Skull Valley is a rather remote area of northwestern Utah located about 50 miles west-southwest of Salt Lake City as the crow flies. Its name is indicative of the harsh, dry conditions that exist today as well as when early pioneers crossed the region on their way to California during the 1800s. One unique point of interest in Skull Valley is the ghost town of Iosepa (pronounced "yo-see-pa"), which was settled in 1889 by a group of Hawaiian pioneers that converted to the LDS (Mormon) Church in their native islands. Originally, they had migrated to the Salt Lake area to be near the temple and main body of Church members, but some of the white settlers were not very accepting of their cultural differences. As a result, they relocated in Skull Valley on what was then rangeland. After a brief height of glory, Iosepa became a ghost town in 1917 after the Church began constructing a temple in Laie, Hawaii, which instilled a desire for the residents to return to their homeland. Today the only obvious remains of the town are irrigation ditches, scattered rubble from foundations, and the cemetery plots where an annual celebration is held each Memorial Day.
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Iosepa (which means "Joseph") welcome
sign along the Skull Valley Road |
Another point of interest in Skull Valley is the rock formation known as Lone Rock that rises about 250 feet above the valley floor. Horseshoe Springs also provides a convenient spot to stop, walk around on the boardwalks, and observe fish swimming in the relatively clear waters. Since the springs are warm (60-70
° F. year-round), they never freeze over during the wintertime. Skull Valley is bounded on the west by the Cedar Mountain Range, which was designated a wilderness area by Congress in late 2005. No motorized travel is allowed in the wilderness, but hiking opportunities abound, and you will very likely see wild horses roaming along the east foot of the range.
The most common approach to Skull Valley from Salt Lake City is along I-80 about 43 miles west of the north junction of I-15 and I-80. Take the Rowley/Dugway exit (Exit 77) and turn south onto the Skull Valley Road (SR 196). While Lone Rock is visible from the freeway, the main entrance into this area is approximately 3.1 miles south of the exit off to the right (west). It has seen its share of wild parties and junk that people often use for shooting practice, yet a hike to the top offers great views of the surrounding landscape. The south slope provides the best non-technical route to the top. Another 6.4 miles beyond the Lone Rock turnoff is the Horseshoe Springs turnoff, which is also off to the right (west). At around 14.0 miles south of the Rowley/Dugway exit, the turnoff for the Iosepa cemetery lies to the left (southeast) where a dirt road leads to the burial site another mile further. Continuing along the Skull Valley Road, we turned right (west) onto a dirt road about 3.0 miles beyond the Iosepa cemetery turnoff to access the Cedar Mountains. Follow this dirt road west for approximately 1.3 miles, which then veers northwestward and crosses a stream bed at about 3.5 miles. At around 4.4 miles from the highway, take the left (westward) fork and continue at least another 4.5 miles to reach Eightmile Spring off to the right (north).
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| View of Lone Rock from the east side |
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| The northeast arm of Horseshoe Springs |
Parking is available near Eightmile Spring or along the north-south road that basically skirts the wilderness boundary. Since there are no established trails in the wilderness area, we made our way up a drainage area not far from the spring. After approximately 2.8 miles of hiking, we began working our way up a ridge that led to the main crest. Various cliff bands were in this area that seemed daunting, yet we were able to maneuver around them without much difficulty. Once on top of the main crest, it was a matter of hiking southward to reach the high point of the Cedar Mountains at 7,712 feet elevation. Total hiking distance from Eightmile Spring to the high point was about 5.5 miles one-way with an elevation gain of just over 3,000 feet. Be sure to take plenty of water with you as Eightmile Spring was the only source of water we found during the entire hike. Hiking this mountain range during the spring and autumn seasons is more pleasant as well.
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View looking south along the east
side of the Cedar Mountain Range |
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View looking south towards the
highest point of the Cedar Mountains |
