Heber Valley, UT– Unknown Gem

If you watched the 2002 Olympics, the broadcast anchors had three studio settings, one of which featured a stone fireplace flanked on both sides, with floor-to-ceiling windows revealing a spectacular mountain view -- a close up of the view from our house looking across Heber Valley. We moved to Heber Valley 5 years ago and found ourselves in what may be the best undiscovered vacation spot in the world.

The ordinary recreational activities available include about everything you can image, except deep-sea fishing. This valley with 17,000 people has 90 holes of golf. Green fees start at for 18 holes. World-class activities, some of which are the best in the world, within a hour's drive or less of anywhere in Heber Valley, include windsurfing (Deer Creek Lake); hang-gliding (Point-of-the-Mountain and Squaw Peak Road); downhill skiing (Deer Valley, Sundance, The Canyons, and Park City Resort); trout/fly-fishing (Provo River and Mirror Lake), hot-air ballooning and flying glider planes (Heber City Airport); hiking; lift-served mountain biking (Sundance, Park City, The Canyons, and Deer Valley); ice-fishing (Strawberry and Deer Creek Reservoirs); ice-climbing (Bridal Veil Falls); and cross-country skiing (Soldier Hollow Olympic venue and Sundance). There is also the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, fall foliage, and scenic drives on UT Rt. 92, US 189 through Provo Canyon, and Mirror Lake National Scenic Byway.

Some of Heber Valley's more unusual features include year-round scuba diving in 90°F water; 15 national parks within a 1-day drive; day trips to Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks, and Cedar Breaks, Fossil Butte, Timpanogos Cave (very strenuous; reservations required), and Dinosaur National Monuments; waterfalls (Bridal Veil, Provo, and Stewart's Cascade); salmon runs at the Strawberry Reservoir Visitor Center, August to October; 1,000,000 acres of federally protected wilderness; a slide down a glacier on your butt in mid-summer on Mt. Timpanogos; and 1,000 miles of cross-country ski/snowmobile trails in the national forests. A visit to Zion's Bank on Center Street in Heber City takes you into a well-restored real Old West home. Feel free to wander around. Midway's Main Street has several houses designed by Queen Victoria's personal architect. What could be more Victorian than that? You don't need addresses. You will know them when you see them. Midway's Swiss-inspired Town Hall has an authentic European glockenspiel that performs every 15 minutes if it feels like it.

Quick Tips:

Heber Valley is about 15 miles from Park City, the famed ski resort. During the off seasons, Park City restaurants offer a plethora of 2-for-1 dinner coupons in the Park City Record newspaper (.50), This Week in Park City (free guide), and free Best Deals Coupon book, found at Albertson’s, the Sidewinder Avenue state liquor store, and at the Main Park City information office in front of Dan’s supermarket, near the stoplight. Extra discounts are rare in Heber Valley, but then, steak dinners start at and four-star, luxury hotels are under a night.

Best Way To Get Around:

A car is almost essential, but there are a couple local transportation services that will pick you up at Salt Lake International Airport and tote you around, even to Las Vegas or to the national parks.

Nothing like a blackout to separate the men from the boys in restaurants. The electricity went off for 3½ hours at 4:30pm in a good part of town. At 5:30, we decided to eat out. Tried the new Spin Café. Spin has three smallish, pleasant dinning rooms. Two of them were set up to handle the business anticipated that night, but blacked out hordes descended. Did management throw open the unused room to make more money, overload that night’s staff, and degrade the diner experience for the numbers they were prepared to handle? No way. Instead, they used the two prepared rooms and told people to wait or leave. Some left, but arriving ahead of the crowd, we enjoyed prompt service and fine food.

The menu, upper middle price range for Heber, a bargain for nearby Park City, leans toward smokehouse meats and a few Italian items. We opted for soup d’jour, cream of winter squash, which was excellent, and a sandwiches, which were large and tasty. Soup was accompanied by a pizza flavored toasted bread stick. Nicely done, if you like pizza sauce on bread.

Buffalo Burger was easily the best we’ve ever eaten. It was a monster, probably enough for a meal by itself. Sauteed vegetables– zucchini, tomato, and onion– were very well done.

The Beef Brisket sandwich is second only to famous Bubba’s of Jackson Hole, and only because Bubba’s properly serves their meat dry with a choice of three BBQ sauces on the table. Too much sauce hides the flavor of the smoked meat, and Spin went overboard with BBQ sauce.

Rosemary-garlic baked potato pieces were as good as this dish comes, but I’m about to write this concoction off as an inherent failure. Seems like rosemary, garlic, and potatoes ought to hit it off together, but they don’t. Not anywhere, but if you like this stuff, you should love Spin’s spin.

On a second visit, we both had the Beef Brisket entrée, and encountered a major disappointment. First the good news: Served in a single thick slab, the beef was remarkably juicy on one end and typically smokehouse dried out at the other. The juicy end was terrific without the accompanying BBQ sauce, wisely served on the side. The dry end lacked a bit lacking in smokey flavor. Apple Slaw was superior. Beans were nicely flavored and not swimming in BBQ sauce, which turned out to be a very good thing, for the BBQ sauce was the deal breaker. There was too much pepper in the BBQ sauce, so much so that it turned what started out as highly promising meal into a case of 'I don't ever want to eat this again.'

