March 23, 2015 - INTRO

It is with great pleasure and excitement that I begin a biweekly article dedicated to hiking in the Tushar Mountains. This is Jesse McMullin, writing to you from my home in North Creek, in plain view of Mt.Baldy, Shelly Baldy and Johnson Peak.

April 6, 2015 - HIKE

BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS! The Fire Crew will be present and administering PRESCRIBED BURNS this summer - if the trail is CLOSED - DO NOT ENTER!!! Allow at least two hours to check out Big Cove because round trip mileage to the second terrace is 4 miles and round trip to the logworm fence is 5.5. Some of the downhill can be steep and you shouldn't rush the trip down.

April 18, 2015 - HIKE

One word to describe this weeks hike is “charming”. It is a short 1.5 mile loop that has a bit of everything wonderful about hiking. Shady pine trees, a crystal clear stream, soft rich black soil, moss draping off damp cliffs, two stream crossings, sunny clearings, and most impressively, the BIG TREE!

May 1, 2015 - HIKE

So on to an awesome short hike to a raging 60 foot waterfall! Did you even know there is a 60 foot waterfall in the Tushar’s that is easy to get to?

May 15, 2015 - HIKE

Ponderosa opened for business last week and I hope it will be well used and loved this summer. It is located at MM 9 up Beaver Canyon and most of my readers have great memories there of wedding receptions, school reunions, dutch oven cook-offs, and even retirement parties, Von!

June 1, 2015 - HIKE

It still looks like winter on the mountain tops, so lets do one more hike at lower elevations. The north end of the Tushar mountains is STILL stabilizing after the 2010 Twitchell wildfire and many trails are severly eroded, however this little beauty called the Joe Lott trail was 100% unaffected and is in excellent condition.

June 16, 2015 - HIKE

We are so lucky here in Beaver to have such amazing drinking water straight from the tap, but have you ever wondered where the city’s culinary water actually comes from. This weeks hike up South Fork of Baker Canyon will answer this question and reveal a route that past generations used to access the high country, timber products, and water to quench their needs as well.

June 26, 2015 - HIKE

The hike from Britts Meadow up to Big Flat is my new favorite hike to do with a group of people. Forest trail #228 goes right up Hy Hunt creek on a gentle grade, the tread is wide, the temps are cooler, wildlife is abundant, and you can leave one vehicle at the far end of the trail to make one way mileage only 3.5 miles.

July 10, 2015 - HIKE

July is here and it certainly is a busy month with dozens of fun things to do. However, I do hope you’ll be able to slow down and smell the roses, wild roses that is. The wild flowers up Lousy Jim Creek are fantastic and this trail is accessed right off pavement so any car can get there. You’ll gain only 500 feet elevation over a one mile route while passing nature’s palette of colorful blooms.

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This hike was a game changer for me! I am now able to feed my alpine addiction every day because I moved to Beaver and I feel like the luckiest man in the world!

August 11, 2015

I wanted to focus on trails that you can get to without 4x4 or ATV’s, thereby appealing to more folks.  I see too many kids these days who don’t get out because their parents don’t get out.  Please go try an activity that doesn’t require a controller or a password.  These are your public lands,  this is your life, and it is your health at stake if you don’t get up and MOVE!  

August 24, 2015

Sweat. Sweat and eye candy is one way to summarize this weeks hike in the heart of the Tushar Range. Trail 176 runs up and down the spine of Tushar Ridge, beginning near Three Creeks Reservoir then climbing easterly through Eagle Point Ski Resort and ending at the 10,000 ft. elevation sign on highway 153's summit.

September 11, 2015

This easy hike along the South Fork of the Beaver River has the potential to be a “number one, Solid Gold Hit!” This route is perfect for a family hike and I imagine many of us will hit the Kents Lake Road to see the autumn leaves and this hike would be ideal to get out of the car for a bit and stretch the legs.

September 25, 2015

The highest peak in the Tushar's is also the most visited, and rightfully so. With unbeatable views, a trailhead only 20 miles from Beaver, and the fact that your hard working car delivers you to 10,500 feet above sea level, the final 1600 feet of climb are yours to earn and test your determination.

October 14, 2015

Anyone who’s driven up Beaver Canyon would recognize Merchant Valley, it’s where the views become expansive, the highway finally levels off, and where wild animals and domestic cows love to hang out. The main stem of Merchant Creek drains country to the north of the Ski Resort, and East of Big John’s Flat, fed by Mt Holly’s west slopes. But there’s much more country drained by the West Fork of Merchant Creek and therefore more water and one heck of a hiking trail.

October 27, 2015

Bust out the warm clothes, gloves and beanies. It's finally blustery enough out there to need all your expensive gear, and I love it!

