album.

Road Canyon juts east from Cedar Mesa, opposite Grand Gulch (its larger and more famous neighbor). All of the canyons in this area shelter good numbers of ancient Anasazi Indian ruins. Road, in particular, has some I find astounding. Road has long been a favorite destination when I want to disappear into uncharted beauty and mystery. I’ve hesitated to write about it; hoping it would remain obscure and thus protected from the hordes of hikers who overrun Grand Gulch and other nearby areas.

But, alas, Road Canyon has been discovered. Photos and descriptions can now be found on other websites. On a trip into the canyon last weekend I was surprised to find a well-established hiker path leading to the spectacular Citadel Ruin.

Road has been discovered! People are coming. It’s impossible to hide such treasures from the world. The only hope is to educate and encourage people to act responsibly when they visit these areas. So here I go, offering up the Citadel.

Anasazi people thrived in the Four Corners area from about 200-1300 AD. For reasons unknown, they chose to live in this starkly beautiful but harsh desert canyon country. They raised corn, domesticated turkeys and hunted on the nearby hills. They learned to work with native rock, building multi-room homes, large kivas for religious ceremonies, towers and storerooms. They also created beautiful pottery and intricately woven baskets.

Large groups lived in the area we now call Cedar Mesa, in SW Utah. Many well-preserved structures can be found there, along with artifacts like pottery shards, corncobs and grindstones. Many dwellings were built under alcoves, into the shelter of sheer canyon walls, where they have survived more than a thousand years.

The Anasazi, it seems, where mostly peaceful throughout their long history. But the Citadel and some other ruins suggest they went to great lengths to protect themselves from enemies. The Citadel is a formidable ancient fortress, a retreat that was virtually impossible to attack.

The ruins were built just under the rim of a towering rock formation at the end of a peninsula extending out into Road Canyon. Sheer walls make it impossible to reach the site from the canyon below. The only access is by scrambling down a rocky slope and then crossing the narrow neck of the peninsula. The remains of rock walls can be seen along the narrow neck, built as check points to control access to the fortress. Any attacker would be fully exposed to deadly arrows and other weapons used by the defenders.

I think the Anasazi lived in and farmed the surrounding area, and retreated to the Citadel when they felt threatened.

The ruins and associated artifacts are some of the most impressive in the region.

Early Anglos carried thousands of pots, baskets and other artifacts from these canyons. Many went into museums and private collections. The BLM, which manages the area, now tries to control access to preserve the ruins and relics. Happily, the hordes of people visiting adjacent canyons are well behaved, for the most part. There is almost no litter in these canyon and most hikers resist the temptation to put pottery shards into their pockets.

However, there is a growing danger that these areas will be loved to death, harmed by the vast number of well-meaning enthusiasts who visit the area. It is vital that hikers here learn to enjoy without impacting the environment. If you want to explore this area, learn about the rules and get proper permits. You need a permit to day hike or backpack into these canyons. BLM’s website has info.

The hike to the Citadel is relatively short. The trail is easy where it follows the canyon rim, but becomes moderately difficult where you have to scramble down the rocks to get onto the peninsula’s narrow neck. If you choose your route careful, the hike is safe even for children. However, if you don’t pay attention you could easily get ledged or exposed to danger on the edge of sheer cliffs. This is not country for casual hikers.

I’m not giving specific instructions for hiking the Citadel. If you know how to ready a topographic map, you can find it without much trouble. If you don’t know how to read such a map, you have no business hiking here.

If you want an easy, controlled introduction to the region, make the short hike to the impressive ruins in nearby Butler Wash.

Brown Trout in Southern Utah Streams

See more photos from these streams:
East Fork of Sevier in Black Canyon
Antimony Creek

I found myself down near Bryce Canyon over the weekend and took the opportunity to fish area steams. Action was good for feisty 8-13 inch browns, rainbows and brook trout. The weather was nice – warm for March. The scenery was spectacular, of course, and it was a very enjoyable trip.