Since most of the menu items are BBQ, anyone not desiring to have their mouth singed will have a very limited choices from the menu. On the other hand, those who confuse scalding with good taste will be very happy.

Service was small town friendly prompt, and efficient.

Serves alcohol.

A fine food experience ruined by an incompetent operation.

After four visits to Schneitter’s Sunday Brunch Buffet, I rated Schneitter’s "Very Highly Recommended" for the consistent fine quality of the food offered. After eight visits, the food remains excellent, but the incompetence of this operation leads to advising you to stay away. It’s too great a risk that the staff will ruin your expensive meal. A brief summary of some of the operational problems: 1] Published phone numbers that nobody answers, and once I let it ring for 10 minutes just to see what happened. 2] But then, if you have questions, it’s no help if someone does answer the phone, for the staff seemed totally uninformed of anything except the name of the place. One day, I got three people and three different answers to my question. Another time, a positive sounding answer turned out to be wrong. Another time, four different answers. 3] If you need some information on the restaurant, forget it. There seems to be no way to reach them by phone. All calls, should they happend to be answered, go to the ignorant front desk. 4] Although the restaurant seems well staffed, staff is never around if you need something. They all hang in the kitchen. The buffet has a carving board (roast beef, lamb, etc.) and an omelette bar, but there is never anyone in sight to carve or cook. Nor is anybody watching from the kitchen to see if they are needed.

Schneitter’s advertised a special Christmas brunch ($45), from 11am-5pm. We made reservations for 4:15, 2 weeks in advance. Called the day before to ask about it. Arrived on the appointed day at 3:45, to be greeted by the hostess who said the brunch ended at 3:30. We said we have reservations for 4:15. She said the chef called everyone and told them there was a time change. He didn’t call us, or else the reservationist screwed up when the reservation was originally made.

Lots of people come skiing in Utah at Christmas, many even on Christmass Day, and this episode is especially important to them because an open restaurant in Utah is hard to find. If you do not have an advanced reservation—days in advance—you will stand in line and wait a long, long time to eat Christmass dinner once you find an open establishment in Utah. Our community, surrounded by ski resorts, has four high quality resort restaurants. Not one was open on Christmas.

So eating at Schneitter’s is a crap shoot. If everything goes right—and it never has in our experience—you can get a fine meal. If things go wrong, you might not eat. Since there are so many reliable fine restaurants in the vicinity, why take a chance?

Once upon a time, I shared a chair lift ride at Deer Valley with two guys from New Jersey. They asked if I had ever eaten at the bowling alley in nearby Heber City. When I said no, they said they always go there for a late lunch when in Utah skiing at Deer Valley' especially for the burgers. That convinced us to try it. Terrific burgers. We have since eaten there many times, always ordering burgers except once when she had a first rate grilled cheese. They also serve an excellent milk shake, a Utah specialty (Utah has two indigenous foods worth mentioning-- shakes and scones, which are not true scones but a variation of Navajo Fry Bread. Both are well worth pigging out on, but the bowling alley dose not serve scones.).

Fries and onion rings are decent and cheap. This being Utah, if you order fries in an establishment that caters to the natives rather than tourist or the hoidy-toidy Park City crowd, your fries will be accompanied by "fry sauce", an obnoxious concoction of mayonnaise and catsup and "secret ingredients" in which the natives dip their fries.

The low prices on the extensive menu are amazing. A "Big Will", two beef patties and your choice of two slices of Swiss or American cheese, is $2.79. this is so much better than a Big Mac that McDonald's ought to be apologizing to the public for their prices. An equally good, but very different style burger without cheese is $9 at Deer Valley. Coffee is better and much cheaper than at Deer Valley. We often stop at the Bowling Alley on our way home from skiing at Deer Valley where we order one regular burger, one Big Will, and one cup of coffee for less than the price of one burger alone at Deer Valley. Burgers include catsup, mustard, lettuce, and/or onion-- you specify what you want. A slice of tomato is 10 cents extra. Forget it.
Ambiance and decor are straight out of the early 1960s, retro to the extreme, but this is not ersatz retro, this is original. There are both booths and tables. The booths are a 1960s type bent Bakelite. As a general rule, I never sit in restaurant booths because they are uncomfortable but this retro model is fine, more comfortable than most restaurant chairs. I'll change that-- more comfortable than any restaurant chair.

Service borders on haphazard, but it is chatty friendly and they get the job done. When your check is delivered to you, take it up the kitchen counter to pay. Cash, Visa, or Master Card accepted.

