Hiking trails lure USU students
Utah may have “the best snow on earth” in the winter, but there are also many mountain trails that explore the terrain while it’s not under the cold, white powder.
Hiking offers entertainment and exercise for many in the Logan area.
Marti Romans, a junior secondary education major, said she hiked all summer because “it’s something to do with my friends on the weekends because there is nothing else to do in Logan.”
For other students, hiking offers enlightenment and aesthetic pleasure.
“Hiking is a form of recreation and when we recreate, we re-create our souls,” said David Christensen, rental center manager at Utah State University’s Outdoor Recreation Center.
For those new to the Logan area, the following are several popular hikes recommended by the ORC and the Ranger District Office in Logan.
Limber Pine Nature Trail
This groomed trail is wheelchair accessible, said L.J. Western, information assistant at the Logan Ranger District Office.
The loop trail is one mile and offers a view of Bear Lake and five separate limber pines. They are more than 500 years old, and were once thought to be one tree. The Trailhead is 31 miles from the Ranger District Office up on the summit before Bear Lake in Logan Canyon.
River Trail
This trail is also wide-access to both hikers and bikers and follows the river up Logan Canyon.
There are several access points along its three and one-half mile distance and 500-ft. climb. First access to the river trail is at the forest boundary sign and the trail travels past the Stokes Nature Center to the Spring Hollow Campground.
Tony Grove Lake
Tony Grove Lake has several trails, one of which goes to White Pine Lake. It has several vistas, is four and one-half miles and climbs 800 feet. The Trailhead is approximately 45 minutes from Logan (26 miles up Logan Canyon). The Tony Grove turn off is 19 miles from the Ranger Station and seven miles after the turnoff. The Trailhead is in the Fisherman’s Loop parking lot.
Wind Caves
This steep hike ascends more than 1,000 feet in two miles and is the most used trail. It has very little shade and stays drier than other trails, Western said. It is the last used trail in the fall and the first used in the spring, she said. The Trailhead is located five miles east of Logan, across from the Guinavah Malibu campground. The ORC is sponsoring a free hike to the wind caves. Those interested can sign up in the ORC by Tuesday morning. They are leaving from the center at 4 p.m. that evening.
Crimson Trail
This trail is even steeper than the wind caves and is considered the most popular trail, Western said.
It is three miles one-way, and ascends 1,000 feet. There are two Trailheads, one from Spring Hollow Campground across the bridge at the upper-third dam and one from Guinavah Campground.
Jardine Juniper Trail
The goal of this trail is to reach the “more than 1,500-year-old” juniper tree at the apex.
It travels five and one-half miles. It ascends approximately 2,000 feet.
To find the Trailhead, travel up Logan Canyon to the Wood Camp turnoff (not the campground) and turn left to the parking lot.
It is approximately 10 miles east of the Ranger District Office at the mouth of the canyon.
It is difficult to tell people how long it will take them to hike a trail.
A guide she gives to those trying to plan around time is a one mile-per-hour rate because “it’s not like walking on pavement.”