Utah Scenic Drives: Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway

What You'll See Along Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway

Situated amid mountainous terrain and pine forests, Utah's Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway, also known as the Energy Loop, runs through Utah's beautiful backyard.
Travelers come from miles away to fish the trout-filled waters along the route or to enjoy a picnic in the beautiful forest surroundings. You can also see signs of red rock country.

Deriving its name from the rich coal-mining history of the
area, the Energy Loop combines two of Utah's byways: the Huntington Canyon Scenic Byway and the Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway.

Along the way, you can see early Mormon settlements in Sanpete Valley or visit unique museums in the byway communities. Towns from Scofield to Huntingtonrevere the days when coal mining was the livelihood of so many of their ancestors. As you pass today's mines, note the harmony between the environment and industrial development.

Archaeological Qualities of Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway

The Energy Loop and the surrounding areas in central Utah offer an archaeological menagerie for visitors of any knowledge level. As you pass places on the byway, informational kiosks offer stories and facts about the archaeological past of the area.

Huntington Reservoir is especially notable for its excavation of the 27-foot mammoth skeleton that was found in 1988. Other excavations in the area have yielded a short-faced bear, a giant ground sloth, a saber-toothed tiger, and a camel, all from an ice age long ago. Examples and casts of these archaeological finds can be seen in museums on and near the byway, the most significant being the College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum.

While the Energy Loop is most famous for the mammoth skeleton that was found at the Huntington Reservoir, other treasures await visitors as well. Museums in the area -- such as the Fairview Museum, the Museum of the San Rafael in Castle Dale, and the College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum -- feature artifacts of human inhabitants from the recent past of the pioneers to the more distant past of the Fremont Indian culture. Near the byway, you can travel through Nine Mile Canyon, a place that has more than 1,000 sites of pictographs and petroglyphs left on the rocks by an ancient people.

You will also find tributes to dinosaurs in many of the area museums. Not only have ice-age mammals been found; the area also holds an extensive dinosaur quarry. East of Huntington, the Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry is a place where 145-million-year-old bones and fossils from the Jurassic Period are uncovered by paleontologists.

The reconstructed skeletons and exhibits in the visitor center and area museums provide a vast amount of information on these creatures of the past. From millions of years ago to just hundreds of years ago, the Energy Loop and its surrounding areas have much to offer in the way of archaeological exploration.

Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway Information Length: 86 miles Time to allow: 11/2 to 4 hours States it runs through: Utah Cities it runs through: Fairview, Huntington Considerations: Because sections of the Energy Loop climb to altitudes above 10,000 feet, dress warmly during all seasons. Certain roads may be closed in winter due to heavy snowfall.

Cultural Qualities of Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway

The cultural patchwork of the area begins with the Fremont Indians. These people moved into the area sometime between A.D. 300 and 500. Although they were a primitive people, they left behind artifacts of a culture in their rock art, baskets, and figurines.

The Fremont Indians usually lived in pit houses made of wood and mud that were entered through an opening in the roof. The weapons and tools of this culture were much different than neighboring American Indian cultures, indicating the unique existence of the Fremonts. By the time European settlers reached the area, the Fremont Indian culture had disappeared.

Settlers who came to the area in the early 1800s found an untamed wilderness with many resources. Ranchers found meadows with grass that was perfect for grazing livestock. Coal was one of the most important resources found in the area, and as a result, coal-mining towns sprang up all around.

The coal-mining culture was a society of hardworking men, women, and children who worked in and around the mines -- often at the peril of their own lives. Their story can be found in places like the Scofield Cemetery and several deserted towns. Coal mining, power plants, and hydroelectric power harnessed in the reservoirs are all still present today. These all play a direct part in the name of this byway -- the Energy Loop.

