Iosepa, Utah
Near Dugway, Utah - visited 5/17/20
General Overview
Iosepa is the result of Mormon Polynesian converts emigrating to Utah in the late 1800's. With the establishment of Mormon temples and churches, many chose to go to Hawaii and the town was deserted in 1915. Each Memorial Day weekend many Polynesian families go to Iosepa for a weekend celebration. The place now has a pavilion area and running water too.
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It is just under an hour away from downtown SLC.
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Iosepa Coordinates: 40.542054, -112.733176
Geographic location. Clicking image brings up the location in google maps.
Up close picture of the pavilion and stage.
Pavilion with cemetery in the back.
Iosepa reunion photos from 2014. In the upper-left there seem to be petroglyphs, but I was not able to locate them.
What To Do
Iosepa is located just a short bit off the main road. You'll see the Aloha Iosepa sign if you are heading south down the highway. Once you park, you will see everything. Most of the doors and sheds are locked, but when I went, one of them was open. If you hike past the pavilion up the mountain a little bit, you will get a good view of everything and see some metal targets that people used for shooting. The cemetery is also interesting to walk around.
Open shed: 40.542219, -112.732933
Metal crab: 40.542066, -112.731562
Up close picture of the pavilion and stage.
Sign that you are able to see from the main road.
Other Things To Note
It is located on the same road as the Tekoi Test Range, which I would also recommend seeing at the same time because they are so close to each other.
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Iosepa isn't by any means a popular destination, but when I went there, there were a few other groups and cars, which can be seen in some of my photos. ​This place is still used every so often, but just left to the elements the rest of the time.
Final Thoughts
Iosepa isn't by any means a popular destination, but when I went there, there were a few other groups and cars, which can be seen in some of my photos. ​This place is still used every so often, but just left to the elements the rest of the time.
Relevant Sources and More Information
Photo Gallery
Here's some more of my pictures from when I went.