Day 6 - Ely to Beaver, Utah
Highways today were east on US 50, into the Ward Charcoal Ovens State Park on White Pine County Roads 16 & 45 and back to US 50, south on State 487, into Great Basin National Park on State 488 and back to NV State 487/UT State 21 to Beaver. Google Map
The Grand Circle
Just east of Ely, we officially entered the Grand Circle and we will remain there until we pass out of it north of Provo, Utah on our way home. The Grand Circle encompasses five states, ten National Parks, and numerous National Monuments, State Parks, and Recreation Areas. Grand Circle Book
Scenic Byways, All-American Roads and dusty mountain backroads criss-cross the five states like wiggly worms connecting the forests, lakes, mountains, canyons. deserts. and archaeological sites that make up the Grand Circle. At the heart of the Grand Circle is the Four Corners area and the Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway. Grand Circle Map
US Highway 50, Nevada
US 50 crosses the central portion of Nevada, entering the west side of the state near Lake Tahoe and exiting the east side near Great Basin National Park. The route generally follows the historic corridor initially used for the Pony Express and Central Overland Route.
US 50 has a diverse route through the state, traversing the resort community of Lake Tahoe, the state capital in Carson City, State Historic Parks, petroglyphs, alpine forests, desert valleys, ghost towns, and Great Basin National Park. Connors Pass at 7,729 feet west of Majors Place in the Schell Creek Range is the highest point along US 50 in Nevada.
Loneliest Road in America
US 50 in Nevada was named "The Loneliest Road in America" by Life magazine in July 1986. The highway crosses several large desert valleys separated by seventeen mountain passes towering over the valley floors.
Cresting some of the passes requires navigating steep 8% grades and hairpin turns through pine forests that reach elevations of over 7,000 feet.
Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park
The final stop on our "Ely Tourist Tour" is Ward Charcoal Ovens State Park. Silver ore was discovered here in 1872. The Ward Mining District, located two miles north of the park, was then developed. In April 1875, the Martin & White Company from San Francisco invested money to extract silver ore, bought up several small claims, and built the smelting ovens for melting ores. The Ward Charcoal Ovens operated during the silver boom years of the Ward mines.
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| Ward Charcoal Ovens c 1960 |
The State Park features six beehive shaped charcoal ovens that were used from 1876 through 1879 to process rich silver ore that was discovered in the area.
Once mining ended, the ovens were used to shelter travelers and even had a reputation as a hideout for stagecoach bandits.
Great Basin National Park, Nevada
Great Basin National Park, established October 27, 1986, derives its name from the Great Basin, the dry and mountainous region between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Mountains. The park protects 80,000 acres of the basin and range landscape. The Park is notable for its groves of ancient Bristlecone Pines that are nearly 5,000 years old and the Lehman Caves at the base of Wheeler Peak.
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| Wheeler Peak |
Wheeler Peak
Wheeler Peak with an elevation of 13,065 feet is the tallest mountain in the Snake Range and the second highest peak in Nevada, just behind Boundary Peak. The top of the mountain is covered by deep snow most of the year.
The mountain is located in Great Basin National Park and was named for George Wheeler, leader of the Wheeler Survey of the late 19th century.
Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive
The mountain-hugging Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive is 12 miles of paved, steep road as it winds up to elevations of 10,000 feet. The average grade is 8%. The Scenic Drive beyond Upper Lehman Creek Campground is closed to vehicles longer than 24 feet. The upper nine miles of the road are closed in the winter.
The Scenic Drive goes past a pinyon-juniper forest in lower elevations. The air cools as much as 20-30 degrees during the climb. There are breathtaking overlooks of the Snake Range mountains. The Mather Overlook, is at an elevation of 9,000 feet and the Wheeler Overlook is the best place to see Wheeler Peak. Great Basin National Park Driving Map
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| Bristlecone Pine |
Bristlecone Pines
Bristlecone pines in Great Basin National Park grow in isolated groves just below the tree-line. Great Basin Bristlecone Pines are the oldest non-clonal species on the planet.
These strange trees, shaped by wind, snow, and rains that twist them into almost human-like forms, have survived over thousands of years, overseeing the rise and fall of great empires, growing through ice-ages and catastrophic volcanic eruptions.
Lehman Caves
Karen opted for the Lodge Room Tour that travels 0.4 miles and highlights the Gothic Palace, Music Room, and Lodge Room sections of Lehman Caves. I opted for the documentary film playing in the Lehman Visitor's Center.
