One of the animals you're likely to see if you spend any time in the Wasatch Mountains are mountain goats (
Oreamnos americanus). Their conspicuous white coats and relatively tame dispositions make them highly visible, especially in the heavily traveled Wasatch Range. They're most comfortable clamoring across rocks, where their soft-hoofed feet give them uncanny agility. Steep terrain provides protection from predators and is the most likely place to spot them.
Mountain goats can be easily recognized by their thick white coats that keep them warm in extremely cold temperatures. They actually grow a double coat, with thick, course outer hairs reaching up to eight inches in length, insulated by a 2-3 inch thick fine wool under-layer. Each spring mountain goats molt or shed this thick coat (notice the partially molted coat above). If you're in an area with goat activity, check on the bushes and shrubs and you'll likely find their fur. By mid-July they've completed this process and begin growing their new coat for the coming winter. These coats allow them to live above timberline even during winter. Though when snow covers their food, I've seen them as low as Storm Mountain in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
Another defining characteristic of mountain goats are their dark horns. Both male and female goats grow horns. The horns range between 6-11 inches in length and have yearly growth rings (see the rings on the right horn). These horns look very different than the large spiraling horns of bighorn sheep and are an easy way to tell the two species apart.
Mountain goats have very confrontational personalities. (Watch the video below) Female goats, known as nannies, can be particularly nasty to each other. They are highly competitive, territorial, and protective of their personal space. Fights occur over the best grazing resources, salt licks, and resting spots. Generally a hierarchy based on size and age is followed.
But goats don't limit their aggressive behavior towards their own species. In Washington's Cascade Range where salt is a precious resource, goats have become accustomed to associating people with salt. They'll wait for you to pee and then lap up the salt off the rocks. In both the Enchantment Lake Basin near Leavenworth and on Liberty Bell in the North Cascades, I've had goats mock-charge me while I was still peeing to get at my salt. I've even arrived at the top of a multi-pitch rock climb and had goats waiting for me.
Mountain goats are herbivores and eat a varied diet of grasses, sedges, herbs, leaves, mosses, and lichen. In other words, almost anything.
As with many mountain ranges in the Western United States, mountain goats are not native to the Wasatch Mountains. They were transplanted here by people. There is some debate as to whether their introduction is good for the sustainability of the Wasatch ecosystem. Like other exotic (non-native) species, mountain goats have multiplied quickly and their undiscerning grazing habits have had a negative impact on fragile alpine plants. A lack of natural predators has allowed populations to expand, increasing the pressure on high altitude vegetation.
Below timberline mountain goat's natural predators include wolves, lynx, cougars, eagles, and grizzly bears. Above timberline the only real predatory threat is from golden eagles during the birthing season. The Wasatch Mountains never had, or no longer has wolves, lynx, or grizzly bears. A very dense population of mountain goats is living on Mt. Timpanogos, in the southern part of the Wasatch Mountains.
To better understand the issue of introducing mountain goats consider the case of Washington State's Olympic National Park as described on Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo website:
"There is a continuing debate over the mountain goat population in the Olympic National Park. In the 1920's, a hunting club worked with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and the US Forest Service to introduce these non-native animals to this area. The 15 mountain goats transplanted in 1920 multiplied to over 500 by 1977, and more than 1,000 by 1983. Since they eat most plants and create wallow for dust baths and trails, there is concern over damage to extremely fragile alpine ecosystems and rare native plants. After years of debate and dozens of hearings, a plan was introduced to solve the problem. Since the 1980's, over 400 goats have been removed and transported outside the region to the Cascades and to other states. In the 1980's Woodland Park Zoo veterinarian Dr. Jim Foster headed a birth control program of birth control implants and male sterilization for mountain goats in Olympic National Park. This issue is still heated and not resolved. "
How do you feel about having mountain goats in the Wasatch? Do you like seeing them in the high country? Or would you rather have intact plant communities? Is there some way to have both? I'd like to here what people think. Please weigh in the comments.
tral branch. They grow off the twig evenly in all directions. The needles are sharp to the touch, but not very stiff. The bark is (see photo) thin and scaly and flakes off in small discs. The cones are yellow or purplish-brown and hang from the upper branches of the tree. The cones scales are papery thin with sharp, jagged edges.
