‘Beautiful terrain’

By Tyler Riggs
19 September 2006

NORTH LOGAN — Mayor Cary Watkins couldn’t help getting excited about what his city’s newest park land near the mouth of Green Canyon means to residents.

“There were developers that really wanted to buy this land,” Watkins said, as he walked through the tall grasses of the yet-to-be-named nature park with his dog, Daisy. “With this park we protect Green Canyon forever. I think generations hence will appreciate that.”

North Logan recently used park and water impact fees to purchase about 20 acres of land near the mouth of Green Canyon on the north side of 1900 North, and officials hope that in the coming years the area will become a hub for the thousands of people who recreate in the canyon each year.

Barbara Middleton, chair of North Logan’s parks and recreation board, can see it now: Hikers using the Bonneville Shoreline Trail will gather in the area and use kiosks in the park to learn about the area, while families will picnic near a pond where deer and elk from the canyon are drinking water.

The thought excites her.

“This really will be a place where people can start from for many different things,” said Middleton, as she reached down at a clump of wild grass, commenting on how lush the natural vegetation there is. “It’s a lot of fun to not only dream about this, but to start working on it.”

Middleton said groups of Utah State University students will be invited to help work on different aspects of the park, from creating the kiosks that will inform people about the area to planning the landscaping.

The process to complete the park will take about five years, and Watkins said that when completed it will feature a moderately challenging hiking trail running up the crest of the mountain on the north side of the park, which has a view of the valley at the top he says is unmatched.

As a city official, the park land is a good thing too, he said, because it contributes to the city’s goal of doubling its park land during the next 20 years so there will be 15 acres of land for every 1,000 residents. When it’s completed, a trail will connect the park with other areas of North Logan — portions of which will be paid for by Rocky Mountain Power.

Perhaps the best feature of the new park, Middleton said, will be that it’s something different. There will be no soccer fields or basketball courts, and not as much green grass as people find at traditional parks. And although there’s a place for those types of facilities, she said, there’s a pure beauty in what the new park has to offer.

“It’s just very beautiful terrain,” Middleton said. “It’s just really gentle.”