I was in the area checking on a recreational lot on the edge of the forest near Pine Lake, just north of Bryce Canyon. I love that area and go there often to fish, hike and engage in other activities. Since I enjoy the area so much, I am considering buying land and putting up a cabin. Decisions, decisions...

Anyway, the East Fork of the Sevier River usually offers good brown trout fishing in Black Canyon, north of the town of Antimony. The stream has been a family favorite for many years and it rarely disappoints. However, the stream is still recovering from a fish kill caused by ash from a fire on Mt Dutton, located to the west. The browns are coming back, but fishing is still far below the glory years of the past.

We camped along the stream and it rained steadily through much of the night. The next morning the water level was up and the stream was quite muddy. That is typical of this stream – it is susceptible to flooding from snowmelt or runoff from rainstorms.

I had planned to fly fish but the high, muddy water discouraged me. The runoff interferes with insect hatches and keeps the fish down – I’ve never done well fly fishing under those conditions.

I love fly fishing but I’m not a purist. If flies don’t work then I try something else. Rapalas are my weapon of choice for trout in water that is a little high and muddy. I use an original floating Rapala and work it slowly along the edge of the current and next to overhangs. I often cast it into the current, let it float to the bottom of the hole, then retrieve it slowly against the current.

Brown trout can’t resist such an offering. Several anyway, couldn’t resist on this trip. They struck aggressively and fought hard for their size.

The Rapala is perhaps the single most versatile lure ever invented. Variations are great in lakes and on streams, for almost any game fish. I usually remove the first hook and flatten the barbs on the other hook, to make it easier to release fish. If both hooks are left in place it is difficult to unhook a thrashing fish, but very easy to injure it. Flattening the barbs makes it harder to play and land fish, but the added challenge is enjoyable.

Deer Creek is a small tributary to the East Fork. It was running clear, albeit a little high. Three large beaver ponds on the stream’s lower end produced nice browns.

Antimony Creek is a larger tributary that offers a smorgasbord of fishing opportunity. It is often almost completely dewatered by the time it reaches SR 22, but always has a good flow up the canyon. Browns and rainbows thrive in its lower reaches and brook trout are abundant farther up the canyon. It flows off the west side of Boulder Mountain, offering mile after mile of good fishing in a scenic canyon that gets little fishing pressure.

I had a blast catching trout on a black beadhead leech pattern. Several rainbows got up and danced on their tails.

I wore Neoprene waders and was actually hot by afternoon. It felt very much like early June. In that country it often snows in early June, then gets hot a few minutes later when the sun comes out.

Actually, I might get into trouble with my brothers for writing about this area. It is supposed to be our family’s secret. Oh, did I mention there are rattlesnakes? And cougars? And Black Canyon cuts through ugly, black lava. You probably don’t want to bother fishing there.

Several popular ATV trails cut through this area, running up the canyons and along ridges. I’m not a big fan of ATVs. I don’t hate them and I see the need to have designated tails where people can ride. Unfortunately, many riders don’t stay on the trails and they are wrecking havoc in many areas. They pound the trails hour after hour, kicking up dust and smashing vegetation.

I wouldn’t mind if they were riding to get to a destination – a fishing hole for instance. But most don’t do that. They pound the terrain hour after hour, riding just for the fun of riding. So, when I’m 10 miles up the canyon enjoying solitude on a seldom-fished stream, it bugs me a bit when a swarm of these pests come thundering by, and then they thunder by again and again.

Anyway, it was a good trip.

Now I’ve got to decide if I love the area enough to buy land and put up a cabin.

- Dave

Photos and Google Maps

My photo gallery is coming together nicely now, with 2-3 new albums going on line every day. At this rate I’ll have most of my best photos up within a months. Take a look, and let me know what you think.

I’ve been playing around with using Google maps on websites. They offer several advantages. For instance, on utah.com we want to post maps showing the most popular hiking trails in national parks. We planned to have a graphics person draw them, but now we are thinking maybe Google maps will work better.