ains and the Salt Lake area in general. Steep, craggy peaks rise quickly from the canyon floor, beckoning campers to come out and explore. Many popular hiking trails of varying length and difficulty leave from the Big Cottonwood Road and make Spruces on of the best campgrounds for hiking in Utah. The 3.5 mile Days Fork Trail leaves directly from the campground and accesses a beautiful canyon and old mining camps. Lake Blanche, one of the best day-hikes in this part of the range, starts a short distance down Big Cottonwood Canyon at the S-Curve parking lot. Hundreds of easily accessible rock-climbing routes have been established on the quartzite cliffs up and down canyon. Some of the most concentrated and popular collections of routes are at crags like Storm Mountain (which has one of the single best crack climbs in the Big Cottonwood, Gordo's Wall 5.10c), the S-Curve, and the Salt Lake Slips (great for beginners). Excellent single track mountain biking trails are located at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon at Guardsman Pass, and via chairlift at Solitude Mountain Resort (the Sunrise lift started running for mountain biking and disc-golf on Saturday June 20th).
One of the animals you're likely to see if you spend any time in the Wasatch Mountains are mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus). Their conspicuous white coats and relatively tame dispositions make them highly visible, especially in the heavily traveled Wasatch Range. They're most comfortable clamoring across rocks, where their soft-hoofed feet give them uncanny agility. Steep terrain provides protection from predators and is the most likely place to spot them.
Camping: William Gransraff Campground (formerly known as Negro Bill Campground) is right across the street. This campground, like many of the sites along this section of the Colorado River, has been cleared of invasive Tamarisk trees. The trees were burned leaving the site charred and unappealing. However, the BLM has done a nice job of reworking the campground with fresh gravel and new sites making the spot far more attractive.
Part of camping is understanding the natural environment around you. The better naturalist you are, the more you'll enjoy the time you spend outside. Periodically on this blog I'll talk about the natural history of Utah, including the flora and fauna, topography and geology, and different habitats. The first topic is a common tree found in much of the state. If you go camping in Utah, you'll probably run into one of these beauties.
nes have yellowish-orange bark with older trees displaying a distinctive black lining in the deeper folds of the bark. The bark smells very much like vanilla. Because of their yellow colored bark, Ponderosas are often called "Yellow Pines."
The largest Ponderosa on record stood 232 feet tall and was 8 1/2 feet in diameter. It was 600 years. More typically the species reaches heights of around 220 feet, and is about 4 feet across. The lucky ones live 400 to 500 years.
One good (legal) alternative is the undeveloped sites out Kane Creek Road. If you drive all the way out Kane Springs Road past all the BLM campgrounds and continue by Hunters Canyon, you'll eventually reach a series of "undeveloped" campsites. The sites are actually labeled and numbered by the BLM and offer fairly good alternatives to the established campgrounds, especially when they are your only option. The further you continue down the road, the closer you get t
o Canyonlands National Park (and this isn't the touristy part of the park). The scenery is quite spectacular as well. There are no facilities at these sites, so bring everything you'll need. And oh yeah, it's free!
Over the weekend my wife Sonja and I had the chance to meet up with our friends Melissa and Tom and do a little canyoneering in Arches National Park. We chose Dragonfly Canyon as a half-day introduction to what the park had to offer. The canyon turned out to be excellent: short and sweet - a perfect half day adventure. It offered a few minor technical challenges including two short (15 foot) swims through muddy pothole style pools, and two rappels of 65 and 130 feet. Despite being less than a mile from the main park road, the canyon instantly felt remote, even though it was a busy May weekend.
dome features in the direction La Sal Mountains and aim for them. Do your best to not walk on the cryptobiotic soils by staying on the slickrock whenever possible. A quick ten minute walk will bring you to the canyon rim. Enter the canyon at the north end via a steep, but non-technical ramp.
Continue down into a beautifully lush chamber of red rock and bright green cottonwood trees. Savor the spot before continuing down canyon. Upon reaching the Courthouse Wash (where another trail intersects the canyon) turn right and hike back out to the road. This will put you about 1.5 miles down the road from your entry point pullout. A short car shuttle saves a 1.5 mile walk back up the road.
