San Rafael Swell
Personal Notes
This page presents our personal notes on our visits to the San Rafael Swell in central Utah.
| Saturday, May 7, 2011 | |
The first time I past near the San Rafael Swell was late in the summer of 1971, upon returning to Omaha, Nebraska from several months of geological work on and around the Aquarius Plateau a little bit farther south. At that point in time I was so amazed by all of the sandstone and peaks and buttes and canyons in the Colorado Plateau area that the Swell was just another fascinating section of that overwhelming landscape.
I again passed near and through the Swell during the early to mid 1980s, when I lived in Ely, Nevada and on several occasions traveled east or west through the middle of the Swell on my way to or from Omaha or Denver or some other point east of the Swell. That was before and during the construction of Interstate 70 which just about cuts the Swell in half, north and south. And I remember always commenting on the beauty and amazing features and always promising myself to get into the backcountry and investigate. But, it never happened. There were always too many other wondrous locations to explore.
Throughout the '90s and into the 21st Century we've again continued to pass along the edges of the Swell, either along the easter edge along Highway 191, on our way to or from Salt Lake City and the canyon country in the southern part of the state. But that all changed in October of 2004, when we finally spent a day in the northern half of the region. It wasn't much time, but at least it was a start, and we know now the wonders that await us there. I'm sure we will visit the Swell many more times in the near and distant future.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
The College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum, as part of this year's Archaeology Week, conducted a driving tour of several of the rock art sites within the San Rafael Swell. We drove down from Sandy in the morning, arriving in Price at about 7:30 a.m. The tour began at the Museum, and there were about ten vehicles, with from two to three people in each. All adults, and no children.
The guide took us south from Price through Castle Dale, where we turned east into the northern section of The Swell. We drove past the Cleveland-Lloyd Fossil Quarry and continued south to several sites below Cedar Butte. We visited the following sites:
Buckhorn Cove Rock Art Site- The Daisy Chain Rock Art Site
- Forty-five Degree Rock Rock Art Site
- Railroad Rocks Rock Art Site
- Dinosaur Track Site
- Buckhorn Cattleguard Rock Art Site
- Matt Warner Inscription Site
- Buckhorn Draw Rock Art Site
- Head of Sinbad—North Rock Art Site
After the Head of Sinbad stop, we headed back to Sandy. The others went on to visit Dry Wash (Molen Reef), and then they also called it a day.
The weather was perfect and we had a great time, getting to visit several sites that we hadn't had the opportunity to visit before.
Sunday, October 10, 2004
Getting In
We were staying in Price, Utah, and headed out at 8:30 a.m. The sky was cloudy and the air was cool. Our odometer read 129,777 miles.
We stopped at the Chevron gas station along the highway to top off our gas tank, then drove south along Highway 10 and took the turnoff to the small town of Cleveland. I believe it was Highway 155. The paved road comes to a sharp bend to the west at the southern edge of Cleveland, but we continued on straight, to the south, and out of town, on a graded dirt road until we made it to The Wedge Overlook. Our odometer read 128,815 miles.
The Wedge Overlook and Little Grand Canyon
The road was a bit washboardy at first, but then smoothed out. It is mostly easy to follow and in pretty good condition. Watch for a split in the road. It is marked by a BLM kiosk (GPS Coordinates (NAD83): N 39 10 509; W 110 47 423). The road to The Wedge Overlook goes on to the right, while the road to the left continues on to Buckhorn Draw.
We stayed at The Wedge Overlook (GPS Coordinates (NAD83): N 39 05 629; W 110 45 547) from 9:40 a.m. until 10:50 a.m. We looked into The Little Grand Canyon and then walked west along the edge and the road until we were out along the west rim. It was quiet and peaceful and even though the sky was overcast, we enjoyed the views of the canyon and the San Rafael River below. Then we walked back past where we parked the Trooper and on out to the east a ways where we got different views down into the canyons.
There were a few campers out there, but by the time we made it back to our Trooper most were gone. Just one tent was left; a couple of guys who we’d met along the road as they rode their ATVs. There were also three vehicles racing along the road, coming from the east, stirring up a bit of dust and noise.
