Who has heard of Logan Canyon? To tell you the truth, I never had. That was until Mama Nomad found it somewhere in her research of places to explore. She has a knack for finding these unique places. Logan Canyon is located in Northern Utah and the entrance is just outside the city of, you guessed it, Logan. This is a city with a population of about 49,000. More people live there, just not on a permanent basis due to this being the location of where Utah State University is.
You enter the canyon by driving north on State Highway 89. This will take you next to Utah State University and down a hill behind it which leads you across the Logan River. The entire canyon drive is about 40 miles one way. It begins at Logan City and ends at Garden City, where Bear Lake is.
We initially wanted to go to Logan Canyon because of one of the destinations within the canyon. It is called The Wind Cave. This is a cave that is high up in the mountains that have been formed by water erosion. It is called The Wind Cave due to the higher altitude and the wind that blows through it. In order to reach it, you need to park by the Guinavah-Malibu Campground. There are signs denoting the campgrounds and the trail head to go up to the cave is on the other side of the road from the campground.
The hike is about 2 miles, one way. During that distance you will climb over 900 feet in elevation and travel along trails that can range from 4 feet wide to as narrow as 18 inches. The trail will be a mix of dirt, gravel and larger rocks with many twists and turns along the way. There are some people who have made short cuts. There are signs asking you to stay on the regular trail as the shortcuts are both dangerous as well as the fact that it destroys the area.
When you finally arrive at The Wind Cave, the view is breathtaking. The cave is broken up into a few different sections. It is not like a traditional cave that goes back into a rock or mountain side. They are more like alcoves. When you get here, you still need to be very careful. If you slip, you could slide straight out of the cave and over the edge to a drop that is at least 100 feet straight down. Just tread carefully. We did not find it slick or slippery. But, it was not damp in the air either. We explored each section successfully and returned to the trail, hiked back down the mountain and back into Ebony we went.
We plotted our course for Bear Lake which, as stated earlier, is by Garden City. What we really did not expect was the beautiful scenery we saw along the way. We hit the timing just right and did so completely by accident. The leaves were just starting to turn into hot reds, brilliant yellows and glowing oranges. This all contrasted against the dark green pines in the area and made for a very beautiful drive.
Almost at the end of the canyon is a rest area. Take my advice on this. Stop at this rest area. It will be the best view of Bear Lake that you will have. And it is another breathtaking view. Bear Lake is known as the Caribbean of the Rockies. Why? Because the water is so clear and bright blue that it looks like the Caribbean. I had only seen fresh water one other time like this and that was at Lake Bacalar in Southern Quintana Roo, Mexico. But that lake had a limestone bottom. Bear Lake did not. Again, the view of the lake and the mountains was just stunning.
We drove down the mountainside and into Garden City to get a closer look at Bear Lake. We found a spot on the northern end of it, at a park entrance, where we were able to get up close and really see the lake first hand. No one was really there and we had the place to ourselves. What an enjoyable adventure this was. If you are within a day’s drive of Logan Canyon, I would recommend checking it out. Safe Travels.
