By the students of the Utah State University communication department

Bear Lake shimmers in the distance in this view from
the top of Logan Canyon. / Photo by Nancy Williams

LOGAN -- Eddie, a gray-and-black Catahoula leopard dog with yellow eyes and webbed toes, has trotted about a thousand miles in Logan Canyon. That's pretty amazing for a 2-year-old.

At least once a day, and usually twice, he demands a trip to the Jardine Juniper Trail, or the Crimson Trail, or the Temple Fork Road, or the River Trail, or Spring Hollow. There are slopes of red conglomerate to climb, arctic-cold snowmelt streams to jump into, hikers and bikers to sniff, and things to chew that probably are best left unidentified.

A U.S. highway makes access to the canyon easy for dogs such as Eddie and the people who love them. Perhaps too easy. As northern Utah grows, more and more travelers, commuters and recreational users pour into this rocky wrinkle of trees and streams, and they marvel at nature's beauty. But their need for a safe route from Point A to Point B must be weighed against the need to preserve the special qualities of the canyon.

A Utah State University news-feature print journalism class, COMM 3110, "Beyond the Inverted Pyramid," has turned its attention to Logan Canyon in a series of stories, which you can read by clicking the hypertext links below. Their assignment was to gather information through interviews, observation and research. The class hopes that by reading these stories and examining the accompanying photographs, you will come to have a greater understanding of what makes the canyon a special place.

Maybe you'll want to visit the canyon soon. Say hi to Eddie.

HISTORY: Jim Bridger, Brigham Young and FDR shape the human imprint on the canyon
(10/27/99) The human history of the Logan River and Logan Canyon starts with Native Americans hunting buffalo and mountainmen trapping animals for their furs. Somewhere along time's journey are a giant grizzly bear, a red velvet cushion, a guy named Logan and a DeSoto car engine. By Valerie Vaughan.

NATURAL HISTORY: Think of the canyon as an ancient aquarium turned to stone
(10/27/99) Cache Valley was once at the bottom of Lake Bonneville, a freshwater inland lake that formed about 70,000 years ago. That's when Mother Nature started to get creative. By Emily Parkinson.

U.S. HIGHWAY 89: Hard to satisfy everybody with road construction
(11/07/99) Road construction in Logan Canyon is a hot topic and opinions are strong. "Damned environmentalists," fumed Elwin Allred. "Use them for a fill in the low spots," he suggested with the laugh. By Kathryn Summers.

LOGAN CANYON COALITION: Can Logan have its cake and eat it too? Balance of a river and highway is at issue
(10/27/99) A group called the Logan Canyon Coalition is afraid that the proposed U.S. 89 improvements will jeopordize the Logan River's chance of gaining Wild and Scenic River status. By Emily Jensen.

PLANT LIFE: "I could graze for a while" at nature's salad bar . . . but watch out for death camas
(11/07/99) Cooked choke cherries make a tangy jam and wine, and they helped keep 19th century explorers alive. Tea can be brewed from rose hips. But don't just graze on anything you see. By Sally H.N. Wright.

MOUNTAIN BIKING : "You can see forever" atop the Jardine trail, but first you must climb
(11/07/99) In all, 19 mountian biking trails wind through various parts of the Logan River Canyon. The Logan Ranger District rates the difficulty of each trail, ranging from easy to very difficult. Old Ephraim's Grave and Logan Peak are two of the canyon's most difficult trails. The Jardine Juniper Trail is shorter, easier and has an eye-popping view. By Casey Hobson. Click here for a look at getting started in mountain biking.

ROCK CLIMBING: It's sort of like bungee jumping . . . in the other direction
(11/07/99) Some people climb rocks to sharpen the mind. Others go for the thrill of it. Some just have to have a challenge. And Logan Canyon is home to some of the most challenging climbs in the world, including the China Wall. By Melissa J. Bloyer. Click here to learn more about the terms and methods -- belaying, bolts and avoiding the bottom -- of climbing.

FISHING AND CAMPING: Moose, rainbow trout and "tony" campers and anglers co-exist
(11/07/99) Of all the places to visit, Tony Grove Campground, 27 miles into the canyon, is perhaps the most popular. "It's the prettiest area in the entire district," says Ann Judkins of the Logan Ranger District Visitor Center. Tony Grove got its name not from someone named Tony, but because the early residents of Logan who visited were called "tonies." The nickname described the "high-toned, uptown set" of people. Today, you can see some uptown moose or catch some fancy trout. By Jodi Mitchell.

WORKING IN THE CANYON: These jobs are short on crowds and plumbing, but looong on sweet silence
(10/28/99) If you worked or lived in Logan Canyon, you might not see the sun from mid-October until February, but you could have the Logan River as your office or front porch. By Suzanne Stevens Galloway.

LOGAN RIVER DAMS: They mean wildlife, electricity and the occasional duck-junkie toddler
(10/27/99) "Aaaaah! A duck!" squeals 3-year-old Kylie Ray. "Where?!" asks Ty Ray, her cousin, who is almost 4. Actually, there are ducks and geese everywhere, and they've been here a long time. By Doug Smeath.

UNIVERSITY WITHOUT WALLS: The bugs have "hairy arm pits" and the fifth-graders are deer and wolves
(11/07/99) The wind rustles the trees, pushing just hard enough to break a yellow box elder leaf from its death grip to the branch. The leaf rides the currents of the wind to settle feathery light on the gray, compact soil at Guinavah-Malibu Campground. The box elder leaf goes unnoticed, for now, by the bunch of fifth-graders, on their knees. But they'll come back to it in a minute. By Esther Yardley

MS
MS

September 1998
October 1998
November 1998
December 1998
January 1999
February 1999
March 1999
April 1999
September 1999
October 1999
November 1999