HYRUM, Utah, Nov. 15, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — After two years off, horse-drawn sleigh and wagon rides again will be offered this season at the Hardware Wildlife Management Area.
The rides, canceled one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and another due to extreme drought conditions, will resume this year on Dec. 2 and will continue weekends through Feb. 12.
Rides will be offered between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The operation will be run by the Cache County business Haviland’s Old West Adventures.
“We’re excited to be able to offer the sleigh rides again at the Hardware WMA and to have Haviland’s as our partner in these efforts,” said Brad Hunt, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Hardware WMA manager. “We know they’ll do a great job.”
Each ride lasts about 40 minutes. The fee to go on a ride is $10 for those 9 years of age or older and $4 for those 4 to 8 years old. Those 3 years or younger ride for free.
Because this is the first time since 2019 that the rides will be offered, there will likely be large crowds this winter. If you’d like to spend less time in line for a ride, consider visiting the WMA on a Sunday, when fewer visitors typically show up.
In addition to the sleigh rides, you can buy lunch from a food trailer that Haviland’s will have on site.
The Hardware WMA is 16 miles east of Hyrum. You can reach the WMA by traveling on state Route 101 through scenic Blacksmith Fork Canyon.
In addition to riding through the middle of hundreds of wild elk, you can learn more about wildlife and the WMA at the Hardware Wildlife Education Center.
Activities for families will be held in the center at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Each program runs about 30 minutes.
“A very popular activity we’ve held in the past is making Christmas ornaments using sagebrush, bitterbrush and other plants found at the WMA,” Marni Lee, the DWR’s interpretive director at the center, said. “We’ll offer that activity in December.”
Why DWR feeds elk
In the winter, DWR staff feed hay to elk at the WMA to try to keep them from migrating down Blacksmith Fork Canyon into private haystacks in the valley below. This winter, the length of time staff feed the elk will be shorter than it has been in the past.
Brucellosis, a disease that causes abortions and low fertility rates in animals that contract it, has not been detected in Utah. DWR biologists are concerned, though, that elk migrating back and forth — from Utah to areas where brucellosis is found — could bring the disease into the state.
Late winter and spring is the time when elk usually transmit the disease to each other. As a precaution, feeding will end on Feb. 12.
In addition to the activities, you can learn more about the migration habits of wildlife in Utah by taking a brief walk through the center’s habitat room.
For more information, visit the DWR website. You can also call the wildlife management area at 435-753-6206 or email Hunt at bradhunt@utah.gov.