Historical Qualities of Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway

Few areas in the United States can boast of undiscovered and diverse historical resources the way the area surrounding the Energy Loop can. Travelers along the route see a variety of important historical landmarks, including Native American historical sites, Spanish exploration routes, and the early Mormon settlements that have grown into towns. You are in for a diverse historical experience not likely to be matched as you visit the historic coal-mining and railroad industries that have deep roots in the area, along with the small-town museums in the byway communities.

View Enlarged Image This map will guide you along Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway.

Natural Qualities of Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway

The Energy Loop abounds with natural resources that make it the scenic and productive area that it is. All along the byway, you see evidence of energy -- harnessed or unharnessed -- on the Energy Loop. Places like the Skyline Mine and the Huntington Power Plant bring natural fuels to the surface, while canyons and wildflowers bring scenic nature to the surface. With these natural qualities combined, the Wasatch Plateau is a thriving habitat for both wildlife and people.

Through ancient fault lines and geological uplifts, the canyons and valleys along the byway present a unique topography and beautiful places to stop or pass. Red rocks of sandstone line the walls of Huntington Canyon, while Eccles Canyon takes drivers through forested ridges and grassy meadows. Because of the thick forests of maple, aspen, and oak, the fall is a colorful time in the canyons of the Energy Loop.

For the same reasons that this area is rich with prehistoric fossils, it is also rich with coal. The coal in this area was formed nearly 100 million years ago, when plants were covered by land or water. The plant matter was compressed by sediment and hardened into the carbon substance we call coal. Although you may not see any coal, its presence is one of the unique natural qualities of the Energy Loop.

As you drive the byway, the natural splendor that surrounds the road is impossible to ignore. Streams rush by with trout hiding just near the banks. Mature forests of aspen and pine create a lush habitat for wildlife that lives on the byway. You may catch a glimpse of a fox or a badger.

The wetlands of the Fairview Lakes are the best place on the Energy Loop to observe waterfowl or perhaps a bald eagle. The meadows, streams, and forests all combine to create the perfect habitat for creatures great and small. On the mountaintops, birds of prey circle near the clouds while chipmunks scurry through open fields. And in the spring and early summer, wildflowers dot the road and paint the ridgetops.

Recreational Qualities of Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway

All along the Energy Loop, cars are stopped at the sides of the roads, but the drivers are nowhere to be seen unless you check the river. Anglers come from all around to fish for the trout that swim in the waters of Huntington Creek. Fly fishers have their pick of cutthroat, brown, and rainbow trout when fishing the streams and rivers on the byway. Fishing in the six reservoirs along the byway is a common recreational activity.

Hiking and biking are activities worth trying along the Energy Loop. The rocks and cliffs of Huntington Canyon are an enticing invitation to explorers ready to hike along such diverse terrain. Tie Fork Canyon offers a hike among trees and wildflowers of every kind. Joes Valley is a stop that offers options for anglers and hikers.

Find more useful information related to Utah's Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway:

• Utah Scenic Drives: Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway is just one of the scenic byways in Utah. Check out the others.
• Huntington, Fairview: Find out what there is to do in these cities along Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway.
• Scenic Drives: Are you interested in scenic drives beyond Utah? Here are more than 100 scenic drives throughout the United States.
• How to Drive Economically: Fuel economy is a major concern when you're on a driving trip. Learn how to get better gas mileage.

Highlights of Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway

Wherever the starting point is on Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway, the road takes travelers through contrasting terrain that changes abruptly. The landscape of the Energy Loop is made up of different areas known as the San Rafael Swell and the Wasatch Plateau.

As you drive through these areas, notice the interplay between vegetation and terrain as it creates a scenic view. In some places, mountains are covered in pine and aspen, creating lush, forested canyons. In others, the vegetation is sparse among the red rock formations along the plateaus.

Driving through the beautiful stands of mature trees of the Manti-La Sal National Forest, you will notice mountain streams and winding inclines. The shades of light and dark clash directly with the pine and the aspen on the mountaintops of Eccles Canyon. The long grass in the meadows lines the banks of Huntington Creek, with some of the blades dipping down into the scurrying water below.

