Logan, UT Summary

photo by gusto

Logan is in the north of the state, near the Idaho border, in the picturesque Cache Valley. First settled by Mormon pioneers around 1856, Logan (population 38,132) is largely a farming and university community.

Home to Utah State University, Logan provides a range of cultural activities in addition to showcasing modern art and photography at the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art. During the summer, the Old Lyric Theater is worth visiting for a great musical performance. Logan’s quiet streets are nice for a lateafternoon stroll.

It is also worth embarking on a self-guided tour. The town is well known for its splendid nineteenth-century architecture and the Logan Mormon Temple, which is a feature of the town’s cityscape.

The Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum, located at the Chamber of Commerce along historic Main Street, displays a collection of Mormon pioneer artifacts and vintage fiddles.

Many of Logan’s domestic visitors come to visit the Cache Valley Cheese Plant, at the nearby hamlet of Amalga, and to traverse the 41-mile scenic drive to Logan Canyon. The road traces the Wasatch-Chache National Forest and a series of steep cliffs before reaching the Bear River Mountains, where numerous hiking trails bring into view a blaze of aspen and maple trees, and ravines.

During the winter, the Beaver Ski Resort caters to the local population, who prefer to race downhill on its quieter powder slopes without the encumbrance of tourists.

During summer, the area is transformed into pocket campgrounds and hiking trails.

Spring Hollow is the perfect base to begin some grueling hiking treks around Logan Canyon. At the summit of the canyon, a splendid vista brings into view Bear Lake and the impenetrable treetops of Caribou National Forest in neighboring Idaho.

Nestled at the base of Wellsville Mountain, to the west, are some challenging hiking trails that take in its summit of nearly 8,500 feet.

Elk, deer, and hawks often search for food on the upper slopes. In winter, visitors can take a horsedrawn sleigh ride out to the elk herds, which gather at the Hardware Ranch, south by Hwy 165.

At the end of summer, Logan’s population swells to over 90,000 during the eight-day Festival of the American West. At the American West Heritage Center every activity from panning gold to a Wild West show is staged in a model frontier town. Also part of the center is the Jensen Historical Farm and the Man and His Bread Museum. People dressed as fur-trappers, woolly mountain men, and farmers act as interpretive guides and demonstrate what it was like to farm the land nearly 100 years ago.