1 - You can zoom them in and out, and pan.
2 - You can place markers anywhere you want, including text descriptions and links.
3 - After you get a format down they are easy to post.

We used simple versions for our Arches hiking maps, and they look fine. I think this one turned out very good: www.utah.com/nationalparks/arches/windows_map.htm

Yesterday I did one for the Angels Landing hike in Zion, incorporating some more advanced features. It works fine when viewed in Firefox, but it crashes sometimes in Explorer. Other times it displays fine in Explorer. You can see it here: www.utah.com/nationalparks/zion/angels_map.htm.

It has me stumped. I thought Explorer was fully compatible with these functions. If you have any insights, please let me know.

(Note 3-12: I solved the IE display problem. I had a command it didn't like in the script.)

- Dave

Bike Babylon Road in Red Cliffs Desert Reserve

I'm just back from a very enjoyable mountain bike ride down Babylon Road in a scenic area near St George. It was an easy and relaxing ride – a great warm-up after a long, cold winter. The weather was perfect, pushing into the low 50s during the afternoon.

See my photo album from this adventure.

Babylon Road runs for about 4.5 miles, from I-15 down to the Virgin River. You get onto it from the frontage road just east of the town of Leeds. The road has some sandy sections, and it’s rocky in spots, but the riding surface is nice in most areas. It cuts through a mesquite and cactus desert, skirts scenic red rock formations and sand dunes, and ends at a very nice swimming hole at the river. (It was too cold to swim on March 3, when I was there, but we waded a bit. During May and early June conditions will be prime for swimming. It will be great fun to ride downhill to the river, play, then throw the bike into a support vehicle and let it carry us out.)

We came to ride but also had fun hiking and four-wheeling. We saw other people riding horses and ATVs. Wheeled vehicles must stay on designated roads, but there are plenty in the area that are rough and inviting.

Much of the area is included in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. It is critical habitat for desert tortoise and also supports Gila monster lizards, ring tail cats and a host of other interesting desert animals and plants. It is managed to help these species survive, but is open for reasonable recreational use. It is patrolled regularly and visitors need to learn and obey the rules.

You can see the ruins of an interesting old mill along the river and we found a fascinating panel of ancient Native American rock art in a narrow pass near the lower end of the Babylon Trail.

Roads in the reserve are rough. The main road has deep sand and on the lower end it crosses a culvert that has been washed out so only narrow vehicles can cross. Four-wheel drive is definitely needed to reach the river. I made it over the washed out section with no trouble in my little Blazer but I would have hesitated before taking a full-sized pickup across it. Conditions may vary from day to day, depending on rainfall and repair work.

Camping is allowed in one designated area. It is primitive camping – no restrooms, no water or any other facilities. Just red cliffs and sand dunes. It is a very pretty spot with great rocks where kids have fun climbing and exploring. There are two scenic natural arches in the area.

You can drive up to the camping area if you have a 4X4 and dare tackle deep sand and a steep, rocky hill. Other vehicle can park in a lot that is easily accessible and then campers can carry their gear 1/4 mile to the cliffs and sand.

The road is a favorite spot for locals and hasn’t yet been discovered by the outside world. If you visit you’ll see people but it is never crowded.

It has become one of my favorites. Very scenic and plenty of opportunity to play. I’ll be back.

This article tells about the history of the area and how it came to be called Babylon.

- Dave

New Photo Albums

We've installed new photo management tools to help us organize and share photos. We've started to add albums and photos and we'll add a bunch more during the next few weeks. See them here.

We elected to use the Gallery 2 facilities. They are very powerful, and open source so we can customize them for our website.

The tools automatically create thumbnails, and various versions of photos to match your interest and download capability. You can now view regular-sized photos that download quickly, or download very large versions that can be printed.

Remember, the photos on our website are copyrighted. They are available for your personal use – wallpapers, screen savers, that sort of thing. But we ask that you obtain permission before using them for commercial ventures.

