18 - Temple Fork Road and Old Ephraim’s Grave

Mileage 15.2
Milepost 476.4
GPS N41° 50.079’ W111° 35.526’

The road through Temple Fork buzzed with activity in the 1870s and 1880s when a logging camp and sawmill operated from within this hollow. Crews of 20-30 sawyers, mill hands, and teamsters produced more than 2.5 million board feet of lumber at this site, with much of the logging done during the winter. Timber milled in Temple Fork was used to construct the Mormon Temple and Tabernacle, as well as the Cache County Courthouse, all in downtown Logan. Construction on the Temple began in 1877 and was completed in 1884. This finely engineered Gothic style building is a tribute to the sacrifice of Utah’s early pioneers.

The 6-mile Temple Fork Sawmill Trail leads to the original mill site where remnants of this historic era can still be found. Temple Fork road also leads to the final resting place of “Old Ephraim,” the last and said-to-be largest grizzly bear killed in this region. In 1966, local Boy Scouts erected a 10-foot stone monument to mark the bear’s gravesite and height. Elaborate tales of the grizzly’s final battle with sheep rancher Frank Clark are regular fare around blazing summer campfires. If you would like to know more about Old Ephraim, the Logan Ranger District or Cache Valley Visitors Bureau can supply a written copy of the legend. Small, high clearance four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended for use on this road.

The Temple Fork watershed offers a tremendous variety of recreational possibilities from fishing and hunting to hiking, horseback riding, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. Mixed stands of aspen and fir provide habitat for warblers, hummingbirds, and woodpeckers. Larger animals such as elk, mule deer, and moose graze throughout the grassy areas surrounding Spawn and Temple Fork Creeks. A series of challenging semi-private back roads will take you from Logan Canyon to Meadowville near Bear Lake or Blacksmith Fork Canyon in southern Cache Valley. Four-wheel drive, high clearance vehicles are recommended