Road Trip: US 89 North of SLC - Logan, Bear Lake Raspberries


	From Salt Lake City, take I-15 north. There are plenty of places between Ogden and Brigham City where you can access US 89, however your last chance is at exit 362 (also the US 91 exit).

It doesn't take long for Day 1 to get scenic. As soon as you've left Interstate 15 and Brigham City behind...

US Hwy. 89 climbs into rolling hills. The road remains wide for a while, so it's an easy drive and a scenic one, with mountains rising ahead of you.

Within a half hour, you drive into the pleasant little town of Logan. There's a charming old-fashioned downtown business strip on one side of the road...

... and on the other side, Logan's beautiful LDS Mormon church. Over the next few days, you'll realize this is a common sight in this part of the country. Instead of a courthouse or town square, the LDS church tends to be the centerpiece of town.

I took a minute to walk around the church grounds. The Mormon folks are friendly, and would probably be happy for you to poke your head into the temple (as I found out later in Paris, Idaho). This time, I simply looked around, and headed back to the car, since I had a long drive ahead of me.

As soon as you leave downtown Logan, you're in the mountains again, but this time the road is only two lanes, and more curves await.

Second Dam

US 89 follows Logan River through Logan Canyon. The river is dammed in at least three places, and one of the resulting lakes forms a small lake, which it turns out, is an ideal fishing spot. I parked at the roadside parking area for Second Dam, and took a short walk down to a boardwalk, which runs alongside the lake.

Rick's Spring

The next stop along the byway was not named for Rick Springfield. It's not even a spring, despite the misleading name. It turns out, the Logan River runs underground for a while, and it comes out at the cavern known as Rick's Spring. The place certainly looks like a spring--the water bubbles up from seemingly nowhere inside the cavern...


	Early travelers in this area used to stop here to drink the water the flowed from Rick's Spring, thinking that they were sipping pure spring water. They had no idea they were simply drinking river water that just happened to run underground for a while. Now that we know the secret of Rick's Spring, it's probably not a good idea to drink the water, as nearby signs will warn you.

When I was there, the place needed a little TLC. Bushes were growing wild over the boardwalk, that leads up to the mouth of the "spring". Even so, it's a nice place to stop for a few minutes.

... until you finally reach Logan Canyon Summit, the highest point on the byway. There's a good view of Bear Lake in the distance. There's also a rest area here, that's staffed with friendly people and stocked with local tourism guides. If you hadn't already picked up a guide to the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway, you can find one here. Unfortunately though, you've already passed up most of the attractions along the road.

At the bottom of the hill, the Logan Canyon Byway dead-ends. If you went straight, you'd end up in Bear Lake. US 89 turns left (north), taking you through the town of Garden City, which has built its reputation around raspberries. The most popular item on the menus of several restaurants that line the road is the raspberry shake, and it would be simply wrong to drive through here and not drink one. I got mine at the Home Town Drive-In, along with the hamburger. The burger was nothing special, but the raspberry shake was incredible.


	US 89 continues north alongside Bear Lake. You're close enough to see the lake, but most of the time there's private property between the road and the water. Not long after you cross into Idaho, the north end of the lakebed dries up, then vanishes in your rear-view.

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Loved your site. As a local I think you did a great job showing off this little place I call home. Well Done!!! If you come again stop by and say hello.

--- Alan Jacobsen

Utah's US 89 - Logan Canyon Scenic Byway Logan to Bear Lake

Second Dam

Rick's Spring

Utah's US 89 - Logan Canyon Scenic Byway
Logan to Bear Lake