Lehman Caves was established in 1922 as a national monument and was incorporated into Great Basin National Park when the park was established in 1986.
Lehman Caves is a large cavern at the base of the eastern slope of Wheeler Peak. It is made of light gray and white limestone that is honeycombed by tunnels and galleries containing a spectacular array of stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, flowstone, popcorn, and other cave deposits.
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| Clarence & Bea Rhodes Cabin |
Rhodes Cabin
Next to the Lehman Caves Visitor Center sits the historic Rhodes Cabin. The cabin was built in the 1928 by Clarence and Bea Rhodes, who were Forest Service custodians of Lehman Caves at the time.
It is one of several built to provide accommodations for visitors to Lehman Caves. Today it contains interpretive exhibits.
Garrison - Highway 21 Utah, Utah
Garrison was first founded as a cattle rustling and outlaw community in the 1850s. It later became the center of mining interests. Garrison is in Millard County, Utah just east of the Nevada state line. In fact, some of the town's structures are legally in Nevada. Garrison is currently home to a Utah Department of Transportation yard and office, but other than that, offers no services.
Frisco Ghost Town - Highway 21 Utah
A typical mining town at the foot of the San Francisco Mountain was fed by the fabulously rich Horn Silver Mine. By 1885 over $60,000,000 in zinc, copper, lead, silver, and gold were hauled away by mule train and the Utah Central Railroad. Water was shipped in as well as all supplies. Then the mine caved and people moved away, leaving only a few families of the 4,000 population to maintain their homes, stores, school and church. By the 1920's only memories and the shifting sands were left. Horn Silver Camp Silver Desert Camp Beaver County, Utah.
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| Frisco Charcoal Ovens (2008) |
Frisco Charcoal Ovens
Charcoal-fueled smelting had been used in Utah since at least 1872. Overall, there were 36 beehive-shaped smelting kilns operating in the district.
Five granite beehive-shaped charcoal smelting kilns, used between 1877 and 1880, have survived in Frisco. The kilns vary in size from 16 to 32 feet in diameter.
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| Milford Train Depot c 1936-1937 |
Milford - Highway 21 Utah
Although settlers had established ranches in the area in the 1870s, Milford was not developed until after the construction of the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad in 1880, when a station was established there.
The train depot at Milford was used by the Union Pacific Railroad until it was demolished in 1979.
Minersville - Highway 21 Utah
Minersville, population 907, was settled in 1859 at the direction of Brigham Young so a lead mine could be operated on the site where Jesse N. Smith and three others had found lead the previous year. Minersville had 446 residents in 1870. Smith helped colonize different Mormon settlements, including Parowan in 1851 and Snowflake, Arizona in 1884.
Beaver, Utah
Beaver, population 3,112, is the county seat of Beaver County. In 1847-1848, the Mormons developed a trade route from their new settlement at Salt Lake City through the Beaver River valley. The original route crossed the river three miles downstream from Beaver. In 1855, as part of improvements, the Mormon Road over the Black Mountains was realigned eastward. It was routed through a more wagon-friendly terrain.
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| Beaver Territorial Courthouse |
Beaver was settled in 1856 by Mormon pioneers traveling this road. Beaver was one of a string of Mormon settlements along the road through Utah. By design, these settlements were located a day's ride on horseback apart, which explains the regularity of their spacing of approximately 30 miles apart. Beaver was developed between the settlements in the Pahvant Valley and the Parowan Valley.
Best Western Butch Cassidy Inn - Beaver, Utah
It was late afternoon by the time we reached Beaver. We booked into our favourite hotel - the Best Western Butch Cassidy Inn. This is just so appropriate as Butch Cassidy (Robert LeRoy Parker - April 13, 1866 - November 7, 1908) was born in Beaver and went on to became a notorious outlaw in the American West.
 Post Note - Day Six:
We planned to go to Torrey today - only 412 miles so it would be easy peasy. After spending so much time touring the Ward Ovens, Great Basin National Park, and Frisco Ghost Town, it was evident that it would be very late in the day when we were on the Canyon Scenic Byway (Highway 153) and dark by the time we reached Torrey. Even virtually, this seemed rather undesirable. It would be more realistic to hit the pass over the Tushar Mountains in the morning and arrive in Torrey in the afternoon. We can still do Karen's Forest Road Loop on the way to Torrey.
It sure takes up time doing everything. I guess that's why we have passed by some of the interesting things along the way over the years. This is a good time to play catch up.
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