Backroadexploration
Observer
2 days not 200 that was a typo. Cant seem to update my title.
Tires spinning, mud flying and I'm not going anywhere. It's been overcast all day and I'm looking at a steep section of trail and can't seem to get enough traction to get out of the bottom of this wash.
https://youtu.be/Pfand8Ssm4A
Choosing the road less traveled isn't always the best decision. But it's almost always way more fun.
“Trail restricted to vehicles 50 inches or less” a sign I have seen thousands of times exploring Utah on atv and utvs. However this time things were different… the land cruiser is much wider than that. Before setting out I had discussed my route with a friend who had told me the trail eventually goes down to 50 inch restrictions but that it was still worth the trip. I had initially planned to backtrack my route until I hit the main road and keep going.
However the drive in had been gnarly, the route was incredibly wet and soft. By this time only 20 or so miles into the dirt portion of my route and I was already caked in mud and had been close to stuck a few times which was pretty low on my list of things to do. This early in the year means the area that is already pretty remote is almost perfectly devoid of people, so help would be slow at best.
“Luckily” not shown on my map was an alternate route that looked to be a good option except there was a few problems. The first 30 yards of the trail dropped down into a wash and then back out on the the other. The exit side a had steep S turn midway up and a fence on the short side which limited how much momentum I dared take into the climb. I didn't mind having to backup and try again if needed... but slamming through the BLM fence was not part of the plan and my lack of momentum was keeping me from getting out.
Also this trail was not on my designated gps track that my brother was instructed to use in case he had not heard from me by the end of the night. Sure I could walk back to the correct trail and wait for him if I got stuck, but still doing that with my son sounded worse than taking out the fence. (read in a cute yet petulant voice of a 4 year old: “are we there yet, when will my cousins get here.. I can't stay in here much longer”… you get the picture…
)
So like an idiot I dropped into the wash and found myself in a predicament. Thankfully after a several tries I was able to get enough traction to get out without hitting the fence and I was on my way. I am a fan of pushing myself beyond what I think I can handle but at this point I was happy to be back on the designated route and making headway.
The plan was pretty simple… drive from Huntington Utah to Green River, Utah on day one through the San Rafael Swell. Find a nice place to camp just outside of Green River and wait for my brother and his boys to join us that night. We would then continue on from Green River to Hanksville and then home Saturday night.
Wyatt and I took off early and made our way through Spanish Fork Canyon along highway 6. No matter how many times I drive through that Canyon I am amazed at how scenic it is. Once in Huntington we topped off on fuel before and bought an overpriced iPhone charger and hit the trail. Our first scheduled stop was at the Spirit Railroad historic site… where you can see the remains of buildings and several markers and cuts where you could see where the railroad was to pass through. I can't fathom how hard of work that must have been to work on and how disappointing it must have been to have never been completed.
This area is stunning and the wet conditions added an extra element of difficulty that I wasn't really anticipating. We stopped several more times to stretch our legs and explore the beautiful desert landscape. For the most part we had the trails to ourselves, we only encountered a few other rigs while covering around 70 miles of dirt driving which is a near perfect number (except if you need help getting unstuck). Chimney Rock road intersects with Cottonwood wash road which we took towards Green River. We stopped again to take a few pictures at the Spanish Trail sign and then quickly hit the trail again so we could make it to Green River before dark. The rolling hills were fun and definitely made the driving even more enjoyable. For a decent portion of the trail you wind along a road next to some power lines that feel a out of place in the desert.
We made a quick stop in Green River to grab a burger and then headed back on the trail so that I could find a nice place to camp in preparation for my brother meeting us that night. I set up camp accompanied by a few howling coyotes and just took the whole day in.
With just my son and I, I decide to for go using a tent and try sleeping in the Land Cruiser. I liked the setup and it definitely got the ideas flowing for a two person setup. When we go as a whole family a tent will be a must.
Around 8 Mike arrived with his crew and the boys set out to playing.
After helping my him setup camp we spent the evening talking about the adventures of my first day and about what day two might be like. It's always tough to know how much ground you are going to be able to cover. With 80 miles of dirt ahead, we were not sure if it was going to take 3-5 hours or if it was going to take 5-10.
https://youtu.be/Zdq4WsVO__s
It was pretty windy that night which made sleeping in the tent a bit loud for my brother and his boys, Wyatt and I slept great in the Landcruiser, although I was wishing the middle seat had been removed rather than just laid down so I could have slept straight rather than on an angle.
After breakfast in the morning the boys wanted to spend some time exploring around camp which was fun. The boys found a little inlet where the Green River met the wash and they enjoyed throwing rocks in the water. This gave us time to work on packing up camp and time to prepare to hit the trail.
Once on the main trail it was pretty clear this trail was in much better condition than what I had traveled the day before as well as much less muddy. We were able to cruise at 25mph easily and could have gone faster but we wanted to follow the signs we had seen.
