The toughest, most heartbreaking barrier to the colonization of Southwestern Utah's "Dixie" was the Black Ridge between Cedar City and St. George, Utah. A deep, rough, lava flow clogged the valley from the base of the towering Hurricane cliffs on the east to the foothills of Pine Valley Mountain on the west. In 1857, Peter Shirts was commisioned by Washington County to build a road from Cedar City to St. George, following an ancient Indian trail. When asked what he was going to do when he reached the Black Ridge and the deep canyon there, he replied, "Leap it!" So, The dugway he built down the canyon wall became "Peter's Leap" and the creek in the canyon bottom was named "Leap Creek."
Peter's Leap is reached by exiting I15 and heading southwest from Exit 36, traveling the old wagon road through a juniper forest, over relatively flat, rocky ground. When you reach this point, don't drive over the edge. Get out and explore on foot.
The wagon road has eroded a bit during the last 150 years. In its heyday, teams were unhitched and led down the cliff. Then, the wagons were attached to a windlass and roped down the dugway.
The Leap dugway road could still be driven with a well-equipped 4x4 today with some minor trimming of encroaching bushes.
The canyon is much deeper than it looks in the photos. "The Island" in the middle of the ravine is an interesting feature to climb and explore on foot.
I'll be writing a more detailed feature on Peter's Leap and the wagon road Shirts built in an upcoming issue of 4Wheel Drive Magazine.