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Tabernacle
Hill by
Utah Outdoor Activities 
View
of the Tabernacle Hill Crater. Up in the top corner of the crater
you can see what appears to have been a new dome forming.
Located west of the small town of Meadow Utah is Tabernacle
Hill. Thousands of years ago this old volcano erupted leaving
behind miles of lava fields, craters and lava tubes. These
lava fields are said to be approx 10,000 to 24,000 years old and
formed while Lake Bonneville was receding. On our visit to
this area we were completely fascinated by the formations that were
left behind waiting to be explored. Around every corner was
some new geological formation that we had never seen before.
It was amazing to see the force that mother nature had on this
area. 
To get to Tabernacle Hill travel 5 miles south of Fillmore to the
town of Meadow, exit 158. As you proceed south down main street
search for a wooden sign on the west side of the road that says "White Mountain 6
Miles..." Drive west on an well graded gravel road until you
reach White Mountain. Drive approx 3 miles west from White
Mountain around the north end of the lava flow. A rough,
unmarked road heads south over the lava flows towards the rounded
dome of Tabernacle Hill. A small two wheel drive truck should
have no problem making it to the dome but beware of the weather as
the roads could get very muddy.
Tabernacle Hill offers several miles of geological formations to be
explored but the most popular for this area are the lava
tubes. There is said to be an unknown number of lava tubes
that run for miles under these flows. Some have had several
visitors and others may have had none at all. If you don't
have time to explore the fields to find these tubes, there is one
right off the dirt road just before you get to the dome. 
This tube is gigantic with places were the ceiling has caved in
offering natural sky light. As we made are way into the
beginning of what we thought to be a short tube, we discovered
that just beyond was another section and beyond that
another. The temperatures inside the tube was nice and cool
which would be an inviting relief on a hot summer day. 
When exploring this area use caution. In some locations the
ceilings of the tubes have caved in which would make for a long fall
for unwary explorers walking above. The volcanic rock itself
is very jagged and almost glass like, and a fall while exploring
could become a very painful or even a dangerous experience. If
you plan to visit this area set aside a few days to explore, you
will be able to make your own adventures and who knows you might
even discover one of those tubes that no one else has set foot
in. Oh and one more thing the lava rock is very beautiful and
looks good in any landscape, so go ahead and collect some, but keep
in mind the BLM rule of collect small amounts for your own personal
use, but no reselling allowed.
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