After several miles we decided to stop and look for decent spur trails that would liven things up and give us more time to explore. We used a combo of Hema maps, and a Utah Atlas to locate a few options. Bull Bottom Rd was our first detour which turned out to be a lot of fun, a little more bumpy and technical than the practically paved dirt road we just got off of. It reminded me a little of Moab with some large rocks surrounding the trail. It eventually ends with a nice little overlook of the Green River.
Back on the main trial for just a mile or so we took our second detour to see Chaffin Gyser. It was clear by how wet the ground was that we had just missed it going off. There were a few old carts being swallowed up by the desert and some nice views so we decided to stop for lunch in hopes that we may catch the next eruption.
With no such luck and three disappointed boys we loaded back up as it started to rain and hit the trail. The entire trip was pretty overcast but for the most part we stayed pretty dry. Here and there it would start to sprinkle and liven things up.
When I travel with kids it helps to stop every 15 to 20 miles depending on pace and let them explore and stretch their legs. Not only is it fun for me but it helps tire them out some which can make long driving days go by faster with less whining.
While Wyatt is almost a pro at this point he still occasionally gets bored and starts to wonder when we will get there. With winding sand cover trails we found ourselves looking over Canyonlands National Park at the top of Horseshoe Canyon Overlook Rd. There is a Rangers sheep camp style trailer there.... that would be a pretty incredible outpost.
The hike (which I want to do but have not yet) is said to take several hours which we didn't have so after looking at the beautiful overlook and taking some pictures and using the pit toilet we were back on the trail. With each spur trail we passed I couldn't help but think about just how much we were missing. Not in a bad way but in a man I need more time to explore way.
We found another fun 4x4 road county road 1010 that was a nice break off trail that was fun and lead us right back on the trail. Well draw rd was the final part of our trip and ends with a large steep sandy hill climb. We were not sure if we would be able to make it but thought at minimum we could back track out which would be fun. Once we saw the Hill I was very skeptical that we would make it but seeing that it was pretty much a straight shot I thought we had a pretty decent exit plan if it didn't work so we would give it a try.
Mike bombed up the hill and made it his first try. After seeing how much speed it took him to make it I was nervous I wouldn't be able to make it. It took 4 tries to figure out the right amount of speed without overdoing it and bottoming out on a protruding rock. With a few more miles of dirt before hitting the pavement I just tried to take in how fun this adventure had been.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Tires spinning, mud flying and I'm not going anywhere. It's been overcast all day and I'm looking at a steep section of trail and can't seem to get enough traction to get out of the bottom of this wash.
https://youtu.be/Pfand8Ssm4A
Choosing the road less traveled isn't always the best decision. But it's almost always way more fun.
“Trail restricted to vehicles 50 inches or less” a sign I have seen thousands of times exploring Utah on atv and utvs. However this time things were different… the land cruiser is much wider than that. Before setting out I had discussed my route with a friend who had told me the trail eventually goes down to 50 inch restrictions but that it was still worth the trip. I had initially planned to backtrack my route until I hit the main road and keep going.
However the drive in had been gnarly, the route was incredibly wet and soft. By this time only 20 or so miles into the dirt portion of my route and I was already caked in mud and had been close to stuck a few times which was pretty low on my list of things to do. This early in the year means the area that is already pretty remote is almost perfectly devoid of people, so help would be slow at best.
“Luckily” not shown on my map was an alternate route that looked to be a good option except there was a few problems. The first 30 yards of the trail dropped down into a wash and then back out on the the other. The exit side a had steep S turn midway up and a fence on the short side which limited how much momentum I dared take into the climb. I didn't mind having to backup and try again if needed... but slamming through the BLM fence was not part of the plan and my lack of momentum was keeping me from getting out.
Also this trail was not on my designated gps track that my brother was instructed to use in case he had not heard from me by the end of the night. Sure I could walk back to the correct trail and wait for him if I got stuck, but still doing that with my son sounded worse than taking out the fence. (read in a cute yet petulant voice of a 4 year old: “are we there yet, when will my cousins get here.. I can't stay in here much longer”… you get the picture…
)So like an idiot I dropped into the wash and found myself in a predicament. Thankfully after a several tries I was able to get enough traction to get out without hitting the fence and I was on my way. I am a fan of pushing myself beyond what I think I can handle but at this point I was happy to be back on the designated route and making headway.
The plan was pretty simple… drive from Huntington Utah to Green River, Utah on day one through the San Rafael Swell. Find a nice place to camp just outside of Green River and wait for my brother and his boys to join us that night. We would then continue on from Green River to Hanksville and then home Saturday night.
