Why N. Utah's 'East Winds' Aren't Always From the East

Northern Utah's "canyon winds," or "east winds" are legendary. 
The last such wind event struck  April 30, 2016 to May 1, 2016  -- and before that, on April 9, 2013.
Residents will also not soon forget the much worse winds -- Dec. 1, 2011, when hurricane force winds hammered Davis and Weber counties in particular, causing a massive cleanup and millions of dollars in property damage.
(The damage from these winds was mostly so extreme, because it had been more than a decade since the Wasatch Front had any such wind events and so the damage came all at once, mostly from overgrown trees.)
Although the Dec. 1 winds were then the first in 12 years to hit, the winds were NOT always eastern winds and they scoured the Salt Lake Valley.
The key question is "why?"
Although I built my cedar fence strongest on the east side, that was pointless, since strong east winds have never hit my house.
In fact, the Dec. 1, 2011 winds that struck my property were straight from the north. (And they broke 4 posts along my fence's northern side.)
I asked  Dan Pope, a well-known TV meteorologist, to address the question on wind direction and why "east winds" aren't always east winds.
His explanation is intriguing and worth repeating, especially since no TV weathercaster has enough air time to provide this much detail.
Dan Pope's answer:
These ... winds were "mountain wave" induced. But, the topography does force the winds to veer with distance; and due to local hills, canyons and location they can change as they move away from the mountains. They also come in rolling as they slam the ground (spinning counter clockwise).
In North Salt Lake, I have always noticed a veering to the north, because the hills by and to the north of Eaglewood Golf Course, that force the eastward track around them to flow southward. These hills are also are northeast-southeast oriented, and with City Creek Canyon on the other side, the winds likely skip over the flat area above Meridian Peak and are pushed away from the hills, protecting some of the upper Bench of North Salt Lake from the worst gusts, while Bountiful, Centerville, Farmington and areas northward are directly in line with the Wasatch Mountains, and the "wave" effect.
When we have these kinds of winds, there is usually a low pressure spinning to our south. The upper level winds come from the east or preferably the Northeast. And, at the surface, the pressure is much higher in Wyoming and lower in Utah. In a low pressure like this, sometimes a little warmer air is wrapped in above the mountain tops. This creates an inversion at 12,000 or 13,000 feet, and keeps any wind from rising--and creates a Venturi effect. Plus, the Uinta Mountains line up directly east of Bountiful and Davis County, so all wind get pushed eastward towards the Wasatch mountains from extreme Northern Salt Lake County and Davis County northward.
Rule of thumb is that winds will be 2 to 4 times higher than at mountain top as they "roller coaster" down the slopes; and they will hit beyond the base of the mountains 1/2 to 3 or 4 miles out towards the Great Salt Lake. Then they fan out, and can go in multiple directions. To the south of Davis County, they fan to the south (a north wind) and northward the can even come in from the SE if a person lives more than 3 or 4 miles from the base of the Wasatch. But, more often than not, these winds veer to the south away from the Wasatch, because the surface pressure is lower to the south.
There are certain locations near the canyons and at the base of the Wasatch in Davis, and counties northward, where these winds can be severe right at the base. Bountiful, Centerville and Farmington, as well as NE Ogden, Brigham City and even Logan fall into this category.

Dec. 8th--Turnaround Sunset Day in Northern Utah

Yes, Dec. 21 might be the shortest day of the year, but it is NOT the day with the earliest sunset in Northern Utah.
Thanks to being so far north, sunset actually now starts to get a little later every day from Dec. 8, until June here.
Sunrise on the other hand will keep getting later and later until about Jan. 8, 2012.
Then, it will turnaround.
But sunrise and sunset don't both automatically turnaround on Dec. 21. They have different rates.

