Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Marc Giauque ReportingIt has become the final resting place for more than thirty old cars, a number of old appliances and a lot of general junk. Now, the forest service is working to clean up the section of forest in the foothills east of Bountiful.
The forest service hopes to enlist the help of the Utah National Guard to lift the debris out of what once was a pristine area.
Just north and east of the big "B" on the mountains east of Bountiful is the stream that comes out of Ward's Canyon.
Still running this year, the stream babbles over mossy rocks and abundant plants, but about a quarter-mile up from the road, different sites, a car's hubcap, various parts, even an engine block, then the first of some 30 vehicles.
Bryce Greer of the Division of Motor Vehicle Enforcement is here to try to identify the cars that rolled from the road some 200 feet above -- some of which have been here for decades.
"These are pretty trashed," says Greer referring to the cars.
Kevin Walton of the Forest Service helps find the vehicle identification numbers. It's Walton's task just to get them out.
"Without a helicopter it would be very difficult to get them out of there," says Walton.
That's why the Forest Service is asking a Utah National Guard Unit for help. The Guard is checking to see if it's even feasible. Walton, in the meantime, says there are more than old cars to get out of here.
"There are snowmobiles, three-wheelers, bicycles," says Walton.
The most unusual he's seen: a riding lawnmower.
"This area's been a dumping ground for at least four decades," he says.
After it's cleaned up, Walton says they hope to put more guard railing on the road above and step up enforcement. During KSL's visit, several people noticed a pickup drive into the area with a large console TV in the back. It turned around after passing some other vehicles on the road.
