Boulder Mountain (also known as Bluebell Knoll and Boulder Top) in Utah, United States makes up half of the

Aquarius Plateau The Aquarius Plateau is a physiographic region in the High Plateaus Section of the Colorado Plateau Province. It is located within Garfield and Wayne counties in south-central Utah. Geography The plateau, a tectonic uplift on the much larger ...

of South Central Utah in Wayne and

Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976 (later changed to ''Garfield'' in 1977), then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978, it chro ...

counties. The mountain rises to the west of

Capitol Reef National Park Capitol Reef National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in south-central Utah. The park is approximately long on its northsouth axis and just wide on average. The park was established in ...

and consists of steep slopes and cliffs with over 50,000 acres (200 km²) of rolling forest and meadowlands on the top. The mountain has a nearly flat summit of roughly 70 square miles. The mountain is the highest timbered plateau in North America and is part of the

Dixie National Forest Dixie National Forest is a United States National Forest in Utah with headquarters in Cedar City. It occupies almost two million acres (8,000 km2) and stretches for about across southern Utah. The largest national forest in Utah, it ...

Highway 12

Utah Scenic Byway 12 State Route 12 or Scenic Byway 12 (SR-12), also known as ''"Highway 12 — A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway"'', is a state highway designated an All-American Road located in Garfield County and Wayne County, Utah, United States. Route descr ...

traverses the eastern side of the mountain from Torrey through

Boulder In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In ...

and on to Escalante. A series of unpaved backcountry roads and jeep trails provide access to the top during the brief snow-free time, usually only a few months from July to September. These jeep trails were originally created as the main route for wagons traveling between Escalante and Boulder.BLM RAMP.Canyones of Escalante:History of Boulder, Utah. (1990). Retrieved April 21, 2018 from http://boulderutah.com/history-of-boulder-utah/ The trail was upgraded to a road in 1920 when the Ohio Drilling Company created a route to Wagon Box Mesa. A famous road on the mountain, Hell's Backbone Road, forks from Scenic Byway 12. Hell's Backbone then runs west toward Posey Lake/Pine Creek Road. The road eventually winds back to the town of Escalante, which allows travelers to complete a 38-mile loop.

Climate

Boulder Mountain has a

subalpine climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfc''), bordering on an

Alpine climate Alpine climate is the typical climate for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate. Definition There are multiple definitions of alpine cli ...

(

''ET'') at the highest elevations around Bluebell Knoll. Donkey Reservoir is high up on the northeastern slope of Boulder Mountain. Donkey Reservoir also has a

(

''Dfc'') but with higher average temperatures, due to its lower elevation.

Fishing

Boulder Mountain is routinely held in high regard by Utahns as a fisherman's paradise. Fishing opportunities began on the mountain in the 1950s when

juvenile fish Fish go through various life stages between fertilization and adulthood. The life of fish start as spawned eggs which hatch into immotile larvae. These larval hatchlings are not yet capable of feeding themselves and carry a yolk sac which ...

(fry) were carried via horseback and planted in the area's high alpine lakes and streams. While the state often will now use aircraft to stock some of these high alpine lakes, the practice of stocking fish carried in by horseback continues for more delicate fingerling fish, like kokanee salmon
In 1971, the state record brook trout (7 pounds, 8 ounces) was caught in Boulder Mountain's waters

Brook trout The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada. Two ecological forms of brook trout h ...

are the prominent species stocked on Boulder Mountain. Colorado River Cutthroat are the fish species native to the area. In 2014, a committee consisting of anglers and residents convened to determine the future management of the fisheries on Boulder Mountain. This committee assisted the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in resolving the issue of overpopulating brook trout in the alpine lakes of Boulder Mountain. Based on the discussion, 35 percent of the lakes would be managed for trophy brook trout. The management plan categorized each lake into ten different sections: North Creek, North Slope, South Slope, East Slope, West Slope, Boulder Top, Griffin Top, and Escalante Mountain. The management plan introduces splake, tiger, and cutthroat trout to the waters that the committee deemed appropriate. Colorado cutthroat populations have steadily decreased since the introduction of brook trout to the area. Emphasizing the importance of re-establishing a healthy population of native trout in the area, sterile brook trout (triploid) and other sterile trout species, such as tiger and splake trout, were introduced to increase fishing opportunities. In 2022, state biologists first stocked

kokanee salmon The kokanee salmon (''Oncorhynchus nerka''), also known as the kokanee trout, little redfish, silver trout, kikanning, Kennerly's salmon, Kennerly's trout, or walla, is the non anadromous form of the sockeye salmon (meaning that they do not mig ...

in Boulder Mountain, in Blind Lake. Biologists hope that the kokanee population there will give anglers the opportunity to target these fish from shore, which is generally difficult to do for kokanee salmon. The other goal of the kokanee is to provide an additional food source for the splake, brook, and cutthroat trout populations.

Flora

The Boulder Mountain cinquefoil (''Potentilla angelliae'') is a rare species of plant that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to Boulder Mountain. Acharophyte assemblage located at the Griffin Top section (Aquarius Plateau, Utah, USA) provides, for the first time, the relative age of the base of the Claron Formation.

Fauna

The mountain is home to some of the biggest

elk The elk (: ''elk'' or ''elks''; ''Cervus canadensis'') or wapiti, is the second largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. ...

in the state of Utah, consistently producing some of the largest bull elk during the hunt each fall. The mountain is also known for mule deer. Predators are also prevalent; mountain lions and black bears are commonly seen throughout the area.

In popular culture

The Scottish

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such ...

band

Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 19 ...

named their fifth album ''

Blue Bell Knoll ''Blue Bell Knoll'' is the fifth studio album by Scottish dream pop band Cocteau Twins, released on 19 September 1988 by 4AD. This was the band's first album to receive major-label distribution in the United States, as it was originally licensed ...

'' after the mountain.

References

External links

* {{cite summitpost , id=180575 , name=Bluebell Knoll/Boulder Mtn (UT) Mountains of Utah Mountains of Wayne County, Utah Mountains of Garfield County, Utah Colorado Plateau