In the distance, you may catch a glimpse of an old log cabin or, perhaps, a bluebird perched on an old fence. Grass and sagebrush appear among the aspen at the tops of the mountains, and a stop at Sanpete Overlook offers a view of the sprawling mountains and valleys beyond overshadowed by clouds.

Tucked away on the corners of the Energy Loop are small communities and historic mining towns. These present a break in the route and an opportunity to drive the streets of the communities to see old buildings and cemeteries. Many of the towns like Scofield and Fairview offer informational kiosks or museums for exploration.

The alluring wilderness begins to appear at the south end of the byway in a swift transition from pine-forested mountains to rocky, red cliffs. Unique yellow and red rock formations with holes, crevasses, and trees scattered throughout are the results of an erratic art form of nature.

©Byways.org Colorful canyons are visible while driving along Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway.

Some of the rocks appear in vertical slabs wedged together to form a cliff. Others have pockmarks so distinct that, from a distance, they could be mistaken for an archaic language. Scenic turnouts are irresistible for photographing a rock formation against the sky or a river rushing through the canyons.

The scenic qualities of the Energy Loop are diverse and breathtaking. The byway stretches across the Wasatch Plateau, rising high through steep canyons and down into pristine valleys. Castle Valley is located on the eastern side of the byway at the edge of the dramatic San Rafael Swell near Huntington. This desert valley is gorgeous and in stark contrast with the forested canyons found between Huntington and Fairview. 

The Energy Loop makes its way up Huntington Canyon, over a high summit, and down into Fairview Canyon, where you are treated to extraordinary views of mountain slopes and the Sanpete Valley below. Streams, lakes, and reservoirs are abundant on the byway. At the higher elevations where the Huntington and Eccles Canyons intersect, you'll see U-shaped glacial valleys with rounded peaks and cirques cut by ancient glaciers.

Traveling from Fairview, this tour suggests scenic vistas that will make your visit to Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway a fulfilling one.

Electric Lake and Burnout Canyon: Beginning in Fairview, take UT 31 approximately ten miles to its junction with Highway 264. Follow 264 for about another ten miles, and you will come upon a turnout, along with a view of Burnout Canyon and Electric Lake. Electric Lake was constructed to provide power for the Huntington Power Plant. At the bottom of the lake lay old mines and kilns.

Scofield: Twelve miles past the Electric Lake Overlook on Highway 264, you will meet State Highway 96. Travel north for five miles to the historic town of Scofield, once the largest town in all of Carbon County. On May 1, 1900, one of the worst mining accidents in U.S. history claimed the lives of hundreds of miners. Visit the old cemetery to see the gravestones of the miners lost on that tragic day. A little farther north, Highway 96 runs beside Scofield State Park and Reservoir, which provides good trout fishing.

Sanpete Valley Overlook: Leave the Scofield area by heading south on Highway 96, following the road you came in on. Drive back to the junction of Highways 264 and UT 31, and follow UT 31 southeast toward the town of Huntington. Approximately seven miles from the junction, you will find another turnout that shows an impressive view of the Sanpete Valley.

Joes Valley Overlook: Continue traveling south for around eight miles on UT 31 to another scenic overlook. This turnout provides a view of Joes Valley below, a popular recreation area for locals.

Get a history lesson on coal mining and enjoy incredible mountain views as you travel the Huntington and Eccles Canyons Scenic Byways.

Find more useful information related to Utah's Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway:

• Utah Scenic Drives: Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway is just one of the scenic byways in Utah. Check out the others.
• Huntington, Fairview: Find out what there is to do in these cities along Huntington/Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway.
• Scenic Drives: Are you interested in scenic drives beyond Utah? Here are more than 100 scenic drives throughout the United States.
• How to Drive Economically: Fuel economy is a major concern when you're on a driving trip. Learn how to get better gas mileage.