Zooming along Highway 89 to Bear Lake, it's easy to miss the many attractions that Logan Canyon has to offer. The Limber Pine Nature Trail — sort of a mirror into the universe — at the extreme east end of Logan Canyon is one of these.
(Yes, it's really Limber Pine, not Lumber Pine.)
As John Muir believed, this family-oriented trail provides a clear look into the natural world, and ironically it is adjacent to one of Utah's busiest recreational roads.
A short, fairly level loop, this is a perfect short hike for young families. There are 12 numbered education stations, which start on the right side and end on the left side. Guide pamphlets are found in a wooden box at the start.
The trail climbs several hundred feet in the early going through a pine forest. Then it reaches an open, rocky area that provides views down into the Logan Canyon sinks area — one of the coldest places in the nation. A section of this trail is also reminiscent of the setting in the climax of the "Sound of Music" movie — kind of a Utah version of Switzerland.
There's also one good view of Bear Lake before reaching the Limber Pine tree. A grove of aspens and field of summer flowers also beautify the trail.
The trail guide explains many things, such as how rotting trees are helpful to the environment and how plants and animals depend on them to survive. But even without the excellent trail pamphlet — produced by the Bridgerland Audubon Society — that corresponds to the 12 numbered stations, there are enough signs posted along the trail to make the trip educational, too.
Maureen Keilty, author of "Best Hikes with Children: Utah" (The Mountaineers Books), listed the Limber Pine as one of the state's 83 premier hikes for children.
Distance: One-mile loop trail
Elevation gain: 180 feet, from 7,780 feet above sea level to 7,960-foot elevation
Difficulty: easy
Season of use: June to October
Directions to the trailhead: The trailhead begins about 30 miles east of the western mouth of Logan Canyon along Highway 89, or about seven miles west of Bear Lake. It's just east of the Bear Lake summit sign at 7,810 feet above sea level.
Trail description: Dirt and usually well-maintained. As the trail climbs through a small portion of the Bear River Range — a segment of the Wasatch Mountains — it passes through a contrasting variety of terrain going from forest to almost desert and back again to forest.
Time required: Anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours
Cautions: Older kids may want to rush through the loop, so families may find it tough to remain together. Be sure that no family members play too close to busy Highway 89, the main potential hazard in the area.
Highlights: (1) A great educational nature experience for families. (2) The trail's namesake — the 560-year-old limber pine at the southeast end of the loop. At 25 feet in diameter, this tree is very rugged looking like its jardine juniper counterpart 20 miles to the west. The limber pine was at one time thought to be 2,000 years old and the world's oldest such tree variety. (Juniper jardine is 3,200 years old.)
However, it is now known that the limber pine is actually five different trees that grew together. The Clark's nutcracker, a local large, gray blackbird, buried limber pine seeds in the area to store them for winter and some grew together, creating today's marvel of tree engineering.
Limber pines are the only trees in the area that have five needles in a cluster.
The first good trail to the limber pine was made by the Forest Service in 1962. The limber pine tree was discovered in the winter of 1944 by W.D. Porter and Orville S. Lee.
Facilities: There is a good parking lot, and seasonally water and restrooms are at the trailhead. A nearby campground is located to the east, along Highway 89.
For more information: Contact the Logan Ranger District at 435-755-3620.
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com