The software has the capacity to allow audience members to upload their photos. We’re debating the merits of that idea. We know some of you take excellent photos and you’d be happy to share. But we might also get some crap and we’d have to have someone monitor it constantly.

Please leave comments about photos, and share your ideas about how we can make this website better.

- Dave

Tips on Outdoor Photography

I still haven't had time to post most of my best photos, but I'm working on it. I'll make it a priority during the next couple weeks.

Meanwhile, a local group asked me to do a workshop on outdoor photography. Below are the tips I presented.

Composition
Keep the background simple.

Zoom in on your subject. (Don’t try to photograph a whole body, head to toe. Zoom in.)

Place the “key subject of interest” slightly off-center. (Often eyes are the key subject. Don’t put the key subject dead center in the photo.)

Try different angles/alignments (horizontal, vertical, side-view).

Light, Focus and Exposure
Take outdoor shots in the early morning or late afternoon – the magic hours.

Lock the focus and exposure (Aim the camera at your subject, centered, then push the shutter button halfway down. Hold the button halfway down while you compose the photo. Complete the shot by depressing the button all of the way, never letting it up until the shot has been taken.)

Use fill flash when shooting people outdoors.

Use contrast (shadows, colors) to add dramatic effect.

Use a tripod when shooting in low light, or when shooting close-ups.

Learn to use the controls on your camera (portrait, landscape, action, etc.)

Read your camera manual.

Organizing, Archiving Photos
Back up your photos. Remember that memory cards, computer drives and cds eventually wear out.

On-line storage and sharing may be a good option. I use Google Picasa, which is a good, free program to help organize, optimize, archive and share photos. I’m sure there are other good services.

Early Spring Fishing Forecast

I've posted a new fishing forecast that includes my predictions for the coming weeks, along with links to good reports from other sources.

Check it out.

Spring events in Moab

I recently completed a newsletter for utah.com focusing on spring events in Moab. You can read it here.

Some favorite annual events will take there during the next few weeks, including the Skinny Tire Festival and Jeep Safari. These are big events that bring a fun, festive atmosphere to the town.

It’s still winter, technically, but daytime temperatures will now often climb into the 50s F, perfect for hiking and biking. Within a few weeks temperatures will be pushing into the 70s.

This is a perfect time to recreate in the Moab/Arches/Canyonlands area.

Hiking Zion National Park

I’ve spent the past week writing trail guides to some of the famous hiking trails in Zion National Park, for this website: www.utah.com.

I improved the hiking overview page and posted specific hiking info about trails recommended for typical tourists. I’ve included Flash photo tours, maps and video clips for many of the hikes. The maps are pretty crude, I need to get our artist to standardize and improve them over the next couple weeks. I also need to get more photos and video for some of the trails.

Here’s the trails I’ve done for Zion:
Emerald Pools
Weeping Rock
Canyon Overlook
Riverside Walk
The Narrows
Angels Landing

I need to do the same thing for major tourist trails in Utah’s other national parks. I have photos and video for some, but I’ll need to go get more during the next couple months. I’ll probably do Arches next.

One of the challenges is finding people to be in the photos and video clips. My kids appear all over the websites I manage, as do the faces of my hiking buddies. I need new faces.

Periodically, in this blog I announce where I’m headed for my next trip and I say, “Anyone interested in joining me?” That is a sincere invitation because it helps me get new faces into my photos. I get a response now and then, and it is fun to meet new people and make new friends.

So, anyone interested in doing easy tourist hikes in Arches?

- Dave Webb
dave@redrockadventure.com

Photos from Utah's Castle Valley Ranch

If you enjoy classic Western scenery, horses, cowboys and cattle, you’ll enjoy Castle Valley Ranch. If you are into fly fishing, pheasant hunting or elk hunting, you’ll enjoy Castle Valley Ranch.

The posh guest ranch is located south of Price, between the Wasatch Plateau and the San Rafael Swell. Fun country.

I do web development work for the outfit and I’ve just posted a bunch of Flash photo tours. Some of the photos are amazing.

