The eastern leg out of Marysvale is quite different from the
western one. Instead of starting to rise straight out of town,
the trail first descends to the Sevier River. After crossing
this river, the trail heads northward across the Sevier's
floodplain, which is lush green farm land. As the trail rises
out of the floodplain it turns about 150 degrees and heads
southward toward the mouth of Dry Creek. There are numerous
uranium mines in this area that were active in the 1940s and
1950s. In fact, with gold and silver in the first part of the
century and uranium in the middle part, Marysvale's history is
closely tied to the mining of its surrounding mountains.
From the southward turn to the mouth of Dry Creek Can yon the
road crosses a gently rolling sagebrush plain. The road is
generally smooth with good sight distances, but never-the-less
requires caution. Entering Dry Fork Canyon the character of the
road changes dramatically; the canyon is very narrow, the road
rough, and sight distances are short. From the sagebrush the
road rapidly enters the riparian vegetation of cottonwood and
willow while the hillsides go from pinyon and juniper to spruce
and fir. Openings in the vegetation provide spectacular views of
volcanic cliffs rising on both sides of the canyon. When the
trail suddenly breaks out into more gentle topography this leg
of the Marysvale Loop joins the main Paiute Trail.
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