Goat gazing: Herds thrive in southern Utah's Tushar Mountains

The rugged terrain and frigid temperatures had taken their toll on Darin and Dennis Larson's desire to find the mountain goats living in the Tushar Mountains.

"We were pretty exhausted," said Darin Larson, who grew up in Richfield but now lives in Hurricane. "We decided to go around one more ridge … Five minutes later, we came on 35 of them. We were within 25 yards of them."

While the Larsons reached for their respective cameras, the goats studied the intruders.

"They stopped grazing and looked up at us," Darin Larson said. "We watched them for about 20 minutes. It was pretty amazing. We weren't expecting to see that many."

The Larsons were hiking through the Tushar Mountains on Saturday, Aug. 8, as part of the Division of Wildlife Resources' annual goat-watching event. They happened upon that particular group on Mt. Holly, but others were visible on Mount Delano and in the valleys between the ridges.

The division's outreach manager, Lynn Chamberlain, said increased publicity has made the event extremely popular.

"We had 75 cars follow us up from the (gas) station (just off I-15 in Beaver)," said Chamberlain. "We had a little bit of everything."

From young families to an 89-year-old grandmother, Chamberlain said DWR and local law enforcement helped get people to the top of the mountain range, where they quickly spotted a herd of about 30 goats in the valley below.

While many watched the goats with binoculars and spotting scopes, a number of others hiked into the mountains in hopes of happening upon the goats in a mountain range that is unlike any other. From the foam-green rock to the caramel color of Mount Baldie and Mount Belnap, the Tushar Mountains are home to plants and animals that survive in an extremely rugged and frigid environment. The road to the top of the mountains (about 11,500 feet) isn't even open until July 24, and it will close in mid-October.

"It's really a unique opportunity," said Chamberlain. "The alpine tundra is something you don't see everywhere … It's definitely out of the ordinary."

The goat watch this month attracted people from all over the state. The day was clear but a refreshing 41 degrees on the ridge, with winds of 20 to 25 miles per hour.

"It was pretty cold up there on top," said Chamberlain.

While many people stayed on the ridge to watch the goats, others made their way out into the mountains, which still had sections of snow along some of the ridges. The wildflowers were a beautiful contrast to the jagged, gravel-and-boulder face of many of the ridges.