Farmington Creek Trail

This was another beautiful fall day so we went back to see the rest of the Lagoon Trail. This is actually called Farmington Creek Trail when you start at the north end. We didn't see any Lagoon animals this time but we heard people screaming on one of the rides. We wanted to park next to the lake but the GPS took us to a small parking lot by a back gate to Lagoon.

We stopped at the entrance to this section and took each other's pictures.

This was the prettiest part of the trail. There was a couple taking engagement pictures around the corner. 

This is a bench dedicated to a married couple. 

While we were admiring the bench a woman came by and offered to take our picture together. 

The trail winds under a road and over two bridges to cross the creek. 

This viaduct has a sign saying it's monitored by video. 

 As you get closer to the lake, you can hear the creek. Finally, you can see the water going over the spillway. 

There is a fishing pier. We talked to a man who said he has caught trout there in the past. There are picnic tables in several places on the trail. 

Plenty of parking here. 

There is one fire pit next to the lake. 

This is a pleasant ride on a Sunday morning. There is a handicapped restroom next to the lake but I don't know if it's open in the winter months. This path is asphalt all the way. It's great except that it's bumpy from the tree limbs that have grown under the path. 

Orson Smith Park in Draper

Four days before Halloween, the weather in Utah was still at 70 degrees. We decided to try out a place that isn't listed as wheelchair friendly. It doesn't say 'unfriendly' to wheelchairs or strollers but it should. It's a 2.3 mile loop from the park to the Draper Suspension Bridge. I really wanted to see that bridge. The trail site says it's good for all ages. Not quite.

We never made it as far as the bridge so I borrowed this picture from the Draper City website. The views from the bridge are supposed to be spectacular and many families with little children trooped by us and up the stairs.

There is a kind of staging area where you can use the restroom and have a drink from the water fountain in season. There was one handicapped accessible restroom still open but that's all. 

There is a small parking lot with two handicapped spaces although that must be only to satisfy state law. There is no reason to stop here except to hike up the trail.

We are not faint-hearted and we decided to try to go up the same way cars and off-road vehicles do it--on the access road. Our car has no clearance so using it was not an option. 

Bill attacked the curb head on but it was no good. We had to go back up by our car so we could get on the sidewalk. That worked. Here is Bill at the top of the really awful concrete at the entrance to the road.

Beyond the concrete section there is some soft dirt. The road is not graded and there is hardly any gravel on it. 

Bill got stuck pretty badly in the soft dirt. I was all the way up to the first switchback so I went back and asked him if he wanted to quit and go home. He didn't. Eventually, he made it past that part. Then we both got stuck. We decided to take some pretty pictures of the hills and the valley and pack it in. 

The pictures don't do this place justice. It was really pretty out there but a little overcast. Truthfully, we would still be there looking at the views if a kind man named Mike hadn't come along and pulled my chair out of the sand. Nice place but don't go if you use a wheelchair. 

Eccles Wildlife Education Center in Layton, Utah

This is a brand new facility next to Farmington Bay focusing on water fowl. It's open Tuesday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. There are no entrance fees. This is an example of the beautiful views. 

This is the new center. 

We had some difficulty finding it using Google maps. We wandered around the area until I called the manager, Billy, and he said it's not on Google maps yet because it's too new. Just go a mile and a half past Farmington High School and you can see it off to the left. 

When they say the facility is closed, they really mean it. The trails are "open" after hours and on Sun-Mon if you can get into the area by climbing through this barrier. Otherwise, don't bother.

We hoped to see some beautiful views and maybe some birds. But we ended up providing a test case for the accessibility of the whole set up. Good news--we were able to park easily close to the building.

Next, we found the bathrooms to be accessible but difficult to open. I thought the door was locked but it just has a strong magnet holding it closed. The sign says heavy door and push hard. They are very nice restrooms.

There are two buildings. One has a large auditorium but it was being used and we weren't able to see it. There is a welcoming area and office on the right. There are large windows to view the birds as well as binoculars and pictures to help you identify the birds you are seeing. We only saw pelicans this time but there will be more birds passing through the area later this fall. This bay is on a major migratory flyway. 

There are some small displays of local birds, too. 

Walking outside, there is an artistic rendition of a pelican. (A certain amount of the budget is supposed to be spent on artwork.)

We headed out to see the one and a half mile trail that includes a boardwalk. 

We planned to traverse the whole trail which is covered mostly with packed gravel. 

You can go all the way around or take some short jogs into the pond areas. 

This "blind" looked good but the transition between the gravel and the bridge was too high for us to cross on our chairs. They bottom out easily. 

It was too difficult for Bill to get up there but I was able to take some pictures from inside the structure. 

We heard good things about the boardwalk. We were concerned about being able to get through the loose gravel in front of it but we gave it a try. I took a run at it and was able to get onto the wood. 

Unfortunately, the gravel was too deep and Bill bogged down there. It was something of a struggle to get his chair out of the gravel.

His back wheel was totally dug into the gravel. 

I tried to help him and managed to get my chair stuck, too. 

It was warm and we were tired so we went back to the center after we extricated our vehicles. Too bad. I really wanted to go over the boardwalk. We told the managers about our concerns before we left to go home. You might consider wearing insect repellent if you wander around the area. We didn't get bit or stung but it's a possibility. In spite of our problems with the gravel, we had a great time and enjoyed our visit.