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All the United States Utah Elberta Paul Bunyan's Woodpile

Paul Bunyan's Woodpile

This lava formation earned its whimsical name from the log-like formation of it stones.

Elberta, Utah

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About

Despite being known for his exploits as a lumberjack, the so-called Paul Bunyan's Woodpile is a unique rock formation in the middle of the Utah desert.

The geometric basalt fins that jut up from the desert landscape earned their fairytale name from the stacked appearance of their volcanic folds. They were formed when ancient lava roiled up and cooled into "logs" that stacked into a series of ridges and arches. From the side, the profile of the individual "logs" shows a sharply geometric shape nearly a foot in diameter each. If Paul Bunyan did fell these giant lava logs, his story would be much more explosive.  

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Take the unmarked dirt road on the east side of Hwy 6. The road is about 15 miles south of Eureka and 3 miles north of Jericho Junction (the turn off to Little Sahara). Take the dirt road for about 3.5 miles to a marked trailhead. The "woodpile" is about 1 mile from the trail head.

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Published

February 24, 2012

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  • Despite being known for his exploits as a lumberjack, the so-called Paul Bunyan's Woodpile is a unique rock formation in the middle of the Utah desert. The geometric basalt fins that jut up from the desert landscape earned their fairytale name from the stacked appearance of their volcanic folds. They were formed when ancient lava roiled up and cooled into "logs" that stacked into a series of ridges and arches. From the side, the profile of the individual "logs" shows a sharply geometric shape nearly a foot in diameter each. If Paul Bunyan did fell these giant lava logs, his story would be much more explosive.

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Natural Wonders Geological Oddities Geology Rocks Nature
Paul Bunyan's Woodpile
Unnamed Road
Elberta, Utah, 84626
United States
39.764833, -112.112338
Visit Website
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