Enterprise Reservoir and the Bull Valley Mountains
Washington County, Utah

In a drought year like this one, southern Utah is in a world of hurt for water. Cattle are starving, farmers are worried, and firefighters are preparing for a hot fire season. The area around Enterprise Reservoir in Washington County is an eye-opener for how serious our water conditions really are. In the photo above, note the water level behind the dam--and this photo was taken in late May when water levels are typically at their peak!

Enterprise Reservoirs are located at the base of a series of oddly beautiful mountains. Many fisherman have traditionally fished here for bass and some trout. There are several good camp sites around the reservoirs.

The map indicates that the Bull Valley Mountains merge into the range adjacent to the reservoirs, but we were unable to discern whether these mountains had a name--so we'll call them the Bull Valley Mountains. There are several ATV and jeep trails originating at the reservoirs and heading south into these hills. The roads are a lot of winding and up and down, with plenty of spectacular views and some pristine country to behold. Even in drought conditions, the mountains seemed quite green and verdant, but many dry stream beds told of perils to come.

As we drove south on one of the jeep trails, road conditions deteriorated and it became clear that we were going to end up along the Beaver Dam Wash at Motoqua (a considerable distance south of where we wanted to be). Had we found any water along the way, we had agreed we would camp there. But in the intense heat and bone dry conditions, we drove until we found the Beaver Dam Wash, then went through Motoqua and back up another road toward a place called Butcher Knife Canyon. We camped along another dry stream bed some distance south of the Goldstrike Mine. Ryan spent the leisurely afternoon playing with my machete, his metal detector, and digging around. Pretty sad when the most exciting thing to do is dig for bones... (below). We should have stayed at Enterprise Reservoir, but our sense of foolishness and curiosity kept us behind the wheel looking for greener pastures until we gave up and settled for this spot miles from where we had wanted to be.

We recommend a visit to this area. It seems to be a paradise for the ATV enthusiast. The trails are wonderful and scenery is hard to beat. It's an unusual transition zone between two geophysical regions of the West--the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert. Hence, the country side is typical of neither, but a jumble of landforms and ecological diversity that is not seen very often. If you plan to visit during the dry season, don't plan for a campfire. The place is a tinderbox that would be a very difficult fight in the event of a fire.