Wyatt and I took off early and made our way through Spanish Fork Canyon along highway 6. No matter how many times I drive through that Canyon I am amazed at how scenic it is. Once in Huntington we topped off on fuel before and bought an overpriced iPhone charger and hit the trail. Our first scheduled stop was at the Spirit Railroad historic site… where you can see the remains of buildings and several markers and cuts where you could see where the railroad was to pass through. I can't fathom how hard of work that must have been to work on and how disappointing it must have been to have never been completed.
This area is stunning and the wet conditions added an extra element of difficulty that I wasn't really anticipating. We stopped several more times to stretch our legs and explore the beautiful desert landscape. For the most part we had the trails to ourselves, we only encountered a few other rigs while covering around 70 miles of dirt driving which is a near perfect number (except if you need help getting unstuck). Chimney Rock road intersects with Cottonwood wash road which we took towards Green River. We stopped again to take a few pictures at the Spanish Trail sign and then quickly hit the trail again so we could make it to Green River before dark. The rolling hills were fun and definitely made the driving even more enjoyable. For a decent portion of the trail you wind along a road next to some power lines that feel a out of place in the desert.
We made a quick stop in Green River to grab a burger and then headed back on the trail so that I could find a nice place to camp in preparation for my brother meeting us that night. I set up camp accompanied by a few howling coyotes and just took the whole day in.
With just my son and I, I decide to for go using a tent and try sleeping in the Land Cruiser. I liked the setup and it definitely got the ideas flowing for a two person setup. When we go as a whole family a tent will be a must.
Around 8 Mike arrived with his crew and the boys set out to playing.
After helping my him setup camp we spent the evening talking about the adventures of my first day and about what day two might be like. It's always tough to know how much ground you are going to be able to cover. With 80 miles of dirt ahead, we were not sure if it was going to take 3-5 hours or if it was going to take 5-10.
https://youtu.be/Zdq4WsVO__s
It was pretty windy that night which made sleeping in the tent a bit loud for my brother and his boys, Wyatt and I slept great in the Landcruiser, although I was wishing the middle seat had been removed rather than just laid down so I could have slept straight rather than on an angle.
After breakfast in the morning the boys wanted to spend some time exploring around camp which was fun. The boys found a little inlet where the Green River met the wash and they enjoyed throwing rocks in the water. This gave us time to work on packing up camp and time to prepare to hit the trail.
Once on the main trail it was pretty clear this trail was in much better condition than what I had traveled the day before as well as much less muddy. We were able to cruise at 25mph easily and could have gone faster but we wanted to follow the signs we had seen.
After several miles we decided to stop and look for decent spur trails that would liven things up and give us more time to explore. We used a combo of Hema maps, and a Utah Atlas to locate a few options. Bull Bottom Rd was our first detour which turned out to be a lot of fun, a little more bumpy and technical than the practically paved dirt road we just got off of. It reminded me a little of Moab with some large rocks surrounding the trail. It eventually ends with a nice little overlook of the Green River.
Back on the main trial for just a mile or so we took our second detour to see Chaffin Gyser. It was clear by how wet the ground was that we had just missed it going off. There were a few old carts being swallowed up by the desert and some nice views so we decided to stop for lunch in hopes that we may catch the next eruption.
With no such luck and three disappointed boys we loaded back up as it started to rain and hit the trail. The entire trip was pretty overcast but for the most part we stayed pretty dry. Here and there it would start to sprinkle and liven things up.
When I travel with kids it helps to stop every 15 to 20 miles depending on pace and let them explore and stretch their legs. Not only is it fun for me but it helps tire them out some which can make long driving days go by faster with less whining.
While Wyatt is almost a pro at this point he still occasionally gets bored and starts to wonder when we will get there. With winding sand cover trails we found ourselves looking over Canyonlands National Park at the top of Horseshoe Canyon Overlook Rd. There is a Rangers sheep camp style trailer there.... that would be a pretty incredible outpost.
The hike (which I want to do but have not yet) is said to take several hours which we didn't have so after looking at the beautiful overlook and taking some pictures and using the pit toilet we were back on the trail. With each spur trail we passed I couldn't help but think about just how much we were missing. Not in a bad way but in a man I need more time to explore way.
We found another fun 4x4 road county road 1010 that was a nice break off trail that was fun and lead us right back on the trail. Well draw rd was the final part of our trip and ends with a large steep sandy hill climb. We were not sure if we would be able to make it but thought at minimum we could back track out which would be fun. Once we saw the Hill I was very skeptical that we would make it but seeing that it was pretty much a straight shot I thought we had a pretty decent exit plan if it didn't work so we would give it a try.
Mike bombed up the hill and made it his first try. After seeing how much speed it took him to make it I was nervous I wouldn't be able to make it. It took 4 tries to figure out the right amount of speed without overdoing it and bottoming out on a protruding rock. With a few more miles of dirt before hitting the pavement I just tried to take in how fun this adventure had been.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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