This next part will offend the politically correct, but I have three college degrees in Sociology, and I can't help observing the natives. The rich and middle class golf for recreation, paying up to $500 per game. The red necks go bowling for a couple bucks a game. While you are waiting for your bowling alley food at the bowling alley, it is entertaining to watch the red necks at play. Lunch time or non-league evenings are especially fun because kids are there. The Bowling Alley has special accommodations for little kids who go bowling with Mom or Mom and Dad. Rubber bumpers are put in the gutters so that the kids always hit the pins(ask for "bumper lane"). For the little kids, there is a ball launcher. The ball launcher looks like a miniature version of those half pipe like things skate boarders use. Mom or Dad sets the ball launcher out for the kid and puts the ball on it. The kid then moves the ball launcher to aim it and gives the ball a push to start it rolling. The ball roles down a ramp on to the alley and usually reaches the pins, where it knocks some down, all in slow motion.

Although properly named Holiday Lanes, everybody knows it as the Heber Bowling Alley and everybody knows where it is: the Bowling Alley is at the north end of Heber City on Main St., US Rt 40, across the street from Smith's grocery store. Getting there from Park City: got out Kearns Blvd. to US Rt 40, turn right toward Heber City. The bowling alley is across the street from Smith’s Grocery store, just before the first traffic light inside Heber city limits.

Open 11:00am-10:00pm, daily except Sunday—this is Utah. On Sunday, the Mormons have to spend the day in church, and all the red necks are Mormons.

I give the bowling alley a high recommendation because for it's 1] great food quality for what it is, 2] amazingly low prices, 3] a trip back in history, and 4] your food comes with entertainment.

UT/WY Rt 150 connecting Kamas, UT, and Evanston, WY, is the the Mirror Lake Highway Scenic Byway (closed in winter). Starting from Heber Valley, take US Rt 40 to I-80. Go east on I-80 to Evanston, WY. Just after the junction with I-84, I-80 enters Echo Canyon.
During the Mormon War of 1857, America’s first civil war, the Mormon
Militia fortified the cliff tops of Echo Canyon, prompting a visiting European
General to comment it was the most impregnable fortification on Earth.
The US Army sent to invade Utah never got through Echo Canyon during the
war. In fact, the U.S. Army never tried to enter the canyon.

Evanston, WY is right on the border, and here we exit I-80 for WY 150, the Mirror Lake Highway But first, we always stop a while in Old Evanston. Evanston’s hay day was in the early days of the railroad, when it was an important center on the transcontinental railroad. Then time
passed it by, leaving behind one of the west’s best preserved authentic old
wild west towns. A pleasant couple hours can be spent wandering around
the old downtown and visiting the City Museums– Railroad, Chinese, and
History. They are all small enough that no visitor will got bored with too much of the
same old same old.

Stop at the Wyoming Visitor’s Center at the I-80 exit for info and to see the buffalo grazing in the park next door.

One summer afternoon, I fell into conversation with some tourists from
Ohio who were visiting Park City. They told me everything they had done so far on
their visit, and they had seen almost all the great scenery and sights in
northern Utah. Then they asked, "What should we see next?"
I replied, "I have no good reasons for telling you to do this, but, the
only thing you should even consider next is a trip to Evanston, WY."
Two days later, I bumped into the same couple again, and they said, "Yesterday,
we went to Evanston like you said. It was the highlight of our trip"
That’s the best case I can make for Evanston. We like Evanston and we
can’t explain it. They liked it and they couldn't explain why either, so go see it.

Then take WY 150 toward the distant Uinta Mountains (you-inn-tah). The Mirror Lake Highway proper begins after the highway enters the forest. The Mirror Lake Highway is a US Fee Area, $3 or a Golden Eagle Passport. Stop at the ranger station, on the left, for the permit and information. The turn off(left) to Mirror Lake is about at mile marker 32. There are campgrounds, picnic tables, fishing and hiking trails. Although Mirror Lake is 9,000 ft. above sea level, the very scenic trial around the lake is flat and easy. It takes about 45 minutes. Even in mid-summer, it can be cool or even cold here– on July 11, 2008, we saw a snow drift three feet deep along the trail. We prefer walking around the lake counter clockwise-- bear right leaving the parking lot and cross the bridge over Mirror Lake’s run out stream.

Mirror Lake gets its name from the incredible reflection of Bald Mtn. in the water. However, you have be there about dawn to see it, before the winds come up. Bald Mtn. is the closest mountain of treeless rocks looming over the lake at the parking lot end of the lake.

There is a rest room(a brick outhouse) and a water spigot at the parking lot. There used to be a drinking fountain, but no more, another victim of stingy Republican budgets in the US Congress.

Returning to the Mirror Lake Highway, the road quickly climbs to the pass, 10,760ft., crossing the High Uintas. The forest to the left of the road is the start of the vast, 900,000 acres, High Uinta Federal Wilderness Area, with more than 1,000 Alpine lakes discovered so far. If you hike east from here, the next paved road crossing the Uinta mountain range is 120 miles away. There is an unmarked pullover on the left side of the road just where it makes a sharp turn to the right with good views, and a little further on the right, the marked Hayden Peak overlook is also excellent.

