The eastern leg out of Marysvale is quite different from the
western one. Instead of starting to rise straight out of town, the
trail first descends to the Sevier River. After crossing this river,
the trail heads northward across the Sevier's floodplain, which
is lush green farm land. As the trail rises out of the floodplain
it turns about 150 degrees and heads southward toward the mouth
of Dry Creek. There are numerous uranium mines in this area that
were active in the 1940s and 1950s. In fact, with gold and silver
in the first part of the century and uranium in the middle part,
Marysvale's history is closely tied to the mining of its surrounding
mountains.
From the southward turn to the mouth of Dry Creek Can yon the
road crosses a gently rolling sagebrush plain. The road is generally
smooth with good sight distances, but never-the-less requires caution.
Entering Dry Fork Canyon the character of the road changes dramatically;
the canyon is very narrow, the road rough, and sight distances are
short. From the sagebrush the road rapidly enters the riparian vegetation
of cottonwood and willow while the hillsides go from pinyon and
juniper to spruce and fir. Openings in the vegetation provide spectacular
views of volcanic cliffs rising on both sides of the canyon. When
the trail suddenly breaks out into more gentle topography this leg
of the Marysvale Loop joins the main Paiute Trail.
continued next page
Last changes:
Thursday, December 09, 2010
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