Walking briskly down the well-defined trail, I turned left. Then I turned right. Dead end, so I backtracked. Two young boys darted past me, gleefully looking over their shoulders. I could hear voices ahead but had no perspective of where I was. Overhead was an autumn blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds. But all around me, all I saw was a wall of eight-foot high corn stalks.
I was lost in a corn maze!
It was a beautiful fall day as I drove out along East Canyon Creek past Jeremy Ranch, along the reservoir and onto the winding road through Morgan County farmland. I opted for one of our Jeeps, knowing it was one of our final afternoon drives before winter. There is a faster route to Morgan, but a fall drive along the creek is one of the most spectacular in Summit County. And knowing that the thousands of acres comprising the 910 Cattle Ranch was in the process of becoming public land helped drive my decision.
October is the month for corn mazes and pumpkin patches. It signifies the peak of autumn, a bountiful harvest and an omen that winter is about to set in. It’s a last dance before the yellow-leafed aspens turn to stick figure silhouettes as leaves fall to the ground.
The Morgan Maze is a new entry to the corn maze scene, now in its second season. It was developed by the Clark family to not only provide some autumn fun, but to connect the public to agriculture. The Clark dairy farm is prominent in Morgan and the family began the maze in 2022 to bring more attention to the small community along I-84 east of Ogden.
It’s a neatly packaged attraction that will mesmerize kids with fun, give teens an opportunity to sneak away in the maze and take adults back in time.
The maze itself is computer-crafted and offers you the ability to just snoop around a bit or to invest hours trying to make your way to the top of the Over the Moon design and back out. What was particularly challenging with this year’s design was the continuum of small, tight loops at the start that literally make you dizzy.
And if any of our Sunday Drive readers do actually make it all the way to the top of the design, please share your adventure.
The maze is just one of myriad attractions at The Morgan Maze. Kids can climb a tower of hay bales, taking a super slide back to ground level. Or you can wander in a nearby cave of hay. For little kids who would be dwarfed in the cornfield, you can try to find your way through a hay bale maze perfectly suited for kids under five. But my favorite attraction were the kids’ corn pits, sandbox-like structures filled not with sand but with corn kernels!
I did eventually find my way out. But, I’ll admit, I cheated — tracking my route on GPS. My wife, Carole, manages corn mazes by intuition. Usually that beats the GPS. But today, it helped me finally exit.
DETAILS
Getting There: You can quickly take I-80 to I-84 for the fast route to Morgan. But think about making it a leisurely drive through Jeremy Ranch, along East Canyon Creek, around the east side of East Canyon Reservoir on S.R. 66 then winding your way up to Morgan on S.R. 65. The road along East Canyon Creek is dirt, but can be navigated by car. Plan on 45 minutes with the fast route, a little over an hour with the scenic drive.
Dining: The Morgan Maze has great concessions, serving BBQ, snacks and soda. Or check out the Silver Summit Cafe, River Burger or the new McDonald’s.
When to Go: Sadly, most corn mazes in Utah are closed on Sunday. Morgan Maze is open Wednesday through Saturday. Check times at themorganmaze.com. If you go at night, bring flashlights or headlamps for everyone.
Other Mazes: Black Island Farms, located in Syracuse on the road to Antelope Island, is another favorite — and it’s one of the only Utah mazes open on Sundays.