Harker Canyon (Tooele County, Utah)
Encyclopedia
Harker Canyon is located 10 km (6.2 mi) south of the town of Vernon
, in Tooele County
, Utah
, USA
. The canyon
is oriented east-west on the southern side of the Sheeprock Mountains, a small mountain group in the larger Wasatch Range
. The canyon is entirely encompassed by the boundaries of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest
, and is accessible from Harker Road by a forest road designated NF 586. There are many abandoned mines
in the canyon. Bird watching and horseback riding are popular recreational activities in the canyon.
s of a ghost town
and abandoned mining operations below a natural spring remain. Management of the old mines is assigned to the Vernon Sheeprocks Project, a joint project managed by the United States Forest Service
, the United States Department of Agriculture
, the United States Department of the Interior
, and the State of Utah
Department of Natural Resources
. In a report issued in January, 2005, Harker Canyon was singled out as having the highest concentrations of heavy metals in its groundwater of any sampled area in the Sheeprock Mountains. Harker Canyon is located in the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Wildlife Management Unit 19B.
can be found in the canyon at 2,255 m (7,400 ft) elevation, which flows into Harker Creek
. Vegetation in the canyon is principally a pinyon-juniper
woodland.
Vernon, Utah
Vernon is a town in Tooele County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 236 at the 2000 census....
, in Tooele County
Tooele County, Utah
Tooele County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000, the population was 40,735 and by 2005 was estimated at 51,311. Its county seat and largest city is Tooele....
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The canyon
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
is oriented east-west on the southern side of the Sheeprock Mountains, a small mountain group in the larger Wasatch Range
Wasatch Range
The Wasatch Range is a mountain range that stretches approximately from the Utah-Idaho border, south through central Utah in the western United States. It is generally considered the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the Great Basin region...
. The canyon is entirely encompassed by the boundaries of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest
Wasatch-Cache National Forest
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest is a United States National Forest located primarily in northern Utah , with smaller parts extending into southeastern Idaho and southwestern Wyoming . The name is from the Ute word Wasatch for a low place in high mountains, and the French word Cache meaning to...
, and is accessible from Harker Road by a forest road designated NF 586. There are many abandoned mines
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
in the canyon. Bird watching and horseback riding are popular recreational activities in the canyon.
History
Harker Canyon has been extensively mined for hard minerals. ArtifactCultural artifact
A cultural artifact is a term used in the social sciences, particularly anthropology, ethnology, and sociology for anything created by humans which gives information about the culture of its creator and users...
s of a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
and abandoned mining operations below a natural spring remain. Management of the old mines is assigned to the Vernon Sheeprocks Project, a joint project managed by the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
, the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
, the United States Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
, and the State of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
Department of Natural Resources
Department of Natural Resources
Many sub-national governments have a Department of Natural Resources or similarly named organization:Australia*Queensland Department of Natural Resources and MinesCanada*Natural Resources Canada*New Brunswick**New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources...
. In a report issued in January, 2005, Harker Canyon was singled out as having the highest concentrations of heavy metals in its groundwater of any sampled area in the Sheeprock Mountains. Harker Canyon is located in the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is part of the Utah Department of Natural Resources for the state of Utah in the United States. The mission of the Division of Wildlife Resources is to serve the people of Utah as trustee and guardian of the state's wildlife, and to ensure its future and...
Wildlife Management Unit 19B.
Geography
Harker Canyon is about 5 km (3.1 mi) long. The road entrance to the canyon at its eastern end is at approximately 1,900 m (6,300 ft) elevation, and the top of the canyon at its western end is at about 2,700 m (8,800 ft) elevation above sea level. A natural springSpring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
can be found in the canyon at 2,255 m (7,400 ft) elevation, which flows into Harker Creek
Harker Creek (Utah)
Harker Creek is a stream located in Tooele County, Utah, USA.The upper portion of the creek forms Harker Canyon, and drains from west to east on the southern side of the Sheeprock Mountains, a small mountain group in the larger Wasatch Range. The lower portion of the creek drains from south to...
. Vegetation in the canyon is principally a pinyon-juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
woodland.
External links
- Harker Canyon - Ghost Towns and History of the American West
- Harker Canyon Photographs from 1997 to 2002 - Utah Division of Wildlife Resources