A little bit about Salina. Salina got its name from the abundant salt deposits nearby. Real Salt, the famous unrefined ancient sea salt is mined just north in Redmond. Real Salt has never been bleached, heat-processed, or chemically treated. It contains over 60 natural trace minerals that give it a unique pinkish color and a slightly sweet flavor.

In 1891, Salina was connected to Utah’s railroad system to serve early coal mining operations in Salina Canyon. After the coal operations slowed down, the old railbed became a frontage road to I-70. That is the route we used to Salina, and the way we planned to return. It is fast and smooth, and it is just too fun to ride through the two train tunnels that still exist there.

We turned north up Salina Canyon after the frontage road crossed I-70 and started our climb back to the top of the Manti-La Sal’s. This trail follows Salina Creek to Corral Canyon, where we stopped for lunch on our way to Salina. We stopped there again for a bathroom break – it was too early for lunch.

Continuing our ride, we climbed onto a ridge, which we followed for a long way. We soon reached the boundary line marking our transition from the Fishlake National Forest to the Manti-La Sal National Forest. Instead of painted metal signs, there were two large carved wood National Forest signs – “leaving” and “entering”. I thought that was a nice touch for such a remote location.

Courtesy Lynn R. Blamires

As we continued, we came face-to-face with a cattle drive on the trail. We stopped and waited for directions from the drivers. They moved the mobile beef off the trail, waved a howdy, and moved on.

We moved from one ridge to another as we made our way back to 12-mile Campground, crossing the 10,000-foot level. Once again, it was too early for lunch, but it was another opportunity for a bathroom break – a consequence of staying hydrated. Once again, we faced on-and-off rainstorms.

From the campground, we made our way to a sign marking the highest point on the Skyline Drive. This is always a fun place to stop. At 10,897 feet, the views east and west are breathtaking. I always enjoy the view of Duck Fork Reservoir far below to the east.

From Skyline Drive, we dropped down on the north section of Arapeen Trail #7 to Ferron Reservoir to some picnic tables on the south side of the lake for lunch. The mountains across the lake to the north made for a beautiful view as we enjoyed our trail cuisine. While we had time to enjoy the view, gathering storm clouds reminded us that the moment was over.

The trail took us by Rush Pond and Willow Lake. As we passed, I thought of the fishing I had enjoyed with friends from Virginia who asked me to take them on an ATV fishing adventure. This is one of the lakes on our itinerary. The tiger trout are a very fun fish to catch.

Courtesy Lynn R. Blamires

The trail begins to descend in altitude after passing Willow Lake. We had come down about 3,300 feet by the time we reached the Ferron Canyon Campground. We came to one of the concrete dips in the road that handles runoff. It was running a little high, so I stopped because there was a truck on the other side that hesitated to cross.

Will Redd was behind me in his red Honda Pioneer. He pulled up beside me and said it was a concrete bottom, then crossed the flooded dip in front of me. That gave me enough confidence to follow.

Sometimes it is hard to tell, and the Internet is full of video clips of people who didn’t make it. Flash floods have been a theme in Central Utah this year, but we got all 11 machines back to the Big Mountain Lodge in Ferron, finishing an 84-mile trip. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down, and enjoy your own adventure in the Manti-La Sal’s.

Lynn R. Blamires can be reached at quadmanone@gmail.com,