Grizzly Gulch... Ever been there?

[cruiseroutfit]

Grizzly Gulch at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

Ever driven it? Hiked or biked it lately? Whats left?

USGS maps (circa 1955/75) show it as a "Jeep Road" heading up Grizzly Gulch. The road is approx. 1.2 miles from where it leaves the paved canyon road (near the Alta Gaurd Station)... It still looks fairly used from above (the Albion Basin Road)...

The road was used to service numerous mines including the Michigan-Utah Mine, and had several spur road (as indicated by maps and in person) that lead to countless other mines. I am most interested in the Michigan-Utah Mine, as it is supposed to connect to the Woodlawn mine which lies near the top of Honeycomb Canyon on the opposite side of the hill.

Tell me what you know...

 

[bobdog]

Good backcountry skiing.

 

[EZRhino]

Why do you bother posting, all you gotta do is call me, you know I have all the answers.

I have driven Griz Gulch Road in my old rodeo. Drove up to the Emma Mine and the Flagstaff as well. Michigan Utah connected with the Solitude Tunnel, not Woodlawn. The trouble with driving that area is 1) the start of it goes right by the Alta Town Marshall's office. 2) It is private land and/or USFS and they don't want anyone up there goofing around. We were lucky we didn't get caught the few times we went up.

EZ

 

[Cruiser]

Why do you bother posting, all you gotta do is call me, you know I have all the answers.


EZ

OK GOD

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Yes, my bad... It is the Kentucky Utah that connects to the Woodlawn...

Is the Solitude Mine the one we were looking for the other day? The day that we went to the Woodlawn?

I am going to hike up to the top of Grizzly.. I will probably start @ the Albion Basin parking lot.. Wanna go?

 

[EZRhino]

No, the Solitude Tunnel is elsewhere....yeah I wouldn't mind hiking up there. When? You need to load up on carbo's and jolt or somethin....my grandma hikes faster than you

EZ

 

[Cody]

I've built big jumps up there. Hard to tell what roads are there when they are under 5 feet of snow

 

[cruiseroutfit]

No, the Solitude Tunnel is elsewhere....yeah I wouldn't mind hiking up there. When? You need to load up on carbo's and jolt or somethin....my grandma hikes faster than you

EZ

Then where is the Solitude tunnel?


your grandma is a crack-addict...

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I've built big jumps up there. Hard to tell what roads are there when they are under 5 feet of snow

I bet... Sully went up there quite a few times last year boarding... but he didn't even know it had a name...

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Then where is the Solitude tunnel?...

Nevermind... it is SW of Lake Solitude... Any idea if it is open??? Michigan?

I want to hike up there in the next couple of days...

 

[EZRhino]

Nevermind... it is SW of Lake Solitude... Any idea if it is open??? Michigan?

I want to hike up there in the next couple of days...

If you can find the lake, you can find the mine, it's HUGE. It used to be open a few years ago....last time I was there it was filled in. Easy hike too...start at Brighton, takes 1/2 hour. (2 hours for Kurt) hehehehe

EZ

 

[cruiseroutfit]

If you can find the lake, you can find the mine, it's HUGE. It used to be open a few years ago....last time I was there it was filled in. Easy hike too...start at Brighton, takes 1/2 hour. (2 hours for Kurt) hehehehe

EZ

Hmmm... mabey tonight (I should really do some homework)...

I have been to Twin Lakes numerous times... but never around the hill to Lake Solitude (except in the winter )... "Filled in" as in caved or the pushed crap in front of it (like tons of the mines up Big, Little, AF, etc...

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Sullster and I are heading up there now... I will report back...

 

[EZRhino]

Hmmm... mabey tonight (I should really do some homework)...

I have been to Twin Lakes numerous times... but never around the hill to Lake Solitude (except in the winter )... "Filled in" as in caved or the pushed crap in front of it (like tons of the mines up Big, Little, AF, etc...

Filled in as in closed by mechanical means to keep people out. Thanks for the invitation.

EZ

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Filled in as in closed by mechanical means to keep people out. Thanks for the invitation.

EZ

Wanna go?

That is why I posted "Hmmm... mabey tonight"... to which you never replied...

Leaving soon... lemme know (call me) Not gonna be up there long... mabey 1 hourish...

