SCENIC DRIVES
One of our favorite drives will feature some of the most beautiful landscapes you will see in the United States. Most of the time we are driving from the Las Vegas area and going to Zion National park. Many explorers will continue to Bryce Canyon for a new experience. This drive goes from Bryce canyon and continues on Hwy 12 towards Torrey, UT. There are a few great places to stay in Torrey and a food truck that makes the best hamburgers you will eat. Next head towards Hanksville on Hwy 95 through much of Capitol Reef National Park. From Hanksville you can go left up to I-70 and San Rafael Swells area or stay straight on Hwy 95 towards Blanding, UT. At Blanding you will intersect Hwy 191 to the north is Moab and the right is Monument Valley area. I can't mention all the side stops and trails along this route because there are so many. Just the drive alone is amazing and you will not be disappointed. Have your camera ready!
A Great Place to stay in Torrey, UT is the Torrey Trading Post. Across the street is the food truck spot!
A Great Place to stay in Torrey, UT is the Torrey Trading Post. Across the street is the food truck spot!
Mountain Loop Road from Castle Valley is a must see loop drive when you are in the Moab area. We drove it going North on Hwy 191 from Moab a short drive to Hwy 128, the Moab side of the Colorado River and turn right headed along the river. You will see many pull outs and rafters on the river. Continue on to Castle Valley and turn right on Mountain Loop Road. This road winds through the Manti-LaSal National Forest and up high grades to many amazing vistas and contrasting views of the area. The road returns back to Hwy 191 just South of Moab. I think going counter clockwise may be the best way to see everything because we were always looking back at the amazing views as we traveled the loop clockwise. We did see several campsites in the forest that would be awesome for camping in the summer months if you wanted to avoid the heat down below.
natural bridges
monument valley overlook and muley point road in utah
A long drive off the main road, but worth the view. An amazing view of Monument Valley in the distance and camping right on the edge of the overlook. No RV's allowed down the Muley Point Switchbacks, but what an amazing opportunity to camp in a big spot.
wild horse road at san rafael swells
A fun drive on the Wild Horse Road from the entrance near Gobblin Valley State Park to Hwy 24 between Torrey and Hanksville, UT. Most high clearance vehicles can make the drive and there was only one tricky rock climb at the beginning of the road. Road conditions may change with weather conditions and there is a river crossing at the Hwy 24 side. The amazing landscapes are worth the drive.
drive to fishlake side trip
We saw this in a distance from the highway and just had to go investigate. After a short dive on a dirt road we approached the lake and saw that it was dry and the light colored mud base was smooth similar to the salt flats at Bonneville. The surrounding rocks and mountains looked amazing against the low and flat mud surface, and we did make a few runs across the lake. (video coming soon)
capitol reef
We drove a 65 mile loop through a rugged part of Capitol Reef over a two day period. We camped on public land outside the park a little past the half-way mark. The rock features like the Temple of the Sun and Moon, valley overlook and painted hills are amazing. It is recommended a high clearance 4x4 because of the soft sand. We had to drive across a river ford to start and we should have some video coming soon!
fishlake in utah
Fishlake in Fishlake National Forest turned out to be a big surprise. The Aspens were in full fall colors and the campgrounds were just beautiful. This area holds a lot of history and it offers a lot of hiking and driving trails for those that want to explore. We caught the salmon running up the local streams and were able to watch and photograph these beautiful fish as they tried to get upstream and lay their eggs. Other high mountain lakes are here to fish or explore in a kayak. Our time here was short, but we would love to go back one day and do some fishing and exploring.
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Click on our video of Salmon of Fishlake Utah
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snow canyon state park
Snow Canyon State Park is part of the 62,000 acre Red Cliffs Desert Reserve near St. George, Utah. The 7,400 acre park is made up of colorful soaring sandstone cliffs and large lava flows. The Anasazi Indians inhabited this area from A.D. 200 to 1250 and the Paiute Indians used the canyon from A.D. 1,200 to the mid 1800's. In the 1850's Mormons discovered the canyon while searching for lost cattle.