Check them out here: www.castlevalleyoutdoors.com/photos/

Robbins Ranch - An Amazing Recreational Property

I'm always on the lookout for exceptional recreational properties and I've found a great one. If I had $7 million I'll buy it in a heartbeat.

It is Robbins Ranch, located on Rock Creek, on the South Slope of the Uintas, in NE Utah. It includes 120 acres, with 1/4 mile of stream frontage, plus four spring-fed ponds that produce trout (rainbows and brookies) up to 8 pounds. The ranch is along the paved, state-maintained road leading up to Upper Stillwater Reservoir, about 28 miles NW of Duchesne.

I love to fish Rock Creek. It offers very good fishing in a classic setting, very scenic, with deer, elk, moose, and numerous small animals and birds. I've fished stretches above and below the ranch, and I've eyeballed the beautiful holes on the ranch, coveting the property that I'm prevented from fishing because it is fenced and gated.

The ranch is nestled within Ashley National Forest. The Upper Stillwater area serves as the trailhead for several excellent trails leading into the High Uinta Wilderness. The area is prime for fishing, hunting, horseback riding, snowmobiling, and numerous other activities. It would be a wonderful place to just relax, watch the wildlife and enjoy the solitude.

This would make a great family recreational paradise or corporate retreat. It is certainly a great investment - property in this area is certain to appreciate significantly during the coming years.

Seven million - that's certainly a lot of money. But people are paying that much for a home on a small lot on a Park City golf course. Park City vs Rock Creek – I'll take Robbins Ranch any day.

It is offered by Jason Husebye: 801-636-3107

Here's the listing. This link offers photos, maps and more information.

Hurst Bridge and the Vanishing Triple Arch

Arches and natural bridges fascinate me – I seek them out when I’m exploring an area. Some are famous tourist attractions, like Rainbow Bridge and the multitude of arches in Arches National Park. But most of these gravity-defying enigmas are obscure, seldom visited, even though they are found in scenic areas offering great recreational opportunity.

Dozens of bridges and arches can be found in the rugged San Rafael Swell, but most are relatively unknown.

I did a fun little adventure hike over the weekend, trying to find a reputed triple natural bridge, but failed in that quest because of the rugged terrain and winter conditions. I did hike past Ernie Arch and under Hurst Bridge, and those two sights made the trip worthwhile.

The late January weather was very nice – blue sky and warm sunshine – but I underestimated the amount of snow and ice lingering in shady spots. Exclamation Bridge, described as one of the most spectacular sites in the San Rafael Swell, is well hidden in some of the most difficult terrain on earth. Viewing the steep, rugged route ahead, and realizing the sun was sinking toward the western horizon, I decided I’d have to continue my search in a few weeks, when the ice is gone and the days are longer.

I’ve since found a report that suggests Exclamation is a double bridge, not a triple. That’s a bummer, if true. I have to verify that for myself because one of my long-term goals is to find a triple arch or natural bridge. I’ve tried, but every time I approach such a mystical structure it morphs into a mere double. For example, maps show a rock span named “Triple Arch” on Lake Powell near the mouth of the San Juan Arm. But the name is a misnomer. It is really a double arch that looks like a triple from a distance.

There is virtually no information available on Exclamation Bridge, other than the fact that it exists in a slot off Ernie Canyon in the San Rafael Reef north of Temple Mountain. The sketchy details I’ve uncovered suggest it is located in a maze of deep, narrow canyons. It was apparently discovered in 2004. I got close enough to view the surrounding chasms, and their ruggedness convinced me to wait for improved conditions. The narrowness and depth of these chasms, and the height of their numerous dry falls, compare to the darkest slots in Zion National Park. It’s fun country.

If you know of a genuine triple bridge or arch, please tell me about it. And, if you’ve seen Exclamation for yourself, I’d like to hear from you. I’ll probably try to reach it in mid-March. I almost always have room for another hiker or two, if you are interested.

