Cache Valley provides trails for all levels of expertise
Logan attracts visitors and locals alike to the great outdoors, but there is much more to be seen in Cache Valley by heading out on one of the nearby hiking trails. For those who wish to experience the valley on foot, there are a variety of trails ready for hikers of all ages and expertise.
Ben Hartel, a junior studying agriculture education, said he has a hard time picking his favorite hike because there are so many options.
“Logan is a very pretty place, and the valley offers a lot of different places that I would consider to be great places,” he said.
Maria Sanchez, a junior majoring in agribusiness, said the Wind Caves are the place to start for those seeking the natural beauty of Logan Canyon.
The hike to the Wind Caves is a two-mile climb up 900 feet and takes the hiker through naturally-eroded caverns.
“I think the Wind Caves are really neat and that most everyone would enjoy a trip up there,” Sanchez said.
Another trail in Logan worth the hike is the 10-mile round-trip hike known as the Jardine Juniper Trail, Hartel said.
“The Juniper Trail is a great hike and it has got some really neat history,” Hartel said.
The Jardine Juniper Trail is centered around the oldest living juniper tree in the Rocky Mountains.
Janice Larding, who works at the Logan Visitor Center, said there are a lot of trails in Logan that have histories that are odd, but interesting. One such hiking spot is the is the Crimson Trail, a three-mile hike following the south side of Logan Canyon. It offers views of Cache Valley, Beirdneau Peak and the Wind Caves.
For a more strenuous hike, Sanchez suggested the High Creek Lake Trail. This trail takes travelers through forested canyons and waterfalls and ends in high country over five miles and nearly 3,000 feet in elevation.
Logan Canyon isn’t the only place to find adventure. The Coldwater Lake Trail in the Wellsville Mountains provides an expansive view of the valley. Larding said Coldwater Trail is very steep with a lot of switchbacks that make it rather difficult, but said the view at the top is worth it.
For those just starting or looking for a hikes, there are more than one walking trail in Cache Valley, Sanchez said.
The Riverside Nature Trail runs parallel to the Logan River as well as Highway 89 for four miles starting at First Dam and is accessible for people of all experience levels, ages and genders. The Logan River Walk Trail is a paved walkway running along the Logan River and through the Logan River Golf Course.
For those students bound to the area around town, Sean Damtiz, director of the Student Sustainability Office at USU, offered some close-to-home options: The Green Canyon Trail and the Providence Canyon Trail.
“One aspect I really like about about of them is really close, so you don’t have to drive an hour up the canyon just to hike for thirty minutes,” Damitz said.
Damitz said the Green Canyon Trail and the Providence Trail both are unique in that they were both just recently built by volunteers in Logan and lack the motorized traffic that comes with other trails.
“Any hike can be a good hike if you take proper measures,” he said.
– danobird@gmail.com