Japanese Internment Camp at Topaz Utah

[99Discovery]

We've had such a mild winter, I decided to take my family out West and enjoy the good weather. We did a historical route to the Japanese Internment Camp just west of Delta Utah, then along the old Highway 6&50 through Marjum Pass to a Hermit's Cabin, and then to a spring in the shadow of the Home Range mountains that would make an excellent camping spot.

This is an easy trail, but take safety precautions as this is the desert with no cell coverage, it's 140 miles round trip from Delta to Delta (for fuel), but you'll need more if you do this as a 1-way by-way on your way to Great Basin National Park.

Here is my review video with a bit more history and obviously pictures, videos, and the GPS coordinates for the major intersections and features:

 

[PhulesAU]

Been in the area a couple of time and completely missed this opportunity. I enjoy the trips where I can spend more time looking out the windows than worrying about the next rock to climb.
Thanks for the post.

 

[SmoothLC]

Good job. Missed the internment camp and museum last time I went through Delta.

You've given me a reason to go back and explore west of there too.

Great job on the research.

 

[99Discovery]

Thanks. As soon as some of the higher elevations dry out, I'm planning on another easy quick run from the lava tubes of Flowell, to the abandoned wind farm of pahvant Butte and finishing at the old pioneer mud fort at Hinckley.

An adventurer could then tie right into the Topaz trail and do both in two days and 1 night.

It'd be a great byway for those coming back or to Great Basin National Park and want to stay off road as much as possible.

 

[gdaut]

The Ibex dried salt lake bed is also out in this area. There is some adventurous climbing on the western edge of the lake bed. An old guidebook exists if you can find it. When I was there about 15 years ago there was one other party camped there, and it was the guidebook author, so that is how I got mine.

IN that area there are also some interesting white sand dunes. And miles and miles (and mikes) of dirt roads going who knows where.

 

[99Discovery]

Is it the yellow guidebook mentioned in the credits of my vid? I can't remember where I found mine, but it had been useful for that area

 

[Regcabguy]

I've visited Manzanar Internment Camp off of 395.
Very emotional day. Thanks to the resilience of the Japanese-Americans they survived and prospered.

 

[DVD]

We visited the Poston Monument, from the Poston internment camp near Parker, AZ, a few years ago. There's not as much in terms of remnants, but it was a moving experience and good historical perspective. How does the quote go: "Those who do not know the past are condemned to repeat it."
Here are some photos from the Poston monument.

 

[gdaut]

Is it the yellow guidebook mentioned in the credits of my vid? I can't remember where I found mine, but it had been useful for that area

It is called "Ibex and Selected Climbs of Utah's West Desert." By James Garrett, 2001. It is almost exclusively climbing routes and not much about the area/roads.