Buckhorn Draw Road and Buckhorn Wash
We then drove from The Wedge Overlook back to the junction with the Buckhorn Draw Road, reaching that location at 11:22 a.m. We stopped and picked up a brochure and read the info available at a kiosk at the junction. We then drove east along the Buckhorn Draw Road and turned south down into the canyon (GPS Coordinates (NAD83): N 39 10 089; W 110 44 959).
This wash reminds me of parts of Zion National Park and the western portion of the Burr Trail. But it is different. There are many side canyons that would be fun to explore. As you drive south the canyon gets deeper and there are more eroded features and different geological formations.
There are many designated camp sites along the road, but not much shade for the hot summer months. I can imagine that this canyon could be pretty hot in mid Summer.
Buckhorn Wash Pictograph Panel
At one point the road sweeps around a bend to the left to reveal a large shallow alcove. There is a large parking area and a restroom. Here we found an amazing panel of (mostly) pictographs. This is called the Buckhorn Wash Pictograph Panel. We left there at 12:00 Noon. Our mileage was 129,829, or about 52 miles since we headed out this morning.
The panel has some amazing images. Very ghostly and ethereal and other worldly. Some are almost life-sized, while others are quite small. There are a few petroglyphs along the panel as well, and descriptive signs tell a bit about the site. Apparently the site had been heavily vandalized up until just a few years ago. It looks almost original now, after restoration efforts.
San Rafael River Bridge
We dove on down the road to the San Rafael Bridge, over the river of the same name. I had been concerned about this bridge. The literature had noted that it was an old wooden suspension bridge, and that it swayed as a vehicle crossed. It is only about twenty feet off of the river, but it still would not be fun to have it come crashing down around you. But, there is a new, very sturdy steel and concrete bridge built right next to it now. So there is no problem getting across. We stopped and walked across the old bridge.
San Rafael Bridge Recreation Site and Campground
Then we drove across to the San Rafael Bridge Recreation Site campground (GPS Coordinates (NAD83): N 39 04 827; W 110 39 994). We arrived there at 12:25 p.m. We had a pleasant picnic lunch, in spite of a light rain. We headed out again at 1:27 p.m.
There are 12 campsites in the campground, with a pit toilet. There does not appear to be any drinking water. And there is no shade. Just low scrub and sage. It would probably be a good place to camp in the spring or autumn.
While we ate lunch a Emery Country sheriff drove through the campground and stopped to visit. He gave us a travel guide for the area and told us of a few spots that we had missed back up the canyon. We noticed at least one other county sheriff pass through as well. And there were about a dozen vehicles at various spots up and down the wash. So it isn’t as isolated as we had thought it might be.
Continuing South
After lunch we drove on south through a more open area, with great panoramic views of the canyon complex behind us and other geological features on the horizon. We took the road all the way to Ranch Exit 129 on I-70. We reached there at 2:15 p.m. Our mileage was 129,853 (75.6 miles).
Ghost Rock View Area
We drove west on I-70 and stopped at the Ghost Rock View Area at 2:23 p.m.
Eagle Canyon Bridge
Then we drove on and crossed the Eagle Canyon Bridge. Very impressive structure, over 300 feet above the canyon floor. That was 83 miles into the day’s trip, at 2:32 p.m.
Moore Cutoff Road
We then took Exit 114 for the Moore Cutoff Road and stopped at the view area there. This was at 2:41 p.m. until 2:47 p.m. Then we continued on the Moore Cutoff Road and stopped at the View of Eagle Canyon at 2:52 p.m. From there we continued on along the Moore Road and passed the Red Cliff Ledge at 3:05 p.m.
Molen Reef Pictograph Panel
Then we stopped at a pictograph panel in the Molen Reef area from 3:15 p.m. until 3:34 p.m. We spotted the main pictograph panel and a second panel that was mostly a huge snake. It might have been seven feet long. There are supposed to be dinosaur tracks in the area, and we looked for them based on the description in the flyers, but we could not find them.
Rochester Panel
We reached Moore at about 4:00 p.m. It was raining lightly. We turned south and drove to the Rochester Canyon area where there is the famous Rochester Panel. We got there about 4:10 p.m. and hiked the .5 miles to the panel. It is a very interesting area, with great geology, fantastic vegetation, and an easy hike. The panel itself is amazing, and is actually composed of several panels closely related. I took as many photos of the rocks in that area as I did the pictographs. At 4:45 p.m. we made it back to the Trooper and headed back to Price up Highway 10. We got back to our room about 6:00 p.m.
