Exploring the Dyer Mine Loop on an ATV
Negotiating the rock garden on the Dyer Mine Loop.
On the Dyer Mine Loop Trail.
The Dyer Mine Loop
The 2021 Outlaw ATV Jamboree is in the history books now, but not before I got to sample some of the rides offered at this event. Leisha Coltharp of the Uintah County Travel and Tourism board has found the formula for a highly successful jamboree.
The first jamboree held in Vernal seven years ago attracted 30 riders. This year, over 700 riders attended and they came from all over the country.
Having never ridden any of the Vernal trails, my buddy Dar Duncan, who has been to this jamboree before, recommended the Dyer Mine Loop ride.
The beauty of this ride began before we got to the trailhead. Taking Highway 191 north out of Vernal, we passed Steinaker State Park, which features all the amenities of Steinaker Lake.
There was no lake before 1964. The groundbreaking for the dam that formed the lake was held in 1961 and was attended by John Steinaker, who was 81 at the time. The park and the lake bear his name in honor of his family who pioneered this region.
In passing the lake, I was reminded of this route that I used to take as a food salesman. It is a beautiful way to get from Rock Springs, Wyoming, to Vernal.
We drove 20 miles into the Ashley National Forest to the Diamond Plateau Road where we stopped to unload. It is a quiet and peaceful meadow at an altitude of just over 8,200 feet.
Following the Diamond Plateau Road for about a half-mile, we turned south and forded Bassett Creek. It was still early enough in the spring for the grass to be green. We followed a trail through meadows dotted with aspen groves and sage brush.
The trail took us down across Little Brush Creek on a loop that brought us back to cross the highway. Looking at a map of our ride, the trail formed a figure eight with two connecting loops.
Following a series of Forest Service roads, we traveled on a ridge above a canyon through which Big Brush Creek flowed. Continuing north, we came to the Iron Springs Campground where lunch was provided as a part of the perks of this ride.
The campground is situated in a forest of old and very tall pine trees with plenty of cool shade. We got to know each other as we enjoyed the meal.
With tummy’s topped off, we picked up a section of the Red Cloud Loop Trail. Turning off on a forest road about 3 miles later, we crossed Big Brush Creek. I know, we have already been by Big Brush Creek, but these trails are not any straighter than the creeks are.
After crossing that creek, we followed Anderson Creek. As we started around the base of Dyer Mountain, we hit the rock garden. I remember some trails for their beauty and some for the beauty that is missed in negotiating the trail.
The rock garden was only about a mile long, but there is a big difference between a fast mile and a slow mile. There was nothing fast about this mile.
I have good ground clearance on my RZR (14 inches), and I didn’t bottom out, but I could hear fellow riders hit pretty hard on some of those rocks. No one was disappointed to be past that section. As we traveled around the east side of Dyer Mountain at 10,000 feet, we came to the site of the Dyer Mine.
Discovered in 1887, the Dyer Mine produced copper and a little gold. A smelter was built near the mine that produced a large slag heap. We took time to explore the mine site and found hints of copper in the pieces of slag we picked up.
There was a lot of mining activity in this area and although copper was the most abundant, claims were more often filed as gold and silver. In a history produced by the Forest Service entitled “Men on the Mountain,” the Dyer Mine produced a lot of copper, but before that it was sold for 200 pounds of flour. It proved to be a good trade for one of the parties.
I have never failed to enjoy the history found in mountains of Utah. Mining history is particularly colorful and interesting.
We rode back to the Diamond Plateau Road where we finished a ride of about 33 miles. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down and enjoy the history in Utah’s backcountry.