If you want to climb a mountain, nearby Bald Mtn. is a short, steep hike. Just beyond the Hayden Peak overlook, take the dirt road on the right to the base of Bald Mtn. Follow the trail. It is short and fairly steep, but altitude is the problem. The climb starts at over 10,000 ft. and goes up to a bit over 11,000ft. This will leave you breathless.

Just after the summit, the road curves left, opening up another vast panorama of mountains, with the High Uintas in the foreground and the Wasatch Range in the distance. To the left, in the far distance, you should recognize the distinct outline of Mt. Timpanogos.

The road drops now and at about mile maker 26, turn right into the parking lot for Provo River Falls. Provo River Falls is a series of beautiful cascades and waterfalls on the Provo River. There are two short walks along the river. Saving the best for last, from the parking lot, go down the stairs at the end of the parking lot nearest the highway to the viewing platform for Upper Provo River Falls. Facing the falls, go to your right to the top of the gully. Look close into this little gully, and you will see a trail on the other side of the small stream. There is an easy to find, easy climb down the side of the gully to the stream, and across to this trail, which runs through the forest along the river and series of small waterfalls. It’s well worth a 20-30 hike one way, then come back. The hike is easy, with the biggest climb being the access gully.

Back at the viewing platform, there is a paved trail on the left. Take it to the end and then some, to the base of Lower Provo River Falls. Now start climbing the rocks beside the falls, or have a look and return to the paved path. A short climb– these are easy rocks to climb– brings you to the base of Middle Provo River Falls, and the best place for wading if so inclined. Note the little side waterfalls coming in across the gorge, only a few feet from the Middle Provo River Falls. Now climb on up(easier than from the Lower Falls to the Middle Falls) and back to the Upper Falls viewing platform.

If you returned to the paved path, you will see some easy routes across the rocks to the base and top of the Middle Provo River Falls, well worth the journey.

There are a bunch of lakes on or near the highway in the Mirror Lake-Provo River Falls area. Some can be spotted from the road. For the rest, take any of the side roads, especially to marked campgrounds. There are many day hikes and trails to lakes here.

Back on the Mirror Lake Highway, descending from Provo River Falls, the marked stop for Slate Gorge is a nice view– stay at road level, and go to left of the little outhouse to an opening in the trees, sort of at the end of the parking area.

Keep an eye out for wildflowers along the trials and along the road. They are plentiful for most of the summer.

Rt 150 Ends in Kamas, UT. Turn right at the light. Turn left at the stop sign in Woodward– you may not notice this is a town. Follow UT 32 to the stop light at US 40, and you are back in the Heber Valley. There are two touristic stops along Rt 32, the Jordanelle Nature Center and nature trail along the river, and the Jordanelle overlook with views across the lake toward Deer Valley and Park City ski resorts. Gear down for the descent from here.

There are no services between the ranger station and Kamas, and no gas stations between Evanston and Kamas. Be prepared. There is a lot to do out in nowhere. For a full visit, make this a two day trip. On the first day, start as described and go as far as you can. The mountain views are better when driving in this direction. Next day, go by way of Kamas to where you left off.

Late September, when the Aspens turn brilliant yellow, is the best time to visit.

Utah officialdom declares that Utah’s drinking laws are neither incomprehensible nor hinder getting a drink. So here they are. You decide.

Beer: Watered-down 3.2% beer is sold at SOME grocery and convenience stores (local laws prohibit sales on Sundays in some places) and in restaurants that only have beer licenses. Real beer is sold at state liquor stores, in private clubs, and restaurants with liquor licenses.

Wine: Wine is served in restaurants (ONLY if you order food) with liquor licenses (the state limits the number), private clubs, or can be purchased at the state liquor stores--nowhere else. Liquor stores are closed Sundays and on state and federal holidays.

Liquor: Sold in state liquor stores or by the drink in licensed restaurants (if you order food) and private clubs (without ordering food). Liquor stores are closed Sundays and on state and federal holidays.

Private Club Membership: Adult visitors can purchase a temporary membership to any private club for $4, valid for three weeks for the visitor and up to 7 guests. A separate membership must be purchased for each private club. An existing member can sponsor a guest provided that there is a "pre-existing relationship between guest and sponsor". The sponsor is required to remain in the club while the sponsored guest is present. There is a chance of getting "sponsored" by entering and asking.

Brown Bag: At the discretion of the establishment, patrons can pay a corkage fee to BYOB wine in licensed restaurants and private clubs. You can carry out unfinished wine from a restaurant or private club if the bottle is re-corked. This can save a lot on wine, as the markup is typically two to three times the state store price.

Utah Liquor Licenses: Full service in licensed restaurants and private clubs. Liquor by the drink, wine by the glass or bottle, and beer in bottles, cans, and on draft. Liquor, wine, and real beer (over 3.2) are sold in State Stores.

Restaurants with full licenses offer liquor, wine and real beer from noon to midnight and 3.2 beer from 10am to 1am. Patrons must order food to be served alcohol. Restaurants with limited liquor licenses serve wine and real beer from noon to midnight, 3.2 beer from 10am to 1am. No liquor.

