Intermountain Region

From I-215 out of Salt Lake City, UT, take the 3800 S. exit. Turn right on Parkview Drive (4245 S.) and then left on Park Terrace Drive (4260 E.). Turn right on White Way (4275 S.) and follow road to White's Park where the Neff's Canyon Trailhead is located.

The north slope of Mount Olympus ascends above you from the trailhead and large triangular ridge exposures of Tintic Quartzite are apparent from the trail. In the beginning, the trail follows an old road with remnants of pipelines that once carried irrigation waters to the farmlands below. The road soon gives way to a small stream and then a footpath that continues up alluvium deposits. On the south slope, Tintic Quartzite is still visible. The Humbug Formation with its thrust faults and deformation is seen on the north slope. As the trail continues upward, it crosses a small normal fault and then passes the Gardison Limestone, Deseret Limestone, and Fitchville formations. Just before reaching the meadow, the trail crosses a glacial moraine (Parry, 2005).

East of Kamas, UT, follow Highway 150 along the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway towards Evanston, WY.

Between the Bald Mountain Pass and Hayden Peak Overlook, glacial remnants of an erosive ice age abound. Glacial erratics, moraines, and kettle lakes can be seen all along the way.

Before the glacial activity left its mark, Pre-Cambrian basement rocks forming the Uinta Mountain Group and Paleozoic rocks were pushed upward as part of the Uinta Mountain anticline. Major faults along the flanks of the anticline are also apparent (Chronic, 1990.).

East of Kamas, UT, follow Highway 150 along the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway towards Evanston, WY.

Immediately, upon looking out over the canyon at the Slate Gorge Overlook, you will see the colorful Precambrian strata, namely the Uinta Mountain group. Its reddish, gray, and black shale and sandstone stands out. Notice that there is no slate in sight. Misnamed, probably for the dark gray slate appearance of the rock, the shale actually breaks differently than slate would. Shale breaks along bedding planes whereas slate breaks parallel to them. White Tintic quartzite glacial boulders are also present in the landscape (Chronic, 1990).

East of Kamas, UT, follow Highway 150 along the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway towards Evanston, WY.

A large faulted anticline makes up the Uinta Mountain Range and the Bald Mountain Pass and Overlook is one of a few great places to see the Uintah Mountains and all their geologic beauty. 

Driving to this overlook, one will see horizontal layers of Precambrian rocks, the Uinta Mountain group, as they show off their colors of green-gray shale and orange quartzite. At the overlook itself, some of the oldest known fossils, algae (known more specifically as stromatolites), have been found in the evenly bedded layers of light gray limestone. Look for bumps on the flat rock surfaces. These represent the fossil remains of these ancient algal structures.

All around Bald Mountain remains the evidence of glacial activity. Glacial erratics, ground moraines, and an abundance of small lakes testify of an erosive ice age (Chronic, 1990).

5.2 miles up Logan Canyon Scenic Byway ( Utah 89).

Years of wind and water have worn a delicate triple arch and natural cave into the limestone outcropping at the top of this 2 mile trail. Also known as the Witch's Castle, this fascinating formation provides a clear view of the China Wall. Interpretive kiosks at the trailhead provide information about the trail.

Logan Canyon Scenic Byway (Utah 89).

This rock is the cemented sand of an ancient beach deposit in early Ordovician time some 400 million years ago. The seaweed-like structures and the rock are the castings, filled burrows, and trails of marine worms.

15.7 miles up Logan Canyon Scenic Byway ( Utah 89).

Historically, Ricks Spring was used as a mountain spring water source until visitors became ill after drinking from it. Ice jams on the Logan River in 1972 and dye traces led scientists to find that the water of Ricks Spring was actually coming directly from the Logan River through a fracture in the rock. Folded rocks gave way to fractures and it is evident one of these fractures allows the river water to seep through the rock and exit at Ricks Spring. Great interpretive signs point out the folding and fracturing as well as denote who the spring was named after.

1. From the I-15/U.S. Highway 89 interchange in Farmington, head north on U.S. Highway 89 for 10.7 miles to a sign indicating the route to Morgan and Evanston. Turn right (east) on I-84 and travel approximately 23 miles to the scenic viewpoint turnoff located after milepost 110.

2. From the southern I-15/I-80 interchange in Salt Lake City; head 11.3 miles east on I-80 to exit 134 (Mountain Dell Recreation exit). Travel north on Utah State Highway 65 for 27.7 miles to the town of Henefer. Turn left (west) and proceed 1 mile to I-84. Turn left (west) onto I-84 and travel 2 miles to the scenic viewpoint turnoff located just after milepost 111.

Devils Slide is a classic example of how different rock layers, depending on their composition, are affected by weathering and erosion. The sides of the slide are hard, weather-resistant limestone layers about 40 feet high, 25 feet apart, and several hundred feet in length. In between these two hard layers is a shaley limestone that is slightly different in composition from the outer limestone layers. This middle layer is softer, which makes it more susceptible to weathering and erosion, thus forming the chute of the slide.

Looking like a large playground slide fit only for the Devil, this site is a tilted remnant of sediments deposited in a sea that occupied Utah’s distant geologic past. Approximately 170 to 180 million years ago, a shallow sea originating from the north spread south and east over areas of what are now Montana, Wyoming, and Utah. This sea extended as far east as the present-day Colorado River and south into northern Arizona.

Over millions of years, massive amounts of sediment accumulated and eventually formed layers of limestone and sandstone. In northern Utah, these rocks are known as the Twin Creek Formation and are approximately 2700 feet thick. About 75 million years ago, folding and faulting during a mountain- building episode tilted the Twin Creek rock layers to a near-vertical position. Subsequent erosion has exposed the near-vertical rock layers and created Devils Slide. 

From:  Survey Notes, Utah geological Survey, v. 35, April 2003.