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.