State Liquor Store Locations:

Park City: 1901 Sidewinder Dr.
The largest store in Park City has one of the best wine selections in Utah.

524 Main Street, Kimball Plaza at Kimball Junction (I-80 and UT-224)
Forget the store on Main St. in Heber City, which has a very limited stock and higher prices.

Where to get a drink in Heber Valley:

Most of the restaurants are associated with the better hotels, like Homestead, Inn on the Creek, Blue Boar Inn. There is a seedy bar (3.2 beer only) and pool hall on Heber City’s Main St. that looks like a scene out of the Wild West. The Owl Bar at Sundance is a real Old West bar imported from Wyoming. There's 3.2 beer at the grocery stores and some convenience stores. The Other End is Heber Valley’s only private club. I’ve never been there, but here is the report I got from a Park City acquaintance: "I travel a lot, and that’s the only place I’ve been anywhere in the world that I was afraid to enter. We looked though the window and took off."

Heber Valley and Park City have the same phone book. The Yellow Pages have no listings for "liquor", and the only one for "beer" is for a microbrewery, and there is one listing under "wine." There are 94 listings for Mormon churches.

CLIMATE:
Heber Valley is a high altitude [5,500 feet] semi-arid steppe (10-15" annual precipitation) with an almost perfect four-season climate. Precipitation is highly microclimatic. We live on the east side of Heber Valley, with about 10" precipitation a year, but we can a see temperate rain forest on the mountians across the valley. We can see the top of Alta ski resort from our windows, 8.5 miles away. One major winter storm dumped 6.5 feet of snow on Alta over six days. We never had to clean our driveway. I skied 85-90 days a year for each of the last seven years, and only twice had to slow down to about 50mph driving to the ski area on account of the weather. The Wasatch Range, rising 6,000-7,000 feet above Heber Valley, blocks most of the storms, keeping the valley relatively snow free. And there are lots of snow plows.

WINTER:
Winters are not extreme, with an occasional low around -20°, but the strong sunshine and low humidity lets kids walk to school in shorts and T-shirts in mid-winter. Anyone living where the humidity exceeds 30% will never understand this until they experience it.

The valley is picture-postcard snow-covered from December to February, but it's no problem.

The Wasatch Mountains, forming the south, east, and west sides of Heber Valley, are the heart of an incredible snow belt (250-500" annual snowfall) that produces the best recreational skiing conditions in the world.

SUMMER:
Summer is high season, when the people living in the Salt Lake Valley escape to Heber Valley for a break from the summer heat. Summers have hot, dry days and cool nights, the most remarkable being the all time high of 104° preceded by a low of 48°. Summer highs average 85°, and lows are 40° cooler. Bring a sweater. We don't find it unusual to change clothes three times a day in the summer and to use wool blankets at night. Summer also has the most diverse recreation. Be careful of the summer weather forecast when the weatherman talks about "monsoon rains" coming. A monsoon, most famous in India, does not mean lots of rain. The normal weather pattern in the northern hemisphere is that winds and storms move from the west or northwest. The monsoon is a reversal of the normal pattern. In America’s southwest, including Utah, it refers to occasional short rains that come from the south or southwest, out of Mexico.

The Monsoon last for 2-3 weeks around the first of August. This year, in three weeks of monsoon weather, it rained three times in Heber Valley. The biggest one lasted for 10-15 minutes. Monsoon rains are largely restricted to mountain thunderstorms. Do what the weatherman advised one day, "The chance of rain is 30%. Don’t change your plans."

Monsoon does raise the humidify from the summer’s typical 10-15% to 30-35%, which can it a little sticky in the early afternoon.

FALL and SPRING:
Fall and spring bring consistently low humidity, lots of sunshine, pleasant days, and often chilly nights. Expect mountain snow in the high elevations by mid-September, but no accumulation. Snow can linger into June at the higher elevations, so keep that in mind if you plan to do mountain climbing or mountain biking.

Fall and spring are low season, except for hunting season when motels get crowded. Fall offers most of the summer activities without crowds and at lower prices. Toping it off, the fall foliage rivals Vermont. My straw poll found that 70-80% of those who have seen fall in both Vermont and the Wasatch(the mountain range around Heber Valley) prefer the Wasatch.

In spring, the high mountains are still snow covered, and you can ski in the morning and golf in the afternoon. Snowbird, 75 minutes away, sometimes stays open until the Fourth of July.

WHAT ABOUT PARK CITY?

The famed resort town, Park City, is only 15 miles and 1,200 Ft. higher than Heber Valley. Why not stay there, since their close proximity makes all the recreation activities about equally accessible, except for golf and fishing? Park City offers big discounts in the summer on rooms, but keep it in perspective. Park City’s Stein Eriksen Lodge’s prices drop from $650 in the winter to around $200 in summer. Heber Valley’s Homestead Resort is around $200 year-round, and offers more to do than Stein’s. Park City, being higher, is a bit cooler, 5-10°, but, being over 6,000 feet in altitude, Park City will leave you a little breathless with any exertion. Park City offers better shopping. Heber Valley has one advantage: a spectacular mountain setting. You have to go to the national parks to beat Heber Valley’s scenery. By comparison, Park City is borderline ugly. Heber Valley offers lower priced restaurants and a greater range of dining– Park City’s dining choices are pretty much limited to California Yuppie cuisine. Park City has a slick resort atmosphere. Heber Valley still has pockets of the 1950s and of the 12th century if you get to know the thinking of the natives.

