Cove Fort is located at the junction of the 1-15 and the 1-70. Cove Fort was constructed as a protection for travelers from the Native Americans, as well as a telegraph office, post office, and inn. In 1867, Brigham Young asked Ira Hinckley (President Gordon B. Hinckley’s grandfather) to construct a fort along the Old Spanish Trail. Ira moved his family to Cove Fort where they lived for many years. There was never a shot fired at Cove Fort and the residents actually had great relations with the Native Americans.
When you visit Cove Fort today, there are LDS missionaries who take you on a tour of the fort. You begin by watching a short film in the cabin that Ira Hinckley had built in Coalville and where he planned to raise his family. It was moved to the property when the area was restored.
After the film which gives background on the fort, you enter the fort and make your way through the different rooms. There are 12 rooms (6 on the north and 6 on the south). The rooms on the south are mostly working rooms. There is one for the post office, one for the telegraph, a large kitchen, a sewing room, and a laundry room. There is also a small bedroom for the children. One the north side of the fort, there are rooms for people who came to visit the fort and bedrooms for the family who lived there. There are tons of pioneer artifacts to view, and our tour guide gave us lots of interesting facts about the way that pioneers lived.
You will also get a chance to climb up on the battlement and look through the “windows,” which were actually places to shoot your rifles. This was our boys favorite part. They like to pretend to be soldiers, not pioneers.
There is a large grassy area with huge trees and picnic tables if you want to bring a lunch, as well as restrooms, just outside of Cove Fort.
Showing posts with label Fillmore area. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fillmore area. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Meadow Lava Tubes (Tabernacle Hill near Fillmore)
We were not disappointed with the Meadow Lava Tubes. When you get out of the car, there is a large impression in front of you (to the east). At the far end of this depression is a short dark tunnel that opens up very nicely. A flashlight, or a cell phone light is recommended, even though the cave is never entirely dark. There are plenty of trip hazards and low hanging rocks if you’re not careful. But the cave is wide and open for much of the way, and even our 2 year-old walked easily through the dark. This cave is accessible to almost anyone (you’re not getting wheels down there!) After about 75-100 yards, you’ll come up an easy climb and find yourself back at the surface.
At the west of the depression is a much longer, but more open tube. This tube stretches for half a mile or more. At first, you’ll go under the road to the west, and you can easily get by without a light at all. There are holes in the ceiling, and after a short distance, the ceiling disappears entirely. For a few hundred yards, you’ll keep passing in out of terrain like this. Then, there is a large rock field that takes some serious scrambling. After a few hundred more yards, this opens up into micro canyon, surrounded by volcanic walls.
This section of the tube is more like an easy stroll through a grassy meadow. The catch is, there is no way to climb out as the walls are sheer. After a bit of winding, a new cave opens up, and this one is a dead end. It is very dark, and you’ll definitely need light. It is about as long as the lava tube to the east, but there is no exit. After you’ve explored this area, though, you can climb out to the south (left of the entrance as you go in) and return to the car.
That’s all we had time for at the Meadow Lava Tubes, but I’m sure you could find much more if you took some time to explore. As it was, we probably walked a hard mile and half to two miles. And even though we made it safely, we saw an adult take a tumble and slice up his hip on the rocks pretty badly, so be careful!
The caves are a bit out of the way across a bumpy road, but they are well worth it. We even saw a small deer herd with two small bucks on the way out.
To get to the Meadow Lava Tubes, get off I-15 south of Fillmore at the Meadow exit and turn south onto Main Street. Follow Main to Center and turn west (right) at the sign for White Mountain. The sign says six miles, and it is actually 5.7 on a well-graded road that passes under the freeway. Take the left turn onto a little bumpier road. Follow this road 1.7 miles to a sign that says “Lava Tubes 2.” Turn left and go exactly 2 miles down the bumpiest of roads and park on the left. The depression should be right in front of your vehicle.
