Finding the REAL Charlie's Monument

Hey everyone! If you're here, it's probably because you've watched my YouTube video. If not, definitely go check it out here. 

It'll give solid back story and context to this thing that may prove instrumental in your quest. 

Anyway, as promised, here are the instructions on how to get to my great-great grandpa Hyrum Yorgason's monuments, otherwise known as "Charlie's Monument". By request, I've prepared a Google Earth 'Presentation' with the locations on the map. You can access this map here. I'd give you a Google Maps pin-drop link but I have yet to figure out a way to do that that is genuinely helpful. 

WARNING: the roads to get to this location are narrow and difficult to navigate - you will need ATVs of some kind. Your Toyota Camry will never make it and anything bigger than that is too big. 

DIRECTIONS

Phase 1: Driving

START: In Fountain Green, Utah. 

Head North on State Street (HWY 132) for about 2.4 miles until you come to Log Canyon Road, which will be on your Left (headed West). 

There is a turn off here, which is a great place to park your truck and unload the ATVs. In fact, that's exactly what you should do, because there's nowhere else to do this. And you probably won't be able to do it without ATVs. 

Phase 2: ATV

Get on your ATVs and head West on Log Canyon Road. About a mile and a half down this road you'll come to a fork, and you'll want to take the right side. This will take you directly into the canyon. The other one will take you to someone's driveway. Don't do that. 

You will take this road all the way up the canyon for the next 5ish miles. This should take you anywhere from 30-45 minutes. If you find yourself at the top of the mountain, you have gone too far!

At approximately the 5.1 mile mark (since entering the mouth of the canyon) the road will make a hard right turn and switch-back toward the peak. At this point, you will notice an off-shoot trail to your Left (headed East), which dips down a little out of sight. This is your trail. Take it slow, because it is a little bit steep. Nothing you can't handle, but also not one you'd like to take full speed ahead. 

You will proceed along this trail for approximately 3/4 of a mile. It's rocky, but manageable. It's hard to pin-point exactly where you will stop, so please refer to the map-GIF above. Alternatively, here is the GPS coordinate (which might prove useful if you have, like, a globe or something): 

Latitude: 39.6291334    Longitude: -111.7019714

We pulled our ATVs off the trail and, turning right (East), rode them into a small grove of aspen trees to park them. The rest of your journey will be on foot. 

Phase 3: Foot

The Tree Carving 

For those who are interested in searching for the tree carving of the Yorgason brand (the 'quarter-circle Y') we found in the video, I'm sorry to say that I did not record its exact location. However, I can tell you what grove it was in. 

From our ATV parking point, we headed into the aspen grove immediately to the North of where we were. We found the carving in the North-Eastern quadrant of the grove. 

Good luck, keep your eyes peeled, and don't forget to check the trees that have been blown down. Remember whatever trees he carved into are at least 100 years old, and the one we saw was beginning to rot at the bottom! 

The Monument

To find the monument itself, you'll have to do a great deal of bush-whacking. Starting where we parked the ATVs, work your way North-East and over the ridge. From here you should be able to see down the rest of the slope. 

Looking to the North-East, the trees on either side will make a sort of "corridor" down the hill, at the end of which there is a stand-alone aspen grove at the bottom of the slope, which should be directly visible. Make your way there.

The distance is only about half a mile as the bird flies, but it'll feel like 47 miles for all the bushes. 

There are a few game trails in the midst of the thickets, which will actually bring you quite close. So if you find one, take it as far North East as you can, making your way down the slope, being careful not to stray too far North or South into the trees. 

Once you make it to the grove of aspens at the bottom of this slope, turn your attention North - the monument may even be visible to the naked eye at this point. If not, fight your way through those nasty bushes for a bit. It'll reveal itself. 

(As a side note, there are probably even more tree carvings in this grove, but we didn't have time to look. If you've got the time and interest, go ahead and take a gander! If not, proceed to the next paragraph.)

The trees to the East and West of you should make a sort of funnel, and direct your attention right to the monument. 

The monument stands on the edge of the slope, directly East-North-East of the ATV parking. At this point, either heap of rocks will be difficult to miss! 

And there you have it! These original monuments of Hyrum Yorgason, which he used as pyres to warn the locals of on-coming, hostile Natives (kinda like in Lord of the Rings), are also the same monuments that were spoken of/that inspired the one in my grandpa, Blaine Yorgason's book, Charlie's Monument (1976). (For more info, watch the YouTube video in the link provided at the top of this page.)

Thanks for reading, happy trails, and don't forget to wear helmets on your ATVs, bring protection against potential predators (no really, I actually mean carnivorous predators), and PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL TO THE DELICATE STRUCTURES. :) This is a sacred part of our Yorgason family history! 

Peace out!