Popular movies like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Electric Horseman, and Jeremiah Johnson had scenes filmed here when the park was called Dixie State Park. Video
Popular movies like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Electric Horseman, and Jeremiah Johnson had scenes filmed here when the park was called Dixie State Park. Video
We camped on a BLM site within the San Rafael Reef area just on the edge of the desert. The temperatures were cold at night and the wind came up everyday. The book we used to select our trails was "Guide to Moab, UT Backroads and 4-Wheel- Drive Trails by Charles A. Wells. The book is very well organized to areas of Utah and difficulty of the trails. Many had mile markers for attractions along the trail. We could have stayed here exploring the 6 marked areas, but the Covid-19 virus was changing availability of supplies and many campsites closing down. Our trip was short and some day soon we would like to return and start again where we left off. The big surprises were the Little Wild Horse Canyon, Reds Canyon Loop, Little Grand Canyon Trail and Goblin Valley State Park.
Goblin Valley State Park
Goblin Valley is located at the southern end of the San Rafael Swell and was only about 6 miles from our campsite. I saw these funny little mushroom shaped hoodoos before in other travelers post and wanted to visit this area to see them. This area was part of a massive anticline that was uplifted about 40-70 million years ago. The Goblins or hoodoos are formed from the Entrda Sandstone deposited here about 170 million years ago when this are was a tidal flat near an ancient sea. Sand washed in with the tides and the surrounding silt and clay were also deposited in the layers. The shale and siltstone layers are softer than the sandstone which resist the weathering and creates the hoodoo shapes.
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This area of our country is full of amazing geology and the Goblin Valley State Park made for a great experience. This video highlights some of the trails we explored and the different shapes and textures that are right in your reach. Please Subscribe to our channel and click the bell for new videos coming soon!
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little wild horse canyon hikeThis is a loop trail that was only a few miles from the entrance to Goblin Valley State Park. The ranger at the park entrance told us this would be a great hike, so we drove over and decided to start the hike on the Little Wild Horse side that looked on the map to have more narrows along the path. The trail loops around to the Bell Canyon if you decide to do the 8 miles. We wanted to do what was comfortable for us and it turns out to be one of the biggest awesome surprises we found. The colors and textures of the sandstone were amazing!
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Check out this amazing hike through Little Wild Horse Canyon. The colors are amazing and the textures look like burled wood in some places. We went through 3 sets of narrows and some I had to turn sideways because my shoulders wouldn't fit. The full hike is an 8 mile loop.
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reds canyon loop trailThis was the kind of trail everyone wants to drive once they start their overland adventures. The road has some bedrock and narrow ledge spots, but it can be done in a small SUV with a little ground clearance. The views are breathtaking and just amazing. Along this road is the Tomsich Mine (Old Uranium mine), the Lucky Strike Ghost Town, and Hondoo Arch. We also took the side Hidden Splendor Road for even more awesome views. |
Hondoo Arch and Tomsich Mine
On the western edge of the loop and going down, down, down you will pass the old mine and dead ahead over two large red buttes you will see the Hondoo Arch. The mines are closed and you can get out and read bout them on the kiosk. They recommend you not touch or pick up anything there. Near the road you can explore the old powder storage building used for storing explosives.
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We had a great adventure going from our campsite on Temple Mtn. Road to the loop through Reds Canyon. It is an epic drive that is available to most vehicles in good weather. Some side roads are more difficult, but the trails we took today were in good shape. The Henry mountains covered in snow as a backdrop to beautiful red and tan canyon rocks. Be sure to Subscribe and click the bell for new videos coming soon. Come on, let's Explore NOW!
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The Swasey Cabin and icebox trail
Buckhorn draw to wedge overlook
This road took us north of I-70 to the area known as the Little Grand Canyon. It is an easy road and can be done in most vehicles depending on weather conditions. Along the way are several attractions and the ones we stopped for included the historic only remaining Swinging Bridge in Utah that crosses next to the modern San Rafael Bridge, the 130' tall pictograph panel, the dinosaur track and finally the Wedge Overlook and Little Grand Canyon Overlook.