Paul Bunyan's Woodpile

Until recently, even after decades of exploring Utah, I was quite unaware of a unique formation found south of the historic mining town of Eureka and west of the city of Nephi.

In North America, the imaginary woodcutting character Paul Bunyan is renowned for performing great deeds. Some accounts describe this giant of a man traveling across the land with his large pet blue ox named Babe, dragging his axe, and creating several of North America's natural wonders. Given this, it isn't a surprise that a natural formation in Utah was given the moniker Paul Bunyan's Woodpile.

This collection of rock formations was formed of molten lava that, upon cooling, congealed into horizontal columns with multiple sides. Each stacked stone is an average of ten to twelve inches in diameter and ranges from about six feet to fifteen feet in length. These stone columns naturally sit on top of each other in groupings that resemble stacks of axe-chopped wood.

These structures are located in Central Utah just off of Highway 6, where you'll find a dirt road that leads east into some low-lying foothills. There currently is no sign that indicates this turn to the trailhead, but the route shows up easily on a Google map. From the highway, you'll travel three miles on a well-graded dirt road to the trailhead. Be aware of weather conditions; depending on your vehicle type, you may not want to travel on this road during bad weather.  The hiking trail follows a northwesterly course for about a half mile before ascending, via switchbacks, up a hillside that rises about 200 feet. The overall hike each way is about one mile, with a round-trip total of approximately two miles. Once you have reached the top of the trail, you will be able to wander in and around the rock formations. Be aware that there are a lot of fallen rocks around the various formations, and hikers should use great care in walking in these areas.

There are several freestanding stacks of rocks that form long rows. On the far east side of these formations, there is a large wall that is several hundred feet across and perhaps 100 to 150 feet tall. It is not readily visible to hikers unless they descend into the small ravine on the east side of the wall. A portal that could be designated as either a window or an arch has eroded out of this large wall, and entry to this is easily accessible by very carefully stepping down a gap between this wall and the next adjacent pile of heaped up lava rocks.

While in this area you might enjoy visiting the historic mining town of Eureka, Little Sahara National Recreation Area, and other attractions in the Great Basin Desert.