April 13, 2016

Well hello again! This is Jesse McMullin picking up where we left off last October, with my journey in and around the Tushar Mountains. I write this article to share my hiking adventures in hopes that some of you will come out and see how cool these mountains above Beaver really are.

April 27, 2016

One of my favorite things about living in the Rocky Mountains is how close we live to wild and remote places. But to take advantage of this, you must get out there and see it for yourself. I’ll share with you my most recent hike out at South Creek which ends atop a low elevation ridgeline called Thompson Ridge and affords wide open views to the south.

May 11, 2016

This week we take a hike out to the pink rock quarry, where Beaver’s settler’s sourced blocks to build their homes. I was afraid it would be hard to make an exciting story from a tame little 1.2 mile walk, but boy do I have a lot to say!

May 28, 2016

We have all been patiently waiting for the repairs to Indian Creek road to be completed, and the time has come to get back up in there. This really fun road leads to beautiful places and to one fun hike where the tree’s have been painted blue, and that why I’m calling it the “Smurf Forest Hike!”

June 3, 2016

At the northwest corner of the Beaver Ranger District is a hiking trail that gets cooler and cooler the farther you go. Cool in the literal sense because you leave a hot, dry trailhead at 6700’ and when you enter the shade of the forest and deep canyon it really feels nice.

June 17, 2016

“My horse is give out. I lost my cows. Not enjoying. July 1, 2006. Wyatt B.” This is one of the funniest and longest winded statements I ever did see carved on an aspen tree.

July 6, 2016

Happy fourth of July everyone! What a splendid time to get into the mountains for a myriad of fun activities. I hope some of you will enjoy a hike in the Tushars with friends or loved ones because almost all of our high elevation routes are open and free of snow. This week I got to hike and bike on the southern half of the Skyline Nat’l Recreation Trail and it was amazing.

July 20, 2016

You’ve got to make plans to get up high this summer and check out the views from the top of the Tushars! The Poison Creek gate was opened July 11th, allowing you to drive on the Paiute ATV trail clear through to Bullion Pasture and down Beaver Creek into Marysvale.

July 29, 2016

Thank heaven for our cool, heavenly Tushar Mountains. So many of us feel the draw up to the cooler temperatures in the pine forests 5000 feet above town. The heat was getting intolerable last week and so I decided I’d better keep writing about high elevation hikes.

August 12, 2016

If you find yourself near Anderson Meadow Reservoir for the great fishing, consider a hike out to Rock Lake, after the fish stop biting of course.  Rock Lake is one of several ponds out near the head of South Creek,  on the southern end of Birch Creek Peak.  

August 29, 2016

Right now is a great time for you to check out some remote hiking trails at some very high altitudes. One in particular comes to mind because Paiute County just graded the Big John’s road (F.R. 123), the cool, wet weather keeps the dust down, and the first three miles of this hike (from the top down) were recently cleaned for horsemen and hikers.

September 9, 2016

I implore you to make time this next month to stroll through the autumn colors. This week’s hike will satisfy your itch to take a “leaf drive” and will get your feet some mileage through a fun and scenic hike in the heart of the Tushars. By the time you’re reading this article, the cold nights of September will really yellow-up those aspen tree’s in the mountains. Those beautiful stands of aspen are the reason I’m calling this the Golden Ridge Hike, and it’s a limited time offer, so get the heck up here to bask in Nature’s glory!

September 23, 2016

This week I’m describing a hike on the Circleville side of the mountain that can be short and sweet, or can be an arduous adventure over hill and over dale touching bottom in several drainages as you contour the southern side of Circleville Mountain. The first half mile of trail above Birch Creek campground is very pretty with open clearings created by a wildfire, filled in with sagebrush, elderberry, wild rose, grasses, snowberry, and other flowers and feed.

October 7, 2016

Remember a few articles back when I mentioned a mining era hydro-electric plant in Fish Creek? Well, this week’s hike takes advantage of the power pole’s efficient route from Fish Creek southwesterly towards North Creek. A section of that line ran between Indian Creek and North Fork of North Creek over a low saddle, revealing how close the head’s of these two canyons are.

April 26, 2017

This week’s hike is in the heart of Beaver Canyon and takes you to “the Big Tree” a new way. You will see sections of pipeline that conduct the Beaver River’s water to generate power at the Telluride Station. The hike starts at the Telluride barn.

May 4, 2017

As the weather finally heats up I have found the perfect lower elevation hike to keep you cool because this little canyon called Grassy Canyon runs north and south so the only time it’s unpleasantly warm is high noon. Grassy is only 25 minutes north of Beaver up Indian Creek and the drive is suitable for any passenger car.

May 20. 2017

I think this trail could be one of the top five most easily accessed and user friendly hikes in the Tushar Range! It is a great beginner hike and will help you acclimate to thinner air and has options to return on the same trail, jog two miles back on the Three Creeks road, or venture further into the woods by connecting to the Hy Hunt trail # 228.

