Escalante Desert Valley: multi-state and multi-county
Friday, November 28th, 2008
Generally thought of as being a “western Iron County” valley, the Escalante Desert Valley stretches the length of both Beaver and Iron Counties and includes a wee bit of Millard and Washington counties.
The acutal watershed extends west into Nevada (Lincoln County) and east nearly to Cedar City. It is estimated to be nearly 100 miles from east to west and over 60 miles from south to north. That is about 3000 square miles.
The Escalante Desert Valley represents the most southerly finger of the ancient Lake Bonneville. It is widely believed the Escalante Desert is part of the Bonneville Bench, a shoreline formed when Lake Bonneville overflowed near Red Rock Pass south of Downy, Idaho some 14,000 years ago. That dropped the lake level some 350 feet and would certainly have drained the water from all but Sevier Lake, which is now a dry lake bed.
At some point in recent (post WWII) history, the area within Iron County has officially changed it’s name to the Escalante Valley, reflecting the lush irrigated alafalfa and potato crops.
