Babylon Mills at the Virgin River

A little known spot between Leeds and Toquerville is Babylon Mills. The remnants of what was once known as Stormont Mill in the town of Babylon is the only thing left standing here from the late 19th century, though the contemporary framework of a burned down dream home is also on the property. Citizens of the small, non-Mormon settled Babylon relied on the mill for their livelihood until the local mining industry took a dive, and the town was abandoned.
A graded dirt road takes you directly east from the I-15, descending gradually along cliff edges and tectonic uplift into a sandstone gulch carved by the waters of the Virgin. The river is beautiful and a moderate level, at least in January -  we hope to float it later this year, when the temps are a little warmer.
Expect some traffic! Plenty of other off-roaders and UTV riders when we were there on a Saturday, some heading to Babylon, some to Sand Cove or Babylon Arch. 4-wheel drive is not necessary on a dry day, but might be helpful in case things get hairy.

To get to the Mills: 


(1) Take exit 27 off the I-15 towards Toquerville. Take an immediate right onto the frontage road that runs parallel to the I-15 heading south. 
(2) Continue south, passing the small development of homes on your left.
(3) Take a left turn at 900 N Rd, heading east. 
(4) You'll pass some homes on the paved part of the road - ignore their driveways, and stay left on the main drag for a few miles.




(5) Continue past the turnoff to Sand Cove Campground.
(6) Look close and you'll see what appears to be an abandoned cabin to the east of the road here. It is worth taking a closer look at.
(7) You've made it to Babylon Mills! Stay on the track, and enjoy the incredible examples of tectonic and geologic work.

Strawberry Point: Better than Cedar Breaks NM

We spent a weekend up at Duck Creek with the fam from northern Utah to show them how much better this half of the state is. Renting a cabin in Duck Creek was a great idea.

Going on the trails in the middle of monsoon season was not. It's been raining every day for the past three weeks. Earlier in the day before we first went up, they closed SR-14 for flooding and debris in the road down the canyon. So what do we do when we first get up to the mountain? Get in the 4Runner and find the nearest trail. We went through a few puddles no problem until we see it.

This massive, eight foot long puddle that covered the entire trail across. Trekker backed up a few feet and gunned it. We drove through the puddle and started going down, and down, and down until we were under water to our windows. He never released the gas pedal, which helped us slowly and finally climb back up the other side. There's that minute it stops being fun and it turns into 'shit just got real' and it happened in the middle of the forest outside of Duck Creek when I thought we lost Trekker's car to the monsoonal rainstorm.

The views outside from Cascade Fall's Cave

This poor kid couldn't take another step haha

Anyway, Cedar Mountain is a good time.

But onto my favorite part. Strawberry Point is on the south side of Cedar Mountain, off a rough road at the edge of the Markagunt Plateau. I honestly think it's more impressive than it's western counterpart Cedar Breaks National Monument. The views down into Hog's Heaven and Zion Canyon are amazing, and I could spend all day there.

Gunlock and the Virgin River: Swimming Holes

I forced some people to go on little expeditions to find some decent swimming holes. It was successful. Here's a little video showing both. Enjoy: