ATV Adventures: Taking the challenge of the Babylon–Toquerville Falls Trail
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- Lynn R. Blamires crosses the Toquerville Falls.
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- Crossing the Toquerville Falls.
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- On the trail to Toquerville Falls.
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- Lynn Blamires
The Babylon-Toquerville Falls Trail is an old favorite — I have ridden it several times. Its location near Leeds in southern Utah makes it a fun trail to take in February. It is not as fun to ride just one or the other as it is to do both of them together.
Construction has changed the configuration of the staging area, actually making it better. We staged east on Highway 17 from where it exits Interstate 15. Traveling back west, we followed the frontage road by I-15 for about three miles toward Leeds to 900 North. Turning southwest, we took the road following the East Reef to the ghost town of Babylon.
There isn’t much left of the town — some walls of the old Stormont Mill’s mining office and the foundations of the Babylon House. According to the Washington County Historical Society, they named the town Babylon to set themselves apart from the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Forty to 50 people called the area home for a little over a decade while the mill was in operation in the 1880s.
The ghost town just about came back to life in the early 1980s when a government official bought the land to build a house for his wife. I have seen the architect’s rendering of the house. It would have been a beautiful Tudor-style home had it been completed. The setting is exquisite and secluded. She died before it was completed, and his determination to finish it was destroyed by a fire, leaving only a concrete foundation. It is now referred to as “The haunted house of Babylon” by the locals. Having been there, it is not a place that I would like to spend the night.
We left this beautiful setting and made our way on a sandy trail across the valley. We came to a new highway being constructed and turned west toward Toquerville. Crossing Ash Creek, we turned north on Highway 17 in town and turned west on Spring Drive on the north end of town.
Every time I take Spring Drive, the road gets worse. I am surprised to see some of the passenger cars that try to make the trip to the falls. It is a road for four-wheel-drive vehicles with high ground clearance for approximately 2.5 miles. The road for the rest of the way to the falls is more pleasant.
Toquerville Falls is located on Verkin Creek, and the valley in which the creek flows has a remarkable beauty that lasts year-round. We could see the falls below in the distance as we traveled the road on the west side of the valley.
When we arrived at the falls, we found shade and took time for lunch. I love the sound of the water going over the falls, and it is a beautiful place to stop for a break. The group I was with knew how to do it. They broke out coolers, portable tables and chairs, and dined on fine trail cuisine.
One of the reasons these falls are so popular is that you can drive across the top of them. I was excited to see that the water was running higher on this trip. The volume of water cascading over the stone steps to the pool below was quite remarkable.
After crossing over the falls several times and taking pictures to prove we had done it, we headed back on the other side of the creek. It looks pretty innocent to begin with, and it is fun, but it is no walk in the park. The trail crosses the creek several times, and some of those crossings are pretty rocky. We could see that the course of the trail changes with the runoff each year.
The highlight of this trail is the steep climb out of the valley up to the main road, completing a loop. We didn’t lose anyone, but I couldn’t tell you anything about the scenery on either side of that rocky climb — I was very focused. After getting back on the main road, we still had that rough section of trail to negotiate.
We were glad to see the end of Spring Drive, where we came out onto Highway 17. We took the highway west back to our staging area, finishing a ride of about 30 miles. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down and visit the Babylon House during the day when you can’t see the ghosts.
Lynn R. Blamires can be reached at quadmanone@gmail.com.