Hurst Bridge is well worth a hike, all by itself. It is very scenic, as you can see from my photo, and not far from the trailhead. It is difficult to find and the hike requires strenuous scrambling up steep ridges. To find the bridge you need a 7.5 minute topo map, good route finding skills, a GPS and enough time to wander through the canyon maze. It took us 4 hours to find it, and only 1 hour to hike out.

If you go into that area, carry water because there isn’t any in the drainage. And you’ll need a high-clearance 4X4 to get to the Ernie Canyon Trailhead.

So, where are the hiking instructions? I’m not going to give any. I’ll give the latitude and longitude of Hurst Bridge (N 38º 44’ 10”, W 110º 34’ 16”), but that’s all. With that, if you know what you are doing, you can study your map and plan a route.

If you don’t know what you’re doing then you have no business hiking in that country. It really is some of the roughest terrain on earth.

- Dave (dave@redrockadventure.com)

Get Involved to Benefit Wildlife

The Utah Conservation Forum has put out a call for action, encouraging people to support a bill now making it way through the Utah Legislature. I helped them program an e-newsletter which is going out tonight. Here’s the call for action:

ALERT: WE NEED YOUR HELP!

HB 102 Severance Tax Amendments (also known as The Land and Water Reinvestment Act) will be reviewed by the House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Standing Committee on Thursday, January 25.

We need YOU to attend the hearing on Thursday to show your support for HB 102. (For details, click here.) Or, contact your legislator and urge them to show their support for the legislation.

Volunteer To Be Part Of Our Action Team. Click here for information.

Now my comments:

The bill will almost certainly make it out of committee, and will then need support as it moves through the legislative process. So, more help will be needed in the future.

Subscribe to the UCF newsletter and/or watch their website to stay informed and get involved.

I fully support this effort.
- Dave

Cisco Spawn at Frozen Bear Lake

The info below is from the DWR’s fishing hotspots report. The info is good. I’m posting it here because it will soon disappear from the DWR report, and I think it has lasting value. The hotspots report is a good idea, but I think the page is difficult to use.

Bear Lake – Hot!

The cisco spawning run is now underway and the lake is frozen! As of Friday, January 19, 2007 limits of cisco were being dipnetted off of Cisco Beach and Utah State Park marina. The ice off the Bear Lake State Park is approximately 5-6” thick and ice anglers are reporting catching some nice cutthroat trout and a few whitefish directly in front of the marina and off the new rockpiles just north of the marina in about 35 feet of water using jigs and spoons tipped with cisco or wax worms. The ice along Cisco Beach is now about 3” thick and anglers are dipping fish while standing on the ice. Closer to shore is better for dipping cisco. There have been a couple of 4 wheelers and a few ice anglers off the Ideal Beach rockpile. Cisco can be jigged (snagged) off the rockpiles by using lures such as castmasters and spoons.

Remember a person may not possess a multipoint hook with a weight permanently or rigidly attached directly to the shank or a weight suspended below any hook unless the hook is on an unweighted dropper line that is at least three inches long. This is to prevent other fish, such a whitefish and cutthroat trout from being inadvertently snagged. Any fish that is foul hooked other than a cisco must be immediately released. A few ice anglers have been fishing off the east side from the pump house north towards Second Point and the ice in this area is about 3-4” thick.

Remember to watch out for springs and or methane vents which make or weak ice in some area and keep some areas wide open. Play it safe and wear a set of ice picks around your neck on the outside of your clothing. The picks will help you to pull yourself out of the water if you should fall through. It is also a good idea to keep a length of rope with your ice fishing equipment as an additional safety measure. The lake level is at 5910.56 feet. The lake has risen approximately seven inches since October and continues to rise. The deicers in the marina have been turned off for the year and it is now frozen. There is approximately 6” of snow on the ground at this time and night time temperatures have been well below zero with day time highs of about 15 degrees.

