A Ranger's Ramblings: Trips in the Henry Mountains

One of the more spectacular local sites to see out here is the Henry Mountains. Located between Bullfrog and Hanksville Utah, they are a small range of mountains that contrast the surrounding canyon country quite well. I've done a bunch of day trips up to this area, its only 20 miles from my house!

I took a few trips up this fall, the roads are in good shape (as long as you have a 4x4). Being a forestry student I checked out a lot of the trees. There was a fire that traveled through the area about 7 years ago. I am hoping that some of the Ponderosa Pine will start to regrow. There are also a lot of Juniper, Pinyon Pine, and Aspen Groves. I have found the Henry's to be a great break from the brutal Lake Powell heat in the summer. Temps up in the mountains only reach into the 80s, which is much appreciated on the 115 degree days at lower elevations. I've found more wildlife per square mile than almost any tract of land back in Iowa.

A few "facts" I've learned from talking to the locals out here:

They are home to one of two surviving natural herds of bison, the other being the Yellowstone herd.
There are two 11,000+ foot peaks Mt. Ellen and Pennel
They were formed by lava pushing up on the rock
They were the last "discovered" and explored mountain range in the US
"Its BLM land, so anything goes, like international waters" - don't trust everything people say

So needless to say, there is a lot of cool stuff up there and I will just let the photos do the talking. It would be safe to guess that this will not be the last posting about the area.