I've been quizzing people who have seen fall foliage in both Vermont and northern Utah. 80% say Utah is better. Fall in Utah tops Vermont several ways. First, there is the setting. Vermont's hills can't hold a candle to the peaks of the Wasatch Range, where fall centers on 11,970-foot Mt Timpanogos and 12,002-foot Mt Nebo, great craggy mountains where rock and glaciers and evergreen forests provide the setting for fall colors.

Second, fall is off-season in Utah but high season in Vermont. Room prices are at their lowest. We drove more than 20,000 miles seeing Utah's fall over six years, never made an advanced room reservation, and never needed one. Highways are free of traffic, except on the weekends when Salt Lake City goes to see fall, but even then, there is no comparison to grid locked VT Rt. 100 (except UT Rt 92). Restaurant prices also drop, with a flood of 2-for-1 coupons in the Park City Record. Rental car prices at the airport are also at their lowest.

Fall lasts 6-8 weeks, including the late colors in Zion Canyon, Utah's fall runs from late August to mid-November. Vermont is good for about a week, 10 days at the most. There are four seasons in Utah's fall. First, the preliminaries, a few red bushes and trees that only hint at what is to come. Second, in early September, come the spectacular red wild mountain maples, fully the peers of Vermont's famed Sugar Maple.

Third, in late September to mid-October, the glorious golden Aspens arrive, followed by pastel season, when the lower mountain slopes take on the colors of the palate of an Impressionist artist at the end of long day, mottled mountainsides of muted oranges, purples, and brown, unlike anything we have seen anywhere else.

It's hard to say whether the maples or Aspens are the stars of the show, but there are a lot more Aspens. The maples are most concentrated in the foothills west of Heber City. Prime viewing is from UT Rt. 92, and Wasatch Mtn. State Park Golf Course, where a September round on the Lake Course is surrounded by blazing red trees beneath the high mountain tops, sometimes capped with snow. Aspens are everywhere. Top viewing from UT Rt. 224 traveling south from I-80, and UT Rts. 92, 150, 35, 39, or any mountain road north of Zion National Park and west of Capitol Reef National Park. Utah's Rt 12 between Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks, one of the most scenic drives on Earth, is at its best when the golden Aspens ring vast Boulder Mountain.

Do not miss riding the lift at Deer Valley if the Aspens change while the summer lift still operates.

US40 east of Heber City climbs 2,500 feet up a canyon whose walls display every possible color and the canyon floor is bedecked with cottonwoods along the stream bank. Stop at the visitor's center at Strawberry Reservoir to see the salmon spawning (late August to October), surrounded by Aspen groves.

More or less in order, scenic fall day trips (if -- I should say, when-- you encounter a herd of cattle or a flock of sheep ambling down the road, go very slowly, but try not to stop. You have to bluff them out. If you stop, they will surround you and trap you, and they are (except as noted) paved roads.

(1) UT Rt 92 ($3 day use fee), with a stop at Robert Redford's Sundance Resort for lunch, ride up the lift, and a stroll around the grounds. We have driven scenic highways all over North America and Europe, and parts of South America and Africa, and our vote for the most scenic drive goes to UT Rt. 92 in the fall. Be sure to go both directions and take all the side roads. When you come to the dam along the side road to Granite Flats Campground, stop for the view downstream from the middle of the dam.

(2) Follow Midway's Main St. onto UT 224. Turn left at the sign for the Inn on the Creek. Turn left at the end of the road, and bear right at the fork in the road. The Y-intersection offers a choice. Bear right up and over Guardsman Pass (rough dirt road) to either Park City (aspens) or Brighton (Big Cottonwood Canyon) (maples and aspens). Bear left, then right at the Visitor's Center to drive up Snake Creek Canyon.

(3) I-80 east to WY/UT 150 to either UT 32 or UT 214. The Mirror Lake highway, a National Forest Scenic Byway. On Rt. 150 ($3 fee) south from Evanston, do not miss the short side trip to the incomparable Mirror Lake (near mile marker 32) with a pretty but flat trail circling the 9,000 ft. high lake, and a stop at Provo Falls, a series of 10 cascades and waterfalls, near mile marker 24.

(4) Mt. Nebo Scenic Loop, another National Forest scenic Byway. Take US 189 toward Provo to I-15 south, exit at Payson and ask directions. The Scenic Loop ends at Rt. 132. For a fast return, go right on Rt. 132 to I-15. The scenic return is to retrace your way back to the Santaquin Canyon road and take it to I-15. Restaurants in Payson and in Nephi.