Details
· Location: Northern Utah
· Directions: Take Hwy 89 east from Logan, UT 38 miles
· Type: Blue Ribbon
· Size: 70,000 acres
· Elevation: 5924
· Hours: No restrictions
· Likely catch: Cutthroat Trout, Lake Trout
· Possible catch: Bonneville Cisco
· Regulations: 2 trout. Cutthroat trout must be fin clipped (adipose) in order to be kept. See proclamation for other species.
· Site amenities: Open to fishing for all ages
· Handicap access: This lake has handicap access in certain areas.
· Site description: Bear Lake provides a cold water sport fishery mainly for cutthroat and lake lake trout. A fishing license from either Utah or Idaho is valid on the entire lake. Bear Lake is located in a beautiful mountain setting and the blue color is produced by suspended carbonates in the water that reflect blue light.

Lava Hot Springs Resort

Soaking in the hot pools feels oh, so good

It was 0 F outside when we slipped into our swimming suites and walked, barefoot, down the walkway toward the hot pools. It wasn't that cold where we were walking because steam from the pools came up around us, but it was still pretty chilly. There was slush on the sidewalk and ice on the handrails.

When we stepped into the first pool the water felt hot - almost too hot. We held back, the water up to our ankles, getting acclimatized. It didn't take long before we decided the hot water was better than the cold air and so we waded in. A shelf had been constructed around the edge of the pool and we sat down on it, the water coming up around our necks.

After a few minutes the water felt perfect and I could feel my body starting to relax - starting to melt. It felt luxurious.

Such was my introduction to Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. I had business in Rexburg, to the north, and decided to stay overnight at Lava because friends have gushed about the place, calling it one of the best hot springs resorts in the US.

The water is very nice. It is hot mineral water, delivered in its natural condition, exactly as it comes from Mother Earth. Soaking in it is amazingly relaxing. Many people, myself included, think it is therapeutic. The water quickly turned me into a believer.

The mineral content is high but the water does not contain sulfur and so it does not have the rank odor often encountered at hot springs.

The resort includes a series of pools, and the water temperature drops from one to the next. The first pool was hotter than I found comfortable, although a small number of people chose to soak there. The large, main pool was just right, in my opinion. It was warmer at the top and cooler toward the bottom, so it was easy to find a spot that felt exactly right.

A third pool was a few degrees cooler than the first. I found it to be very pleasant also, particularly because the input water is jetted. (There are only a few jets and so you don't have a real whirlpool effect, but it is nice to sit right in front of one and let the spray massage your back. The jetted pool also has a concrete floor, while the other pools have gravel on the bottom. But the gravel is not unpleasant.

We were there on a Sunday evening, over the long Martin Luther King holiday weekend. The pools were not crowded but the number of people there surprised me, since Lava is in an out of the way spot in rural southeastern Idaho. It is located along Hwy 30, about 11 miles from I-15.
150 miles from Salt Lake City
130 miles from Jackson, WY

We encountered a wide assortment of people at Lava – every imaginable age groups and body shape was represented. The clientele seems to be very easygoing. There was nothing about the resort or its patrons that made any of us feel uncomfortable. A group of locals, young adults, showed up after awhile and they were loud for a few minutes, but soon moved off to their own corner.

These hot springs have attracted humans for thousands of years. Native Americans considered the water to be therapeutic and made camps in the area. Fur trappers and mountain men were also attracted to the springs. Lava is located along the old Oregon Trail and immigrant trains made regular stops.

As Anglo settlers arrived they built a bustling community around the springs. Today Lava is definitely a resort town, with good numbers of motels, restaurants and B&Bs.

However, the town looks old – quaint, some would say. Most of the downtown buildings are old. Some have been modernized and look nice, but many look dilapidated. We stayed in the Tumbling Waters, which is an old two-story structure operated by the Home Hotel. The location was perfect, right across the street from the resort, but our accommodations were barely adequate. Our room had two queen beds and both were way too soft to be comfortable. The water pipes made horrific noises and the stairs clattered.

The other hotels we saw in town appeared to be similar.

