FR249 summit(u): Star Point
The eastern escarpment of the Wasatch Plateau behind Ut10,
between Huntington and Price appears like a series of
steps receding into the horizon. The clear dessert air and
distance of the plateau make comprehension of its size
difficult. A ride to Star Point summit(u) corrects this
situation. While many plateau climbs ascend canyons in
order to emerge on a high, forested plain, keeping views
well hidden, the northern approach to this summit is
filled with switchbacks, exposed rock ledges and far
views.

click on profile for more detail |
01.(5810ft,mile00) START-END
SOUTH: jctUt236-Ut11, north end of Huntington
02.(6780ft,mile08) START-END SOUTH ALTERNATE:
right connects with Hiawatha, profile continues
straight
03.(7210ft,mile10) site of Mohrland
04.(7789ft,mile11) site of Mohrland Mine
05.(9610ft,mile14) profile continues right on FR111
06.(9930ft,mile19) profile turns right onto FR249
07.(10046ft,mile20) TOP: point of highest altitude
08.(9780ft,mile23) communication towers at Star
Point
09.(7550ft,mile28) Wattis Mine
10.(6090ft,mile35) turn left onto Ut122
11.(5820ft,mile38) START-END NORTH: profile
continues left on Ut10
12.(5550ft,mile46) START-END NORTH ALTERNATE: Price |
Approaches
From South. Mohrland Canyon is one way to approach
the point from the backside. Mohrland Canyon Road leaves Ut10,
2 miles north of Huntington at Huntington Lake State Park. The
paved road runs up an alluvial fan to the plateau. At the
entrance to the canyon it services a small coal seem, a
railhead and an oil well. Steeply climbing FR101 leads past
old mining structures of the Mohrland mine to a heavily
forested plateau top. A few views are obtainable between the
trees. Once on the plateau, the road continues climbing ever
so gently, cresting over a few open spots that allow
orientation with respect to Huntington Canyon and the
Bookcliffs. The turnoff to Star Point from FR101 is signed.
The point of highest altitude is reached just after this
turrnoff, in between grazing cows that manage to keep a few
spots in perpetually evil smelling mud, so that the bike is
better carried around them..
From North. The approach is first described in a
downward direction. Star Point is about 200 feet lower than
the highest point traversed on the route. A smooth roller
coaster road heads from the highest point to a series of
communication towers ahead. This is Star Point. A series of
vistas begins 1/4 mile before reaching the point. The first
view is west and north to where the purple Bookcliffs
terminate into the Wasatch Plateau. From the point the dessert
landscape in Castle Valley appears like a table cloth that is
being pulled upwards by series of fishing hooks. A steep,
somewhat rocky, but perfectly ridable descend leads around a
ridge in the plateau to open the view on the last part of the
descend, a series of traverses that lead to paved switchbacks
on the opposite face. The pavement is in a state of creeps and
cracks and bulging deformations. But it does speed up the
descend and soon the cyclist is rolling down a smooth, long,
straightaway over uniform grade alluvial fan surfaces,
dissected by curtain like ravines back towards Ut10.
Climbing up the same approach, one has a lot more time to
look at the pattern of ramps and fills, created by mining
reclamation, just at the point where the road enters the
plateau. At this point the road also picks up grade
dramatically. The abandoned-like nature of the road, sage
spilling over guard rails and large plants making themselves
at home in the cracks, give the visitor a "last cyclist
on earth" type of feeling. In spite of all this solitude,
pavement reaches one of the highest spots in the Price area (
if not the highest ), located between points 8 and 9 on the
profile. It also makes a great out and back road cycling
workout, if you don't mind a few cracks in the pavement.

Tours
Dayrides. A loop ride from Huntington up Mohrland
Canyon, with an additional out and back leg to the bitter end
of FR101, then continuing over the FR249 summit(u): Star Point
down to Ut122 and Ut10 back to Huntington measured 61 miles
with 5800ft of climbing in 6.2 hours (m3:06.09.10).
A slightly different loop in reverse began a few miles up the
Mohrland Canyon road. Accessing the northern approach via
301rd to the Hiawatha Mine, then continuing up to Star Point
and descending through Mohrland Canyon back to the starting
point measured 50 miles with 5700ft of climbing in 5.2 hours
(m3:06.09.11)
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Utah's summits and passes
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