FR47 Blacksmith Fork Canyon(sh) by Bicycle - Velo

This dirt road crests in a narrow valley behind Logan Peak. For me it made a great combination with a Grand Tour of Cache Valley towns.

1.(4400ft,mile00.0)START-END WEST ALT: Ut30 crosses Little Bear River
2.(4540ft,mile05.1)START-END EAST: jct E Main St - 200 South, Logan
3.(5290ft,mile16.2)profile turns left from US89 Logan Canyon onto FR87/47
4.(6720ft,mile21.8)TOP
5.(5600ft,mile26.8)jct FR47 - FR231 Left Hand Fork Rd
6.(5100ft,mile32.6)profile turns left down paved Blacksmith Fork Canyon
7.(4790ft,mile39.8)START-END EAST: jct Blackmith Fork Rd - Ut165 in Hyrum
8.(4490ft,mile44.6)START-END EAST: ALTERNATE jct Ut101 - US91, east of Wellsville

From North. The profile starts in a low point in Cache Valley, crossing the Little Bear River. Climbing the old Bonneville Lake benches in Logan is already a good workout. But entering Logan Canyon the road goes downhill, back to river level again. This part of Logan Canyon has a nice shoulder these days. It lasts all the way up to the signed turnoff, onto what is here called "Right Hand Canyon". The route turns right onto Right Hand Canyon. By the end of the descent the name will have magically mutated into "Left Hand Canyon".

The beginning of this side road is paved, and the limestone cliffs above are nicely framed by the roadcut in the morning light. Too bad this pavement does not go all the way through. This would make a great road ride. The road surface soon becomes a fine well compacted gravel, that nontheless is still a pretty good ride. The top is not readily apparent while riding up. It does finally come when the brushy vegetation gives way to a high meadow. Besides a few limestone cliffs above there are no far views here. Forest dirt tracks cross into both directions. The one to the right is especially tempting, labeled "Logan Peak". I still have to try this one.

From South. (described downwards). The surface on this side is not graveled, but instead a hard matrix with some large rocks. Maybe the most appealing part of the ride is further down on this side, when the road crosses a grove of old trees that envelop the road in a tunnel. Limestone cliffs and Right Hand Blacksmith Fork Creek funnel the road into a narrow slot. With a grandiose cliff background the road ends onto paved Blacksmith Fork Canyon. The profile continues down this canyon to a low point, where the road crosses the river east of Hyrum

( < Elba Pass | )
FR47 Blacksmith Fork Canyon Left Hand(sh) : lower part of FR47 Logan Canyon Right Hand > FR47 south > FR47 Blacksmith Fork Canyon Left Hand(sh) > down Blacksmith Fork Canyon > Hyrum > Hyrum State Park > Ut23 north > Wellsville > Mendon > 600 South: east > several slow miles of sight seeing around Logan > up Logan Canyon > back to starting point: 68.6miles with 3180ft of climbing in 5:45hrs (VDO MC1.0 m5:13.9.23).
Notes: a nostalgic ride of old favorite routes around Logan, also a golden September day with just the slightest hint of yellow in the leaves.