Exploring Logan Canyon | Utah

The Logan Canyon Scenic Byway provides spectacular scenery and access to great recreational areas. It begins at the mouth of the canyon on the east edge of Logan, Utah. Visitors to this picturesque northern Utah town will also find the fully operational turn-of-the-century Jensen Farm, as well as modern cheese factories, and the resident Utah Festival Opera Company. Logan Canyon is host to summer and winter recreationalists alike who find activities like hiking, camping, fishing, snowmobiling, skiing, and hunting. Deeply cut, nearly vertical limestone walls and rock formations laden with fossils greet travelers entering the canyon. The Logan River, popular for trout fishing, parallels the route, offering yet another reason to stop and spend some time. As autumn approaches, lush greens of this high mountain passage tipped with brilliant gold, red and yellow can be seen throughout the route. The route explores the spectacular Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Between 10,000 and 16,000 years ago, wildlife in Cache Valley were quite different than they are today. Camels grazed in thick grass, giant mammoths lumbered across terraces and herds of bison roamed the hillsides along ancient Lake Bonneville. Many fossils were discovered in this region as the lake fluctuated in size and shape. The terrace lines within the mountains depict changes in water levels throughout history, which allowed for these fossils to be deposited throughout the valley. The Shoshone Indians lived in Cache Valley for 5,000 years. Traditionally they were nomadic people that seasonally migrated to hunt big game or gather food. In the early 1700s their way of life changed when horses were acquired. Horses enabled tribes to hunt bison more efficiently and revolutionized their way of life.