Lucin photo by Kenny Frisch

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Description:
Lucin is and abandoned railroad watering station, located about 40 miles north of East Wendover, Utah, just inside the Utah/Nevada line.  A large spring surrounded by tall cottonwoods, willows, and other trees and shrubs provides a great migrant trap in the middle of the barren desert.

Birding:
Lucin has a number of remarkable bird sightings, notably eastern vagrant warblers, thrushes, other songbirds.  As a migrant trap, it means birding at Lucin can be hit or miss--and if you go a couple times in a year you are likely to have hits and misses.  The misses can be painful--a half dozen birds--not species, in a few hours scouring every inch of habitat.  But the hits can be unbelievable.  Birds dripping from trees--constant movement, and colors, grabbing your attention and making you want to keep walking around the small pond in hopes of picking out something that’s been hiding amongst the throngs of birds.  The best times to go are from Mid May through early June and again from early September into October. The most notable sightings include WOOD THRUSH, several OVENBIRDS, PALM WARBLER, NORTHERN PARULA, and CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER.  Several species of eastern warbler show up here almost annually including AMERICAN REDSTART, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, and BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER.  You can camp just about anywhere in the desert out here, or stay in Wendover and make the 40 mile drive north on the days you go.  I like to spend a couple days hitting other migrant traps in the desert and giving yourself a chance at some turnover each day.  At night the road from Wendover can turn up good number of Common Poorwills, Burrowing Owls, and Short-eared Owls.  During the day look for warblers, wrens, thrushes, sparrows, orioles, tanagers, and almost anything that migrates.  Lucin has the potential to turn up something really rare!

Directions:
From East Wendover, Utah, take I-80 east to exit 4, and get off the freeway. Turn left and head north till the road forks--take the left fork called Leppy Pass Road. After a short drive you will come through Leppy Pass and come to a fork in the road again at a small building, take the left fork and stay left as it forks again right after the building.  You are now on Pilot Mountian Road which eventually turns into Grouse Creek Road. The road swings out to the west into Nevada before looping back into Utah for about 42 miles before reaching Lucin on your right. You can also take Route 30 from Brigham City to the east, or take I-80 west from Wendover to Route 233 east bound.  These routes both are paved up till the turn off to Lucin 6 miles north of its location.