GoldenSpike Historical Mon June 2024

Promontory point or Goldenspike National Historic Park. Located near the Utah/Idaho border. This is a relatively small park, but I recently found out there was more to it than I originally thought. There are two auto tours with walking trails and historic markers to explore the area more. They are the East tour and West tour. More information is located on the website or at the visitor center. We took the East tour (which is the smaller one). This tour is where we saw the "Last Cut". These roads are gravel, but well graded when we were there. There aren't any facilities on the auto tours and can be desolate so if you worry about getting stranded, consider options. We ran into one other person while there so getting help could be an issue if you ran into an emergency. In fact, the person we saw there was alone and hiking the trails. She didn't seem to be in great shape so we felt a little worried for her so we dawdled a little more than we would have just to ensure she made it out safely. There was cell service for us, but that would depend on your carrier.

[@espeescotty]

Quite a bit different scene from the 150th anniversary of the driving of the golden spike out there on May 10th, 2019. It was very crowded with over 23,000 people out there. In your view from about :41 to 1:03, the fields in the background, from the near sagebrush to where the hills started, far off, were probably close to 10,000 vehicles! It was pretty nuts out there. I'm glad I can say I was there on that anniversary, but I don't ever want to be there with that many people again. I'll be 95-years old when the 200th anniversary rolls around, so I guess I won't be able to make it. Your experience was more normal and enjoyable.

[@TimeOnOurHands-Francis]

I can't even imagine that many people there! The roads aren't big! You need to make another trip there when you can actually enjoy the visit. I gather you enjoy everything trail related, have you tried the Ogden Union Station? You can even climb on the trains there.

[@espeescotty]

@@TimeOnOurHands-Francis Oh yes, I have been to Ogden Union Station a couple of times. They do have some amazing pieces in their collection. And I have been to the Golden Spike park 3 times. I love it much better without the huge crowds. On those "normal" days when there are fewer visitors, it is much easier to imagine what the area was like in 1869, plus to enjoy the locomotives and the exhibits. I'd love to go back to both places. Thanks for your recommendations. 🤠👍