History of Canyon Winds Along The Wasatch Front

By Lynn Arave

These horrendous, hurricane force canyon winds along the Wasatch Front are nothing new.
In fact, from 1959 to 1999, there were 26 such occurrences of damaging east winds.
The previous one was April 23, 1999. So, they averaged about every 18 months for 4 decades and then disappeared for more than 12 1/2 years until Dec. 1, 2011.
So, we were overdue by statistics.
(Technically, they are "downslope winds.")
The Mormon Pioneers first reported them in the fall of 1848. Brigham Young rebuked some canyon winds in Farmington on Nov. 9, 1864.
The year 1988 featured a record three such east wind events. There were also two such hurricane force canyon wind events in 1964, 1973, 1983, 1986 and 1997.
April 2, 1973 featured some of the strongest, sustained canyon winds I can recall. Those winds picked up a pole vaulting "portapit" mat and carried across Weber State University's Wildcat stadium as if it was cardboard.
Also, I decided to time myself in a 100 yard dash during those April 2, 1973 winds and clocked 10.4 seconds easily with a 90 mph wind at my back.
In 2011, this is the first ever canyon wind event to test the icicle style of Christmas decorations, for example.
We forget that these winds are a periodic part of nature along the Wasatch Front.
When I constructed my wooden fence in 1984, I purposely made it strongest on the east facing sides to withstand such winds better.

Fingers of the Kolob : Awesome!

NEW HARMONY, Washington County, Utah — What a huge difference 0.4 of a mile can make.
Many Utahns have probably driven the five-mile Kolob Canyons scenic drive , just east of I-15, in a section of Zion National Park at exit No. 40. That's a signed turnoff and well-publicized.
However, did you know that a less than half-a-mile drive off I-15 west at exit No. 42 yields an incredible, but less often heralded view of "The Five Fingers of the Kolob" —also part of the Kolobs Canyon section of Zion National Park?
In the New Harmony area, west of I-15 are amazing views of the Kolob, not visible from the freeway, since it is too far east.
"One of the main attractions of New Harmony, and something it's famous for, is the Kolob Canyon Scenic Drive," states Juli Danis, a realtor in Southern Utah, on her Web site, www.julidanis.com
"If you drive into the town of New Harmony, and turn around and look towards the mountains on the east, you can see the magnificent view of the Kolob Fingers, truly one of the most magnificent sites you'll ever see. This is a well kept secret, as traveling down the I-15 freeway, they are not visible to the routine traveler," she continued.
There are some power lines that can get in the way of a photograph, but for any traveler headed to St. George, Las Vegas, or California, it is worth it to at least once take 5-10 minutes and exit the freeway west at exit No. 42 to see the Fingers of the Kolob and know what is there above you that you CANNOT see from the freeway.
(The two above photos show the Fingers of the Kolob, from just west of I-15 at Exit No. 42. First photo by Lynn Arave; photo 2 by Elizabeth Arave.)