(5) I-80 east to I-84 west to UT 161 to east-bound UT 35. When you descend from the mountains on UT 35, there are choices. If your timing is right, fall in Grand Teton National Park, about three hours north via UT 16 and WY 89, which is a gem. Yellowstone is next door, and while Yellowstone is no great shakes for fall foliage, it isn't very crowded in the fall. Stay overnight in Jackson Hole or Yellowstone. Return by US 189 and I-80 via Hoback Canyon, a good place to see mountain sheep and Aspens.

Or go north on UT 16, then east on US 39 & 89 through Logan Canyon. From Logan, return either by reversing the itinerary or by continuing to I-15. Although longer, the reversed itinerary is far prettier, and the views going this direction are quite different than what you saw on the way.

Or head south on UT 16/WY 89 to Evanston and pick up either WY 150 (slow) or I-18 (fast) back to your hotel.

Or turn around and go back the way you came. The scenery is quite different driving this direction, with no sense of doing what you have already done.

(6) Rt 224 from Kimble Jct to Park City. Follow the signs for Deer Valley. Just after the road becomes divided, turn right on Royal St. to Silver Lake Lodge and ride the lift through the Aspens to the great views from the top of Bald Mtn. Start back the way you came, but take the first left and follow the dirt road back to Heber Valley.

(7) Take UT 32 toward Kamas, but go straight at the four way stop in Francis on to UT 35 [great fall Aspens]. There is a beaver dam, pond, and lodge in the stream on the right near milepost 32, just across from the higher of two stretches of fake rock lining the cliff. Cliffs along the highways that are especially prone to falling rock are covered with concrete for stabilization, and then the concrete is colored to look like rock [also along US 189 on both sides of the tunnel near Rt 92]. Turn right on US 40 to Muir's Smokehouse in Fruitland where the menu tops for fine smoked meats and homemade pies, but if you never had one, opt for the bargain priced Buffalo Burger. We lunched at Muir's once while showing a visitor from a big eastern city around. During lunch, we fell into conversation with a cowboy taking a break from the round up who came by Muir's for lunch-- half a peach pie. Citified dudes are surprised to run into real cowboys on real roundups, but it happens here. The cowboy didn't arrive on horseback. It was his day to use the Jeep.

Continue toward Heber on US 40 to Strawberry Reservoir Visitor's Center where you can see a salmon run late August-October. The roads circling the reservoir have good Aspen views. There is also a beaver lodge along the side of the road between Fruitland and the summit, but it is impossible to spot from the highway going this direction. Go to the top of the hill and turn around, watching the ditch, which is really a little stream, along the side of the road for the dam.

(8) US 189 to Provo, I-15 to US 6 east to UT 96 to UT 264, turn left on UT 31 to Huntington. At Huntington, turn around and take UT 31 to US 89 back to US 6. Mostly Aspen. Great mountain scenery.

Sept. 21, 2005

7:20am
Sunrise on Timp. Looking out my window, the top half of the mountain is spotlighted by the rising sun against a cloudless sky. Night lingers on the lower half of the mountain, shaded by the false horizon of the mountians across the valley. Above the first ridge, just reached by the sun line, the Wild Mountain Maple trees shine red above the shadows and on high, ice fields sparkle white against the gray rock walls of the top ridge line, almost 6,500 feet above Heber Valley.

11am
We left for a fall foliage drive over the mountain on spectacularly scenic UT Rt 92. She didn’t want to take the time to make the trip over and back on Rt 92, so we go the faster way, starting south toward Timp on US 189 (see my forthcoming journal on the drive through Provo Canyon for details.) I stopped for a photo along the lake shore. The Heber Creeper, a steam engine scenic train ride partway down Provo Canyon, was crossing the dam, creating a scene of blue lake water in the foreground, yellow train cars just above the lake, a belt of bright red maples above the train, and the snow and rocks of high Timpanogos topping it off against a blue sky. I can’t show you this picture because I use 35mm film.

Taking the Orem exit, we followed 800 N St. to to I-15 northbound, toward Salt Lake City. About 10 miles up I-15, we exit right onto UT Rt 92 (sign for Timpanogos Cave National Monument). The second left, at the light, between the stone pillars for "Treasure Mountain" is the entrance to Cabela’s. Outdoors men know Cabela’s, but we have been to the two original stores in Nebraska and Kansas, and they were playhouses compared to this one. For those who don’t know, Cabela’s is a sporting goods store on steroids, and well worth visiting, for on top of what seem to be miles of racks of camo clothing, it has wildlife displays. There is a large, walk-through aquarium exhibiting fresh water game fish, a museum of stuffed wildlife from the African Plains (I counted 30+ critters), including two lions attacking an antelope. Another large room features big game of North America–-bears, moose, elk, deer. Mounted trophy game lines the walls of the store. Then there is Big Game Mtn., an artificial mountain populated with stuffed animals of all sorts smack in the middle of the store. Hungry? Cabela’s cafeteria (upstairs) serves buffalo, ostrich, and elk burgers along with the unusual fare.

Heading east on Rt 92, toward Mt Timpanogos, more than 7,000 ft above us, we passed the Micron Plant. Built at the top of the tech bubble to employ almost 3,000 people, this white elephant is now staffed by 200 workers.