June 2, 2017

Don’t you think it’s time you try something or somewhere NEW. Variety is the spice of life, so they say, and the Tushar Mountains have many different types of hiking to offer. Not only could you explore a whole new side of the range, but you may consider going for an outdoor adventure at an unusual time, like I did for this week’s hike.

June 18, 2017

Take a towel because on a hot day you may be tempted to find the “Cave Shower” and cool off. Get off the couch this summer and get “Into the Tushars!”

July 4, 2017

So last week I got a wild hair idea to take a flag to the top of Shelly Baldy and plant it on top to see if I could see it from my house afterwards. Well I could! And that was pretty cool. Here is how I got to the top, but you are FREE to CHOOSE you own way!

July 18, 2017

This is a good hike into rarely seen country and is a 3 mile spur off the Skyline Trail, definately high country; and there are still snow patches at the head of Bear Hole.

August 1, 2017

This week’s adventure is an off-piste hike with a high degree of difficulty. “Off-piste” is a term used at ski resorts for when you leave the groomed runs. This hike has a moderate elevation gain of 1300 feet and I consider it difficult because there’s really no established route to the summit of Circleville Mountain.

August 15, 2017

This week’s hike should appeal to all because it is an easy, stunning, alpine hike with little elevation gain and the drive to get there is 100% paved. This family friendly walk in the woods takes you from the highway summit west of Puffer Lake north to the the foot of Mount Holly to intersect with the Skyline National Recreation Trail.

August 29, 2017

We are still right in the middle of high elevation hiking season, so just because school has started, don’t think that summer is over! You do need to get up to hike the Skyline trail if you haven’t already and this week’s hike is a northern extension of the National Recreation trail #225.

September 13, 2017

I had an absolute blast doing the research for this week’s hike! I was thinking this piece of trail connecting Big Flat to LeBaron Reservoir would be boring to write about, but I was SO wrong.

September 27, 2017

I have been waiting 2 years to write this article and am so excited to reveal a hike that I believe could have the greatest positive impact on our community. If you have enjoyed reading these articles about hiking in the mountains above Beaver, then read this one and share it with others, because this is an important one! The longest trail on our forest (26 miles!), the closest one to town, and one that is low enough elevation to be used year round, has been hiding in obscurity for nearly forty years.

April 27, 2018 -HIKE

I 100% guarantee you will not see another soul on this trail. That’s a shame because this hike up trail 071, North Fork of City Creek, is beautiful, shady, not very steep, parallels a stream, and offers the widest array of different plant and tree species of any hike I can think of.

May 11, 2018 - HIKE

I was ecstatic when the trails crew and I, in 2013, rediscovered this last section of trail that goes steeply down a sandy hillside and lands in a gorgeous, but tiny meadow of sagebrush and aspen.

May 19, 2018

I’d like to compare myself to Liam Neeson from the movie “Taken”, except the line I use is,”I have a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over eight years of trails crew, I will look for you, I will flag you, and I WILL CUT YOU!!!”

March 29, 2018 - EXTREME SKI ADVENTURE

This is absolutely not an adventure I’m inviting you to attempt, I’m simply trying to make you aware of what amazing world class mountain activities are available right behind Beaver, Utah!

June 15, 2018

Trail #246 is a walk in the park, literally, for the first 1.2 miles, it is as flat as a pancake and the only hard thing about it is the thin air at 9800’! But once this trail starts climbing at the end of the historic logging road that it is, it goes 600 feet STRAIGHT up.

July 4, 2018

This is an intermediate to advanced hike though, taking into account it is all at 11’000’ and it’s not an official trail shown on maps. It is also 9.7 miles up the Big John’s road(F.R. 123) which is dirt road and has some narrow, hairpin turns and NOT enjoyed by acrophobics.

July 18, 2018

This week’s hike will take you to a very problematic spot, from a trail maintenance point of view, on Forest Service land that burned in 2010 during the Twitchell Canyon Fire. The Serviceberry trail from Sawmill Bench down into Fish Creek (Tr. #049) has caused me a roller coaster of emotions since 2011 when I started cleaning trail for the Beaver Ranger District.

August 1, 2018

I’m having to get creative to find fresh hikes, but that’s good because thinking outside the box leads to new discoveries, it sharpens your skills, and stimulates the brain! This week I honed my route finding skills by summiting a peak you should try that’s rarely visited and is super worth the effort, Little Shelly Baldy, near the end of the road in Indian Creek.

August 15, 2018

How long does it take for a name carved into a tree to become interesting or of historical value? 10 years after the act, 50 years, or only after the carver has kicked the bucket! Or Never?, all it does is de-value a pristine natural setting. This is a topic I want you to contemplate while you hike a 7 mile loop into Patterson Hollow from the Birch Lake area where names on trees span every decade from 1890 to the present.