Ascending Willard/Ben Lomond Peaks

You want to hike what? Willard Peak? Yes.
Why, when Ben Lomond is the more well-known peak?
Willard is the TALLEST of these two peaks at 9,763 feet above sea level, vs. 9,712 for Ben Lomond.
However, Willard doesn't have a set trail to its much more rocky summit.
Here's some observations, advice on hiking Willard Peak … as I don't think an ATV or motorcycle could easily reach the rocky summit.
(My last hike to Willard Peak was Aug. 14, 2010. The first hike there was August of 2008.)
Unless you're highly motivated and in great physical shape, you want to access Willard Peak from either Willard Basin or Inspiration Point. The alternative is an all-day hike from one of two spots — North Fork Park (Liberty) or the North Ogden Divide. Both these trails are a good 12 miles (one-way) and climb about 4,000 feet.
Driving to Willard Basin (my choice) or further to Inspiration Point makes the one-way distance to Willard Peak just 1.6 miles!
Now that includes a rugged and rocky 0.6 miles up a very steep slope, that's not to be underestimated.
But let's back up …. Driving to Willard Basin is also not an easy chore. It's 11 miles to Willard Basin from Mantua and another 2 miles to Inspiration Point. For this dirt road drive you need a high-clearance truck, a jeep, an ATV or motorcycle. This is NOT a car road.
However, that said, I did drive a car 9 miles on this road back on June 15, 1979. I took my Plymouth Fury II car in 9 miles on that road to the upper reaches of the switchbacks before the road reaches the Willard Basin sign and descends into the basin.
It was a light snow year the winter of 78-79.
I was stopped by a 7-foot high pile to snow on the road in some pine tree shade.
The road was simply smoother and less traveled back then. I didn't know the road was blocked by snow, but I never met another vehicle on it either that day. I still hiked down into the basin and up to the skyline, before returning and having to back my car down the road 2 miles (and overheat my brakes), before I could turn the vehicle around.
I marvel today that I was crazy enough to drive my car on that road — before summer had even started — and how I got a way with it, but I did.
Why was the road so smooth back then? I think it had just been re-graded and improved the year before. Then, enter greater usage and the wet years of 1983-84, when spring runoff roughed up the road a lot and made it a gully in places.
I had tried to drive the Willard road again on July 24, 1982 and hit a snow blockage in about the same place as I had in that June of 3 years earlier. I drive a pickup truck this time.
The next time I would drive the road again was Sept. 2, 1986. Of course no snow and with a truck it was passable.
The Willard Basin road was improved again in 2009, but not by much.
Passing another truck on this road can be hazardous and there was several places where IF YOU MEET another truck, one of the two would have to back down or up a half-mile or more to find a good passing spot.
(Fortunately, ATVs and motorcycles outnumber trucks on this road about 6 to 1.)
Remember too, that this road is only passible in mid-July at the earliest and may still be blocked by snow in the upper reaches I previously mentioned into late July some years.
I don't care for driving the Willard Basin road given my history of it, but it is ATV heaven (and it beats hiking 20-plus miles otherwise.)
The road includes several good camping sites along the road (but they are well-used) in the lower reaches. It passes by Perry Reservoir and has some intriguing views of Pineview Reservoir along its path too.
Please drive this road slowly and cautiously — assuming there could be a vehicle around every curve — as an ATV crashed into the my friend's suburban in 2008, going to fast around a blind curve. It didn't do anything to the suburban, but bent the front of the ATV and its drive singed his leg on a hot grill on the side of the ATV.
This would also not be a road to drive after a heavy rainfall, or when rain is expected.
Driving it on a weekday is much less crowded than on a weekend.
It's short use span, late July to mid to late September, make it one of the state's most seasonal of roads.
Once you arrive at Willard Basin (where you have just passed a water pipe and you see a big clearing), park there and hike up out of the basin.
If you continue on to Inspiration Point, there is less parking found a top there and you will have to hike UP some when you return to your vehicle.
I, on the other hand, like to hike my uphill first (out of the basin) and have all downhill (into the basin) on my return.
As soon as you reach the mountain saddle and can see Pleasant View/Willard Bay, look for the trail that goes left and upward the most. Take it and then Willard Peak is in front of you.
(The main trail to Ben Lomond only passes below Willard Basin.)
There are mountain goat herds in this area and lots of rocks and bushes.
You simply have to take a goat trail and keep heading for the top. It is a modest scramble at times, but approaching from the north side equals the quickest path with the least rugged scrambling.
Depending on how you head, there may be a split in the rock you have to slip through to keep doing up.
Watch for mountain goats, as you will scare them away eventually, but they are fun to watch.
Once you reach the north side of Willard, you are above tree/bush line and can be get sweeping views.
There are two glitches left, though.
The first is Willard is a cracked and split mountain. It not only has a large, deep crack running north-south on its north side, but it is also split in the middle (east-west) by a big gap — one you have to carefully cross to get to the south end of the peak, where the metal markers and the true summit is.
It's this latter gap, that taking a dog across, or kids, is most hazardous and caution is advised — with a sheer cliff on the east side of that gap and a chute of less hazard on the west side.
Note too that a lot of the rock on top of Willard chips off and breaks easily — don't rely on your grip of some of the rocks.
(There's no way Willard Peak's integrity could handle a large earthquake. It appears to me that one day it will be shorter than Ben Lomond, based on how it will certainly split apart one day.)
Enjoy the sweeping views — even into Cache Valley from Willard's summit.
Some huge rock fins and pinnacles are also some photogenic wonders in the area.
Look for several metal government markers embedded in the south end of Willard Peak. There's also a black plastic canister on the summit, complete with two notebooks and comments by hikers dating back to 1988.
Now, go back the way you came, if you that's all you want to hike …
Otherwise, if you are headed to Ben Lomond, head to the far south end of Willard and then carefully select your route down to the main trail below.
I followed a spot of green that angle northwest down to the main trail, while two others in my group angled down sooner, but met the main trail ¼ mile north of where I did.
But anyway you angle off, there's no real trail and lots of steep, loose terrain to negotiate and I feel it is safer to avoid any steep rockfaces.
If your coming from Ben Lomond Peak to climb Willard, it's a scramble too, but I wouldn't recommend going all the way along the rocky edge to the summit — again angling up from the west side would be the safest way.
Ben Lomond Peak, about 1.5 miles away from Willard Peak, is also still a worthy destination of its own. This summit offers better views of North Ogden and Ogden than does Willard Peak.
Ben Lomond also has a new plaque on the top of the summit registered, added in 2009.
(The old metal plaque from 1976) is attached underneath the lid of the register.)
A few mountain goats also hang around the south side of Ben Lomond.
I figure I've summited Ben Lomond about 10 times over the years, with the first being in 1976 and at least three being solo hiking trips. I've been there from all 3 trail options.
From North Ogden Divide is the hardest.

