Panguitch a handy hub and a year-round destination

Panguitch, Utah, basks in the summer sun in a lovely valley between high, forested plateaus along scenic U.S. 89. Long a center for lumbering, agriculture and county government, Panguitch capitalizes on its location to serve tourists and outdoor enthusiasts year-round. Central to many scenic and recreational attractions, Panguitch makes a handy hub from which to explore national parks and monuments, state parks, national forests and scenic side roads.

Panguitch lies about 240 miles from Las Vegas. The shortest route follows Interstate 15 north from Las Vegas into Utah through St. George and Cedar City to the Highway 20 junction. Turn there and drive 21 miles to U.S. 89. Panguitch lies 11 miles south.

Highway 20 follows the pass through the foothills used by the first Mormon settlers sent out from Parowan in the spring of 1864. They labored to build shelter and carve fields from the pretty little valley. They nearly starved the following winter because at 6,600 feet elevation late frosts killed their crops. A small rescue party struggled through deep snows to bring help from Parowan. They used the handmade quilts they all carried to walk over the snow, an event celebrated the second week of June annually during the Panguitch Quilt Walk.

Bad luck dogged the pioneers. Indian troubles to the north erupted into the Blackhawk War, leading church authorities to recall the settlers. Little Panguitch lay abandoned in May 1865, its first houses built and the second planting of crops flourishing. Five years later, Mormon leader Brigham Young decided the area should be resettled. New settlers arriving in 1871 found the houses untouched and the crops still standing in the fields. They all moved into a fort until they constructed more housing and replanted the fields.

Before long, the little community acquired a new name, Panguitch, meaning "big fish" in the Paiute language for the trout they caught in area streams and nearby Panguitch Lake. The reinvigorated settlement hummed with activity at its new sawmills, shingle mills, gristmill, tannery and lime and brick kilns. Panguitch remembers its beginnings during its annual Pioneer Day celebration slated this year for July 24-27. Expect the town to be crowded as folks gather for a parade, community feeds, family reunions, games, a rodeo and a dance.

Take some time to drive or stroll along the town's streets lined with vintage red brick homes and other buildings. Its downtown reflects its frontier beginnings with structures from yesteryear put to modern uses. The handsome Garfield County Courthouse figures prominently just off U.S. 89. Early builders used local brick for charming two-story Victorians, followed later by single-story structures.

Visitors to Panguitch find accommodations in several motels, older, but presentable, or at the Red Brick Inn, a 1920s Dutch Colonial home turned bed and breakfast with six guest rooms and two suites. Private campgrounds in town serve travelers with recreational vehicles and tent campers. The town boasts several eateries, including a smokehouse and a couple of cafes. Check out the local market for picnic fare. Almost everything closes on Sundays.

Panguitch lies just 25 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park via Highway 12, a national scenic byway. Another scenic byway, Highway 143, heads from Panguitch past Panguitch Lake toward Cedar Breaks National Monument on the high Markagunt Plateau, a remarkably beautiful drive of 32 miles. From Cedar Breaks choose from a network of scenic roads exploring the high country before returning you to either I-15 or U.S. 89.

Visitors to Dixie National Forest find three campgrounds along this byway, open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. White Bridge Campground's 29 sites lie along Panguitch Creek. At Panguitch Lake, North Campground has 49 sites, while South Campground contains 17 tents-only sites. Fees run $7 at South Campground and $10 at the other two facilities. Popular Panguitch Lake also features several private lodges with various kinds of rooms or cabins and hookups for recreational vehicles. For details, contact the Garfield County Office of Tourism at (800) 444-6689 or try the Internet at www.bryce canyoncountry.com.

Margo Bartlett Pesek's column appears on Sundays.