Avon Road to Willard Peak Road

smfulle

Active Member
Location
Plain City, UT
My friend from work, Robert, in his Toyota pickup, and I, in my 48 Willys CJ2a, started out from North Fork in Ogden Valley, heading north on the Avon road. This road is a pretty good dirt road that a car could travel on if necessary. This is the route that the RAGNAR, Wasatch Back Relay run takes when coming south from Logan. There are several little scenic side loops that you can take that a little bit more challenging, but mostly this is a scenic tour.


We traveled up the switch backs on the Avon road and got a really great view of Ogden Valley. This picture is from a previous trip up the same road with my mom and dad, because I forgot to take a picture this trip.



When you get to the top there is a rock pile on the left where we crawled around a little then headed down the main road. There is a fence on the left side of the road and not too far down the road there is a break in the fence where a couple of steel posts have been set up to keep wide vehicles out. My CJ2A slipped right through and Robert’s Toyota made it through as well, although he rubbed the sidewall a little on one tire. Once through this fence, we went up the hill and on our way on a really fun, rocky, winding trail that headed west towards the back side of Ben Lomond and Willard Peak.


When we got up in a high meadow, I finally remembered to take some pictures.
These are of the back side of Ben Lomond and Willard Peaks.













This is looking north towards Cache Valley and what I think are the Wellsville Mountains.



Here’s Robert coming down the hill.



Another shot of Robert coming down another hill. We are heading west where we will hook up with the Willard Peak Road.






Here we are looking along the Willard Peak Road. When the snow is off you can pretty much get right up to the peak.






We went as high as we could go until we hit snow that we couldn’t get through. I eventually got through this spot, but only got a few dozen yards more before I didn’t dare go any further.








When I got turned around and was heading back down, I decided to try the low side of the snow bank rather than the high side where I managed to get by going up. BAD IDEA. Got really stuck and Robert had to give me a little pull to get out. No harm done, that’s why you carry a tow strap.



Even thought it was downhill, the snow was soft and heavy, too heavy to power through.



Once out we stopped at a shady spot on the way down and ate our sandwiches.





We then headed on down to the town of Mantua and then onto Highway 89 and back south to Ogden.
Fun day, fun ride. You couldn’t ride this trail on anything wider than a Toyota pickup. If Robert’s tires had been any wider he wouldn’t have made it through the two “gates” where the steel posts were set up to keep out wider vehicles. This would be a really fun ride on an ATV.
 

OB1

Active Member
Location
West Point
Luv the old jeep wheeling reports. Do you have a name for the CJ2a? Would like to wheel with you sometime if I can ever get back to Utah for any length of time.
 

smfulle

Active Member
Location
Plain City, UT
This jeep was my grampa's hunting rig. I went on lots of adventures in it when i was a little kid and the jeep was parked behind the garage. We would sit in it and not go anywhere but pretend to go everywhere a bunch of elementary school aged kids could think of. That's why this jeep's name is "Grampa's Jeep". I've called it that since i could first climb into the seat. That is also why i have the vanity plate.
 

CobraNutt

Active Member
Location
Salt Lake City
What an awesome old Jeep! Love it! Nice write up as well! Sounds like a nice little trip to take one of these days! Any camping areas up there that I could haul my offroad trailer to?
 

CobraNutt

Active Member
Location
Salt Lake City
Wait...you guys fit a Toyota between these posts?! I'm impressed!
IMG_0676-XL.jpg

Spent the night last night near the top of Avon pass...terrific area! Thanks for sharing your trip report..it inspired my over-nighter!
I need to go explore more!
 
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OrvisKrawler

Captain Obvious
Location
Eden UT
heres what i know and what ive heard, years ago they totally closed it, they were having problems with drunk rednecks trying to drive through the ranchers stock ponds and turning them into mud pits, then a few years later the posts went in and they opened it to 4wheelers and bikes, but the posts on the other end got ripped out by someone so you could take a full size in from the mantua side but get stuck at the gate at the avon side, so people tore the fence down, then people started bypassing the entrance, I really hope that this is not what this toyota did, those posts are really close together, and I dont see how it could have fit though, last time I was up there on my dirt bike there was a black 4 runner stuck in one of the stock ponds right as you come out of the canyon up on top, his buddy was trying to pull him out but wasnt having any luck, anyway there are not supposed to be any 4x4's on this side (avon side) bikes and 4wheelers only
 

smfulle

Active Member
Location
Plain City, UT
I may need more education, but my understanding is if you fit between the posts, your legal to go. We did NOT go around the posts. We went between them.
 

OrvisKrawler

Captain Obvious
Location
Eden UT
there used to be a carbonite thing there and one of the logos on it was a jeep with a slash through it, doesnt look like its there anymore though, probably got ripped out by drunk rednecks
 

CobraNutt

Active Member
Location
Salt Lake City
See, Toyotas are ok then.
Hahaha! :rofl:

No way was my Liberty going through there! They are pretty close together! Even some of the newer OHV's might be a tight fit! I was really hoping to see some of that area! Oh well...I still had a great drive and camp out up at the top of the pass. :) Beautiful country right now since it's all still green!
 

utandy

New Member
New user here, first post! This is the info I've been looking all over for, sort of...the in-laws are coming into town next week and we're renting a couple of RZRs. I've heard Inspiration Point is a worthwhile ride, but we're renting in Eden and I've been up Avon Pass Rd before from the Liberty side, so I was hoping to keep it simple and head up that way from the gun range.

Orvis, To your knowledge, would you think RZRs are in that 'allowed' category with ATVs and dirt bikes that you refer to?

I found the forest service map the other night that lists that Forest Trail 620 as use for "Wheeled Non-Highway Legal Vehicles Wider than 50 inches", so I'm thinking we'd be ok? Though the map does seem to show that trail passing through some private land perhaps? Any additional info would be much appreciated, thanks!
 

CobraNutt

Active Member
Location
Salt Lake City
Welcome to the fun!

There were a pair of quads and a four seater side by side headed through there when I was up that way a couple weekends ago. Can't speak about the private land use though.

Sent from my KFJWI using Tapatalk
 

smfulle

Active Member
Location
Plain City, UT
A lot of that area is private land, but as long as you stay on the trail you are fine. I just looked up the dimensions of a razor. They are 64 inches wide. My little Willys is 57 inches. I didn't see any signs that said 50 inches, but i could have missed it. At 64 inches a. Razor might not mske it between those steel pipes. That having been said, there are other roads to explore in the area that are not size restricted. If you keep going north on the Avon road, there is another road that goes west. I haven't been all the way down it, but I'm told that it also hooks up with the road from Mantua. Check your maps, but i'm sure you could have a good day's fun up there.
 

utandy

New Member
Thanks, guys!

smfulle, Would you have a guess as to how long it took you to get from those posts to the fork in the road that takes you down to Mantua?
 
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