After the lava tubes, you may want to check out the Meadow Hot Springs. There’s a short cut. As you near the freeway underpass, you’ll come to a lightning-bolt, that is, a place where the road goes hard right and immediately hard left again. There is a right turn (south) as you are returning from the lava tubes. If you get to the lightning bolt, you’ve gone too far. Turn right and follow the road to a T. Turn right again, and you’ll get to the Hot Springs 3.7 miles from the turnoff. (There are alternate directions on the link to Meadow Hot Springs).
At the west of the depression is a much longer, but more open tube. This tube stretches for half a mile or more. At first, you’ll go under the road to the west, and you can easily get by without a light at all. There are holes in the ceiling, and after a short distance, the ceiling disappears entirely. For a few hundred yards, you’ll keep passing in out of terrain like this. Then, there is a large rock field that takes some serious scrambling. After a few hundred more yards, this opens up into micro canyon, surrounded by volcanic walls.
This section of the tube is more like an easy stroll through a grassy meadow. The catch is, there is no way to climb out as the walls are sheer. After a bit of winding, a new cave opens up, and this one is a dead end. It is very dark, and you’ll definitely need light. It is about as long as the lava tube to the east, but there is no exit. After you’ve explored this area, though, you can climb out to the south (left of the entrance as you go in) and return to the car.
That’s all we had time for at the Meadow Lava Tubes, but I’m sure you could find much more if you took some time to explore. As it was, we probably walked a hard mile and half to two miles. And even though we made it safely, we saw an adult take a tumble and slice up his hip on the rocks pretty badly, so be careful!
The caves are a bit out of the way across a bumpy road, but they are well worth it. We even saw a small deer herd with two small bucks on the way out.
To get to the Meadow Lava Tubes, get off I-15 south of Fillmore at the Meadow exit and turn south onto Main Street. Follow Main to Center and turn west (right) at the sign for White Mountain. The sign says six miles, and it is actually 5.7 on a well-graded road that passes under the freeway. Take the left turn onto a little bumpier road. Follow this road 1.7 miles to a sign that says “Lava Tubes 2.” Turn left and go exactly 2 miles down the bumpiest of roads and park on the left. The depression should be right in front of your vehicle.
After the lava tubes, you may want to check out the Meadow Hot Springs. There’s a short cut. As you near the freeway underpass, you’ll come to a lightning-bolt, that is, a place where the road goes hard right and immediately hard left again. There is a right turn (south) as you are returning from the lava tubes. If you get to the lightning bolt, you’ve gone too far. Turn right and follow the road to a T. Turn right again, and you’ll get to the Hot Springs 3.7 miles from the turnoff. (There are alternate directions on the link to Meadow Hot Springs).
Yuba State Park
Yuba State Park is one of Utah’s water recreation parks. We stopped to visit Yuba after visiting the Territorial Statehouse in Fillmore. We went to one of the two beaches that this park hosts. You can drive right down to the North beach, but make sure to keep moving through a few sandy sections or you’ll be stuck. The water was nice and the sand was super soft. It was the perfect depth for our little one year old to wander in and out of the water. Our older boys ventured out a little farther, but it looked like they would have to go pretty far before it got deep. There were other people there on waverunners and boats, and lots of people just playing on the beach. You can also drive over to West Beach which seemed less busy. There were lots of tables spread up and down the beach, and if you brought some shade, you could spend a long time at Yuba.
There is also a campground with showers and 2 cabins for rent. They have a junior ranger program as well, but you have to call ahead to see when the ranger will be around. We saw a rabbit, squirrels, and a few different types of birds. We only spent a few hours, but had a lot of fun!
Yuba is located off 1-15 at exit 202. Head east and follow the signs to the state park.
The sand is really soft at Yuba.
The cars drive right down the the beach. Not much of a walk to the water!
There is also a campground with showers and 2 cabins for rent. They have a junior ranger program as well, but you have to call ahead to see when the ranger will be around. We saw a rabbit, squirrels, and a few different types of birds. We only spent a few hours, but had a lot of fun!
Yuba is located off 1-15 at exit 202. Head east and follow the signs to the state park.
The sand is really soft at Yuba.
The cars drive right down the the beach. Not much of a walk to the water!
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