Manti Pioneer Heritage Gardens
Once a vacant lot that for decades had been full of weeds, this area is now a beautiful park, honoring the early settlers of the Sanpete Valley. The Pioneer Heritage Park & Gardens sit just below the Manti LDS temple. It was finished and dedicated in the summer of 2012, more than 30 years after it was envisioned.
A community effort, the Gardens were built with the help of donations and time from many in the local community. Once it was completed, this is what President Shannon Miller of the Central Utah Pioneer Heritage Association (the group that organized the effort) had to say: "We have a group of people that understand what beauty is and why we should appreciate it," Miller said. "And because of that, people have come out and helped and our garden is complete."
The property is just west of the temple and is part of the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area, which runs along Highway 89 in Central and Southern Utah. The 2.5 acre gardens include a reflecting pool (see photo) for the temple, an amphitheater, and benches to meditate. The gardens are also near the Manti Cemetery, where many early pioneers are buried. While you walk about the park, you can view numerous plaques that talk about the history and sacrifice of the early settlers here that helped make Manti and Sanpete what it is today. To watch an aerial video of the temple grounds and gardens, see Manti Temple Grounds.
Manti Temple & Miracle Pageant
Perched atop a rising knoll, known as "Temple Hill," the magnificent Manti Utah Temple dominates the Sanpete Valley of central Utah. Located just off Highway 89, approaching travelers can glimpse the distinctive towers from miles and miles away. To learn more about the temple, its history and construction, see this linked article: History of the Manti Temple.
Thousands flock to the spacious temple grounds each summer (generally in June) to watch the popular Mormon Miracle Pageant (see photo of a scene from the pageant), which is a religious pageant that shows an overview of history thru the Latter-Day Saint aka Mormon Faith's view, culminating with a representation of the Mormon settlement of the Sanpete Valley. 2016's performance is highly anticipated as it will mark the 50th anniversary of the pageant. Anyone is welcome to attend, and the cost is free. To find out more about the pageant, see: Mormon Miracle Pageant.
Sanpete County
Sanpete is a very unique place, and there's lots to do and see. Right thru the middle of it runs the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area, following US-89 from Fairview all the way south to Kanab and beyond (for more info, see: their website, here's a guide to the entire area, & this video highlighting the area).
Sanpete is also home to the famed Arapeen ATV Trail, a very popular recreation destination; here's a link to a map, and a video to learn more. And if you haven't visited Palisade State Park, it is worth a visit; check out their website or watch this video for more info. We hope you have fun exploring Sanpete as you check out these geocaches and beyond, and we certainly hope to see you again soon!
Welcome to Utah: Live Elevated! This is an
***OFFICIAL UTAH LIFE ELEVATED GEOTOUR GEOCACHE ***
This geocache is one of 5 planted around Sanpete County, as part of the Utah Life Elevated Geocaching GeoTour Challenge! If you find three of the caches in this County and provide proof of the code inside the cache, you can get a limited edition County Patch. Each County in Utah will eventually have 5 caches to find, and their own patch to go with it! If you earn 10 of the Utah counties patches, then you can earn a special Geocoin, and if you are crazy enough to find 3 GeoTour Geocaches in all 29 counties you can get an exclusive Utah Geo-Ambasador Jacket!!! (While supplies last).
See the following links for more info:
Geocache and listing maintained by josephaw.