Closing in, the Wasatch Range mountain wall seems to shoot straight up from the valley floor. The road enters a narrow canyon at the base of the mountain wall and we began the gradual climb up American Fork Canyon, equally specular but very different from Provo Canyon. Rock spires shoot straight up from the canyon floor. Entrance station, free for Golden Eagle/Golden Age pass holders, otherwise, $3 for three days, or free if you drive straight through without stopping. You will want to stop.

A few miles up the Canyon is Timpanogos Cave National Monument. The cave itself is 1,100 feet. above the parking lot and entrance station. You hike. Allow at least 45 minutes for the hike to get to your scheduled tour, and it’s best to make reservations. Bring warm clothes. The cave is 50° year round. There are modern restroom facilities, snacks, and a water fountain at the parking lot.

A few mile beyond Timpanogos Cave, we turned left at the sign for Tibble Fork Reservoir. Just as the road enters a small mountain valley, we stopped on the right at Tibble Dam, and walked out to the middle of the dam for the view. Below the dam, the narrow canyon perfectly frames a fine Alpine view. Across the lake, there are nice views of the surrounding mountains and fall foliage. A little further along the road, at the large parking lot, there are restrooms and drinking water. This a great place for a picnic.

Tibble Fork road dead ends just beyond the parking lot at a campground, so we reversed direction and returned to Rt 92, turned right and begin the steep climb to the pass at 9,000 feet. Campers and RVs are not allowed. The smaller your car, the more comfortable you will feel on this narrow, twisting road.

Unfortunately, there only a few pullovers along the road, so stop when you see one. The views of the valleys open out as we climb, with dashes of red, orange, yellow, and dark green, scattered across the rocky mountain slopes. Wild flowers lined the side of the road. Nearing the pass, we entered the high Aspen forest. Fall comes later to the Aspens, so now we are back in a summer scene, surrounded by green and wildflowers. At the summit, we turned left on the road to Cascade Springs, a small cold water version of Yellowstone’s Mammoth Hot Springs. There is a restroom at the parking lot, and the short walk around the springs is most pleasant. Although the surrounding valleys- Heber Valley, Utah Valley, and Salt Lake Valley– where civilization lives, is desert or near desert, it is verdant in the mountians. There is so much precipitation in the mountians that part of Timp is classified as a rain forest. The trail around Cascade Springs passes through heavy forest, with lots of Columbines in bloom in the spring.

There is a fine view of Heber Valley from the top of the dirt road running up hill from the parking lot, but then turn around and return to Rt 92, for the best is yet to come.

Returning to Rt 92 at the summit, a left turn starts the 4,000 ft. decent back to Provo Canyon. I shifted into 2nd gear, gearing down to hold down speed on the steep road. About 3/4 the way down, we knew we were coming on a tourist by the smell of burning brakes. This is not a road to fool with. Downshift, don’t ride your brakes. Shortly after the summit, we saw the first of many bright orange "No Trespassing" signs marking Robert Redford’s extensive mountain property, which he has mostly preserved in their natural state. Hunting is allowed in the surrounding National Forest, but not on Redford’s land. Hence, the signs to keep hunters out.

On the left, at the top of one of the hairpin turns, a short driveway to a large wooden gate is the entrance to Redford’s house on the ridge overlooking Sundance. Starting the decent from this or the next hairpin turn, looking to the left at about 10 o’clock, we saw the devastation wrecked on the forest by a big avalanche in 2004 that killed two snow boarders– an inverted V of downed tree trunks stripped clean of their branches by the avalanche. Dead tree trunks, all laying pointing downhill. One of the bodies was not discovered until the following June. It was, as described in the newspaper, "partial remains." Translation: savager animals got there before the recovery team. The mountians are not to be taken lightly, and you had better shift into 1st on this stretch of the road.

We stopped at Aspen Grove, the Mormon church’s family retreat and mediation center to look at the trees across the way, which were the brightest reds we saw on the trip. More photos.

Next stop, Sundance. We always stop at Sundance. Sometimes, we just drive to Sundance, described by Conde-Nast Traveler as "One of the most beautiful places on Earth", for the view from the parking lot. Sundance has water fountains, modern restrooms, a fine restaurant, souvenirs, and ice cream. A stroll around the landscaped grounds along the mountain brook is always in order. In the summer, glass blowers work behind the main building turning trash beer and wine bottles into art and glasses for the Sundance restaurants, part of Sundance’s recycling program. You can buy the glasses or glass art at the gift shop and at the art center.

Leaving Sundance, a right turn on Rt 92, another steep decent, and a we were back at US 189, about 8 miles from Heber City (left turn).

2:30pm, Heber City
This drive can also be done from Salt Lake International Airport, starting out on I-80 east to I-15 south or from Salt Lake City (I-15 south: Las Vegas). If at all possible, visitors should drive it both directions, for the scenery is different and both spectacular, although the described route from Utah Valley to Heber Valley is a bit more impressive.