The dangers of jacked-up vehicles ....

Semitrailer trucks and buses are not the only high-profile vehicles on the highways these days. There's a new "monster" on the road, with jacked-up pickup trucks and SUVs becoming an increasing safety concern.
Not only are frames of the newer trucks and SUVs generally built higher off the ground, but some pickups along the Wasatch Front and nationally are being raised above the legal limits — to almost resemble monster trucks.
They may look cool, but vehicles raised too high off the ground lose some of their braking and are more prone to roll, officials say. They also pose a greater hazard — especially to lower-clearance cars.
It's not that these jacked-up trucks are necessarily getting in more accidents, it is simply that when they do, the accident is more severe.
Thus, these vehicles are a danger to themselves and others.
Besides compromising some control over their vehicle by being raised too high, the bumper of these vehicles will thus usually be above the bumper of any vehicle they may crash into.
This means it bypasses the safety of a bumper and so the crash will put the other vehicle more likely inside the cab of the vehicle it crashes into.
A report by the nonprofit American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators states that other motorists can be at severe risk in a collision because a modified truck can ride over the top of and even crush a car.
(Now in fairness, sometimes this extra height is actually a plus. For example, my wife crashed into the rear of the jacked-up vehicle on I-15 a few years ago. She luckily wasn't going extremely fast and her bumper went underneath the raised SUVs bumper and thus sustained far less damage to the front of her car than if she had struck the bumper outright.)
Utah law states that motor vehicles with a gross weight of less than 4,500 pounds can have the lowest part of their frames 24 inches off the ground. For vehicles 4,500 to 7,499 pounds the allowed height is 26 inches, and it is 28 inches for vehicles 7,500 pounds or greater.
Violators face a class C misdemeanor, a fine of up to $750.
Look at some jacked up vehicles on Utah's roads and you can clearly single out some that are clearly in violation.
So, the smaller the vehicle, the less it can be legally jacked up.
How do they get such illegal vehicles inspected and registered?
1. They get their jacked up vehicle inspected when it has regular, low tires on it. After the inspection, they put oversize tires on their vehicle.
2. They convince a friend at an inspection station to pass them anyway.
The Utah Highway Patrol is supposed to enforce this law, but if they do (and that looks to be rarely), they simply send it back to an inspection station.
I'd like to warn all illegal jacked-up vehicle owners that if they get into an accident, they will be an easy target to sue, whether the accident is your fault or not.
Is that worth your extra cool look, to be sued for all you own, let alone the harm you may cause the occupants of a vehicle that crashes into you.
(The photo above is of a jacked-up vehicle I spotted in Farmington recently. Based on its small size, I believe it is almost certainly raised higher than the legal limits. Also note that it lacks a front license plate, another violation of state law.)


