The mystery of Sanpete County: mountains of recreational activities

The take on Sanpete County, located in the very heart of the state, is that it's a mystery. And the mystery is not about just some things, but all things.

"I'd say the whole county is something that's a hidden secret," said Kevin Christensen, with Sanpete County Travel. "But, we think people are slowly discovering what it is we have to offer in the way of recreation."

What you know:

There are some things in the county that are fairly well-known, whether or not they are identified with Sanpete County.

Skyline Drive, for example, which runs along the eastern border, is one of the state's more beautiful scenic drives.

It rises up from the rest area in Spanish Fork Canyon and runs, following it to its end, to I-70, with a slight jaunt near the top of Fairview Canyon.

The drive is 87 miles long, with most of it within the county. It is a relatively flat section of road, mostly dirt, but the fact that most of it is located above the 10,000-foot elevations means it offers some spectacular views — east into the depths of the Manti-La Sal National Forest and west into agricultural communities such as Fairview, Mt. Pleasant, Spring City, Ephraim and Manti.

The fact that the road up Fairview Canyon is maintained over the winter means it opens up a huge list of recreational opportunities, ranging from fishing to snowmobiling to camping to mountain biking.

Fairview Canyon is by itself a pretty well-known landmark. The canyon, with the steep mountain slopes projecting up on both sides, is a popular drive and an access point for The Energy Loop: Huntington and Eccles Canyons Scenic Byway.

The road, which splits off to either Scofield or Huntington, is one of the most beautiful in the country — duly noted now in the national ledgers of the country's most scenic byways. To make the prestigious list, the drives must have archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities.

The Manti-La Sal National Forest holds some of the state's largest elk and deer herds. Officials estimate there are more than 15,000 elk. And, about the same time the leaves begin to turn, the bull elk begin to bugle, signaling the start of the fall mating ritual.

Near Huntington Reservoir, back in 1988, excavators discovered the skeleton of a prehistoric Colombian mammoth. Later they discovered the jaw of a short-faced bear, said to be half the size of today's grizzly bear, along with a few primitive stone tools.

The museum in Fairview shows a full-size replica of the Huntington mammoth, along with a number of other historic artifacts.