I'm told there are nicer lodging options located outside the downtown area but we didn't take time to search them out.

The town's chamber of commerce website (www.lavahotsprings.org) lists lodging establishments. I called several before settling on the Tumbling Waters. Some of the B&Bs look nice but they are geared for couples. My wife and daughter accompanied me and so we needed two beds. I called one resort that looked ideal, but it was booked solid.

So, I can't offer any first hand advice about posh lodging.

I do heartily recommend the hot springs, operated by the State of Idaho through the Lava Hot Springs Foundation. See the official website for accurate info.

The hot springs are open 363 days a year (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas days). During summer months you can also enjoy an Olympic-sized swimming pool, diving platforms and a water slide. The dressing rooms have been recently remodeled and, as of Jan 1, 2007, the resort became smoke free.

During winter the hot pools close at 10 pm. In summer you can soak until 11 pm.

Over 3 million gallons of hot water flows through the pools every day. The water is not recycled, it just flows on out into the Portneuf River. With spring water constantly entering, the pools stay clean and pleasant. You don’t have the petri dish effect that can cause problems in motel hot tubs.

It’s very enjoyable to soak, relaxing, steam coming up around you, the subdued lights penetrating the fog only enough to provide fleeting glimpses of people who are just a dozen feet away.

We were there over what will probably go down as the coldest weekend of the year. Soaking, our heads and shoulders above the water, our hair froze in spots but the water felt oh, so good.

Walking back across the street to our hotel, as the air temperature dropped below 0, we still felt warm and relaxed.

Massage services are available at the resort and from many practitioners in town.

We’ll be going back.
- Dave

Strawberry Lauded; Volunteers Needed to Teach Kids to Fish; New Photo Galleries

This post is a catch-all discussing several topics.

Strawberry Lauded
The American Fisheries Society (AFS) recently named Strawberry Reservoir as the Sport Fishery Development and Management Outstanding Sport Fish Restoration Project of the Year for 2006. This newspaper article gives details.

Volunteers Needed
DWR is seeking volunteers to help teach kids how to fish by participating in community fishing clubs.

New Photo Galleries
We’ve recently added 3 new photo galleries, and we’re set to add a bunch more during the next few weeks.

- The Wave of Coyote Buttes

- Hiking Zion’s Subway

Politics and Outdoor Recreation

I’ve been busy the past few days updating a political newsletter for my bother, a local political consultant.

LaVarr publishes a daily email newsletter full of info about Utah politics and public policy. He and his team took last week off and they talked me into updating the thing for them.

I manage his website and provide technical support for the newsletter. I help with updates occasionally and so I know the drill: up at 4 am looking through a couple dozen newspapers and other sources for information, so the newsletter arrives in email boxes by the time they get to work at 9 am. It makes for long days, but it is fun to get that immersed in the news.

As I did my daily search I found these interesting articles related to outdoor recreation:

- Zion National Park raises its entry fee 25%
- Cost to hunt, fish may change in July
- New fishing regulations begin at certain sites
- Wharton: My predictions: Las Vegas will drain us, but the fish will be biting
- Tight Lines: Now's a good time to brush up on fishing rules
- Snowshoe hike of the week: USA Bowl - Big Cottonwood Canyon
- Avalanche safety classes and information
- Avalanche facts

2007 big game hunt application period begins Jan 17. Get more information about applications at wildlife.utah.gov/hunting.

Incidentally, I finally finished my Monument Valley photo gallery.

Now that I’m done updating the UPD newsletter I should have time to post new info on this stie.
- Dave

New Fishing Report and Monument Valley Article

Most Utah trout and perch waters are frozen now and ice fishing is good. There is also some opportunity for open-water fishing. See our new Fishing Report for details.

I finally found time to write up this article on our recent Monument Valley horseback trail ride. We enjoyed a great outing and came back with some good photos and a little video.

I will also be posing a Monument Valley photo gallery and video clip, but I haven’t had time to finish them.