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Sully and I just returned... check out at 25+ mines... there are nearly 100 on the LC side of the mountain alone.

We hiked up from the Albion basin road, crossed the canyon and ended up at the Michigan-Utah mine... From there we hiked up to the ridge betweel LC & LC Canyons (just below Davenport Hill)... There is a mine just 10 feet on the BC side (top of Silver Fork Canyon). We could look across the hill at the Prince of Wales mine and see the boiler.

Came down via the old road, hooked up to the Grizzy Gulch Road @ M-U mine and I took it down to the pavement via an older boulder choked road (read a cool trail!)

We did see a couple old shacks, all the mines were caved, collapsed, or blosked (man-made walls in the entrance). There was a COOL 6x6 truck, I-6 with a twin output transfer for the dual rear FF axles... the front, rear axle was low pinion, and the rear, rear axle was high pinion, with the driveshaft coming right over the front, rear axle. They must have been a ~14" ring gear... huge. The front axle was a closed knuckle (probably CV style) axle, with huge 6" drive plates...

Next time I plan to travel more East up to the top of Grizzly Gulch...

 

[chevtech]

Sully and I just returned... check out at 25+ mines... there are nearly 100 on the LC side of the mountain alone.

We hiked up from the Albion basin road, crossed the canyon and ended up at the Michigan-Utah mine... From there we hiked up to the ridge betweel LC & LC Canyons (just below Davenport Hill)... There is a mine just 10 feet on the BC side (top of Silver Fork Canyon). We could look across the hill at the Prince of Wales mine and see the boiler.

Came down via the old road, hooked up to the Grizzy Gulch Road @ M-U mine and I took it down to the pavement via an older boulder choked road (read a cool trail!)

We did see a couple old shacks, all the mines were caved, collapsed, or blosked (man-made walls in the entrance). There was a COOL 6x6 truck, I-6 with a twin output transfer for the dual rear FF axles... the front, rear axle was low pinion, and the rear, rear axle was high pinion, with the driveshaft coming right over the front, rear axle. They must have been a ~14" ring gear... huge. The front axle was a closed knuckle (probably CV style) axle, with huge 6" drive plates...

Next time I plan to travel more East up to the top of Grizzly Gulch...

I love that area. Actually stayed up there for about a month once when I was 14......... Too bad I missed your post yesterday. I haven't been up there for a while...........Let me know when you go next time. You want a fun hike try grizzly to Prince Of Whales over down beneath Davenport hill for lunch then drop into Days Fork for the Hike out. I used to mountain bike that route regularly. Best ride in the Wasatch front in my opinion.....You gotta be dedicated though. Lots of pushing/carrying the bike.......


There's also a mine shaft filled with water that is truly cool if you know where to look.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

... You want a fun hike try grizzly to Prince Of Whales over down beneath Davenport hill for lunch then drop into Days Fork for the Hike out. ...

Do you mean Silver Fork?

Dropping down into Days Fork, would also require you to hike over the next ridge to the West... Correct me if I'm wrong, but Days Fork is one canyon West of Silver Fork, which is the canyon that the Prince of Whales resides in... Next to the East (more NEE) is Honeycomb... correct?

 

[EZRhino]

Kurt, you think too much. Knock it off.

Technically you are correct, but as I recall from previous adventures, there is a trail that follows the ridge west, contours the west bowl of Silver Fork and drops over the ridge into the top of Days.

EZ

 

[chevtech]

Do you mean Silver Fork?

No.

Dropping down into Days Fork, would also require you to hike over the next ridge to the West... Correct me if I'm wrong, but Days Fork is one canyon West of Silver Fork, which is the canyon that the Prince of Whales resides in... Next to the East (more NEE) is Honeycomb... correct?

Correct.

Kurt, you think too much. Knock it off.

Technically you are correct, but as I recall from previous adventures, there is a trail that follows the ridge west, contours the west bowl of Silver Fork and drops over the ridge into the top of Days.

EZ

Yeppir!


The trail cuts right across the west bowl of Silverfork canyon. Days Fork is a long hike up especially to just turn around and go back down but Grizzly to Silverfork to Days is definitely liveable especially if you mountain bike down Days Fork (it's an awesome ride). Hardly any people in Days. Makes the Crest trail look like I-15.