Walking Along the East Fork of the Sevier River

After a couple days hiking the rim of the plateau we thought we’d take some time to enjoy the splendor of the river valley we’d been driving across every day. The East Fork of the Sevier drains the Paunsaugunt Plateau feeding lush, grassy meadows that run north-south. Meandering with abandon, the river shows evidence of changing course often, taking out clusters of mature spruce along it’s banks and creating gravel bars on many of the hairpin turns. But for all it’s dramatic changes in form, the clarity of the water itself is what dazzles – an iridescent ribbon that reflects the blue sky, verdant grass, silvery-green sage, and creamy-sand pebbles along the shore. The valley and the river are both spectacular in and of themselves, but together they create a picture-perfect scene.

We stopped and walked at numerous places along the East Fork, following it’s winding course for miles through the bottomland of the plateau. We also took full advantage of the sunshine and mild temperatures by lying in one of the sunny meadows, listening to the water rushing by. As gorgeous as the river seemed driving by I’m so glad we dedicated some time to walking her banks for she didn’t truly revealed her beauty until we were on foot.