The Maze at Canyonlands: Pilgrimage to the Doll House

[TripLeader]

Hi TripLeader
Thanks for that info. I was on that section of road once before. Rode from Vegas and picked up I70 at Green River. It rained from Fuitia to Green River at the turn in Hanksville there was a lightning storm, I felt as though I was the tallest item for miles. needless to say don't remember much of the turn offs. I appreciate your directions. The section you listed as worst, how would you say a F250 would out there. It is so beautiful and would like to take the wife there.
Russ

edit) what was the milage from fuel stop in to fuel stop out
ps liking the pics and trip report.

I wouldn't recommend taking an F-250 out there. A mid-sized truck, like a Tacoma, is the biggest thing I would want to take.
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With DoorDing's Tacoma, we dragged the trailer hitch a few times. There are some spots in the rough section that are similar to bathtub features where you drop into it then climb back up. There's not really an option on what line to take--you're just in it and have to do it. I don't think a full-size truck (at least one that you care about) would be very fun.
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We talked with a local on the drive out. He said his brother-in-law periodically drives an F-150 down the road. He said it always comes out with bumper damage and other reminders of where it was. I think you would also run into the possibility of high-centering it on some places, due to the truck's length.
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If DoorDing responds, he can probably give you a better idea of how an F-250 would fare on the road. He did all the four-wheel driving since it was his truck we were in.
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I don't recall exactly how many miles we did in The Maze. It's about 25 or 30 miles from Green River to the dirt road turnoff. Then it's about 90 miles to the Doll House from there. So you should plan on at least 250 miles if you take that route. I think the town of Hite is a little closer than Green River, but not by much.

 

[TripLeader]

Part 8: Hiking to Harvest Scene
We went to the nearby trailhead at Chimney Rock for a loop hike to a pictograph panel known as Harvest Scene.
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Setting off.

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It really felt like we were finally seeing The Maze up close.

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Dropping down into a canyon.

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We finally made it to the pictographs.

 

[TripLeader]

Part 9: Harvest Scene
"A place meant for myths, for passageways only traveled by deities who closed everything behind them, so we are left only to tell the stories and dream of places too fantastic and inhuman to be touched."
-Craig Childs, Stone Desert

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[TripLeader]

Part 10: Taking the Long Way Back
We viewed the pictographs for about 30 minutes and continued on down the trail.

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You can see the sunset light starting to hit the top of the canyon walls.

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Continuing on, as the light fades more.

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The hike was supposed to be around 9 miles, if I remember correctly. The place is called The Maze for good reason. We missed the trail junction we had wanted to take, which would have routed us back to Chimney Rock. Our hike took us out at the Plug. The "hike" (scrambling) up the canyon walls was done in the dark. It was slow going by headlamp light. We had to search out each cairn to find the path, as it was all over rock and not an obvious trail. It crossed our minds that spending the night in the canyon to avoid getting into trouble off-route would be an option if we lost the trail.
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It all worked out for us, and we made our way up and out and back to camp. I think our detour made our hike at least 12 or 13 miles.

 

[TripLeader]

More to come later...

 

[JCMatthews]

I wouldn't recommend taking an F-250 out there. A mid-sized truck, like a Tacoma, is the biggest thing I would want to take.
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With DoorDing's Tacoma, we dragged the trailer hitch a few times. There are some spots in the rough section that are similar to bathtub features where you drop into it then climb back up. There's not really an option on what line to take--you're just in it and have to do it. I don't think a full-size truck (at least one that you care about) would be very fun.
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We talked with a local on the drive out. He said his brother-in-law periodically drives an F-150 down the road. He said it always comes out with bumper damage and other reminders of where it was. I think you would also run into the possibility of high-centering it on some places, due to the truck's length.
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I have taken my '05 Tundra up and down the Flint Trial switchbacks, to the Maze overlook, and the Dollhouse without any issue. Not even bumper damage. Here is a video of the truck on the Z turn on Dollhouse Rd.

 

[TripLeader]

Part 11: Abandoning of Standing Rock
Our camp at Standing Rock before packing up and heading to the Doll House.

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Heading down the road.

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Our first vision of it: The Doll House.

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At the fork in the road between campsites 1 & 2, and 3. Ours was site 3, but we went over for a sneak peek of the rocks.

 

[TripLeader]

Part 12: Arrival at the Doll House
Campsite 1 was vacant. We peeked around the rocks by it.

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We continued on down the last 1/2 mile of road that took us to campsite 3, our home for the next two nights.

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The last 50 feet was a gnarly section. I'll have a better photo of it later on in the report.

 

[TripLeader]

Part 13: Hiking the Doll House
Despite its clarity and simplicity, however, the desert wears at the same time, paradoxically, a veil of mystery. Motionless and silent it evokes in us an elusive hint of something unknown, unknowable, about to be revealed.
-Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire
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We established our camp and set off for an afternoon hike through the Doll House and environs.

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[1leglance]

Great write up and really nice pics....
Keep the story coming as that is an area I have been close to but not explored yet.
Thanks for taking us along

 

[TripLeader]

Great write up and really nice pics....
Keep the story coming as that is an area I have been close to but not explored yet.
Thanks for taking us along

Thanks. There's still more to come...

 

[TripLeader]

Part 14: Doll House to the Granary
There's a loop trail through the Doll House. A spur takes you on a worthwhile deviation.

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The views of the Colorado River and Surprise Valley were tremendous.

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I can't think of anything I've ever built (or could build) that will still be around in 800+ years.

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We made our way back through the Doll House toward camp.

 

[TripLeader]

Part 15: Doll House Campsite #3
We returned back to camp, walking up the distorted last section of the road.

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We made our dinner preparations.

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DoorDing's fridge outfitted in his truck.

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DoorDing, and his father, are handymen of sorts. Between his father's materials, and his own ideas, he came up with this old soda pop tank as a pressurized water system. It worked well. He has a few ideas to tweak it.

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We watched the sunset light on the Doll House and mountains after dinner.

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[Flhtruss]

Hello TripLeader and Door Ding
Thanks for the heads up on full size, also the mileage. Doll house pic's are great, sounds like you had fun around there.To the Tundra poster, what were your feelings about your time on the trail, did you feel like you were at the limits of your rig, or not.
Russ

 

[TripLeader]

Part 16: John Wesley Powell 1869
We woke, ate breakfast, and hiked out from camp.

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Our destination was the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers. Powell had floated through it in 1869 on his famous expedition, and again in 1871.
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The first overlook we came upon. We were downriver of the confluence.