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Grace, Idaho — A town that time forgot!

I've done a fair amount of traveling around the west in the past 3 decades and one peculiar town that stands out in my mind is Grace, Idaho.

Located in S.E. Idaho, north of Preston, southwest of Soda Springs and about 150 miles north of Salt Lake City, this town has changed LESS in the past 40 years than any other Mountain West town I've ever come across.

I had grandparents who had a big farm on the northeast side of Grace, just across the Bear River bridge and straight north of the "Grace" (Alexander) Dam.

My parents used to take the family up there about once a month, so I went there a lot in my early years. It was a second home.

I also worked two summers in Grace for an uncle, changing sprinkler pipe and other farm duties.

Those who live there would probably not even notice the lack of change, but as an outsider, I have.

Here's proof how Grace has changed little:

--Listed population of Grace is about 975 residents now. If I recall right, it had 400 or so people 40 years ago. That's just over double, but far less percentage change than the majority of the towns out there.

The temporary, hanging U.S. Flag on Grace's Main Street, during the Caribou County Fair Parade on August 9, 2025.

--The city has gained no new shopping complexes in that 40 years. The city's Main Street is virtually the same size as 40 years ago and less in some respects. No Wal-Mart will likely ever locate here.

--No roads have been widened here. (There is a 4 lane road going in 4 miles north of town, between Lava Hot Springs and Soda Springs, but that's it.)

                                      June 18, 1962 advertisement in the Salt Lake Tribune.

--There are still no traffic signals in town.

--Traffic still seems as sparse as it did 30-40 years ago.

--The town's airport, north of Grace, is virtually abandoned.

--There are relatively few new homes in Grace, compared to most other towns in the west. (However, there is a new subdivision on the City's east side.)

So, for good or bad, Grace remains a quiet, off the beaten track kind of town.

It is the kind of place where you want to stand and spend ½ hour or so in every visit, just pondering the open farm fields, the absolute quiet — few airplanes fly over, little traffic noise — and just soak it all in.

I'm not sure I could live there, it may be TOO quiet. But it is a complete contrast to the populous Wasatch Front to the south.

-ALSO, the top photograph above is a view looking north from the Rigby Farm in north Grace toward the end of the Wasatch Mountains. That view is essentially unchanged in more than 50 years -- no houses or extra development is there. Surely there are few places as unchanged as this.

AND,  to conclude, here are few Grace facts/fallacies:

--The mountains east of Grace are NOT the Bear River Mountains. These are the Wasatch Mountains, traceable directly to Utah. They are not a side range, like the Wellsville Mountains, either. These Wasatch Mountains dead end at Soda Point, north of Grace.

--Grace was settled by non-Mormons in 1865 and after Brigham Young sent church members to settle there in the 1870s, tensions grew. The Bear River became a boundary of sorts then. If you were Mormon, you were supposed to live on the east side of the Bear River; and non-Mormons the west side. In those days, the Grace valley was called the "Gentile Valley." It was not renamed Gem Valley until the early 20^th Century, when religious tensions finally eased.

--Where's Soda Spring? I mean, the Soda water springs? There's a Hooper Springs, north of town, but no Soda. Is it the geyser in town? No. Soda Springs, a springs, is now located under Alexander reservoir, which backs up the Bear River. Also, "Soda Springs" was not that water source's original name either. "Beer Springs" was what trappers first called it. Mormon settlers obviously changed the name later.

-Photos above are (top to bottom) : 1. The unchanged in 50-plus years view looking north of the Rigby Farm; 2. North entrance sign to Grace (and my mother, Norma);3. The north end of the Wasatch Mountains (also sometimes called "Soda Point); 4. The Last Chance Canal Arch/flume in N.E. Grace, along the Bear River.)