4 days and 200 miles of Utah Trail

[LilKJ]

Just got back yesterday from a 4 day trip through the Utah desert. I met up with some folks from California and set off into the San Rafael Swell on our way to the Maze District of Canyonlands.

We met up in Moab and headed off to Green River...

We were behind schedule for the day as we headed off pavement...

Off into the desert we go...

The sun set while we were on the trail and we reached our campsite in the middle of the night.

We arrived at at camp atop a place called Panorama Point. It was dark so we couldn't see anything that night... Here are some shots from the next morning as the sun came up.

Then I saw where the name came from...

This campsite offers a 270 degree view of the maze district... you should make an effort to end up here at least once.

 

[LilKJ]

Cooking breakfast before we hit the trail...

Packed up and hitting the trail for the day... our destination was the Dollhouse in the Land of Standing Rocks.

The route: following the Flint Trail down to the Dollhouse... 40 miles of trail for the day

Red and Dolly heading down the Flint Trail

What it looks like from the cockpit...

Some easy cruising across the desert... you have to love a breeze just strong enough to move the dust off the trail.

Waaaaaaaaay back in the middle of nowhere...

The trail to the dollhouse does have some fun wheeling...

 

[LilKJ]

We carried on for a long day and finally arrived at the area called the Dollhouse... I've never seen anything like it.

Pictures simply can't capture the area...

Our campsite among the standing rocks...

Crazy rock formations...

 

[LilKJ]

We had a quiet night listening to bats flutter around overhead. You have to keep your voice down in the dollhouse as every little noise seems to be amplified and echoes on forever... the next morning it was back on the trail to Teapot Rock.

Heading out of the Dollhouse area...

Some of the slickrock sections...

Finally made it back to the Waterhole Flats Junction...

From here we had only a loose plan: to head into BLM land and find a cool place to camp. We headed up a couple of washes and small side roads... found some interesting stuff up some remote canyons...

We hit a big series of small trails that headed into the ends of various canyons...

 

[LilKJ]

One such canyon had this carved out waterfall from floods in the canyons above. We found a lot of different things below this waterfall crack. Petrified wood was everywhere... some pieces over 200lbs. My best guess is that is all got washed into the basin from the canyons above. I plan to head back there and take a look for fossils and whatnot...

Heading up another wash to a canyon rim where we camped for the night...

The following day we headed all the way out to Hite on Lake Powell...

And back to pavement...

Total for the trip... 196 miles of dirt. We only scratched the surface. No complaints from me.

 

[ttora4runner]

Nice.

 

[Pskhaat]

Love it.

 

[mph]

well done...

In my opinion...you hit one of the best places in Utah!!!! Good for you...Checkout the road that leaves the Sunset campsite (close to Waterhole Flat) and heads West. It goes through some crazy scenery, crosses the Dirty Devil River and exits out to Hwy. 95. Just another fun way to enter/exit the Maze.

The Maze...If you haven't; check out the Maze chapter in Desert Solitaire by Abbey.

 

[LilKJ]

I saw that route as a possible exit.... it's Big Ridge if I remember correctly??

I'll check out the read... thanks

 

[mph]

it is the road below big ridge...

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Amazing pics...thanks for the report! :sombrero:

 

[maXTERRA]

Just beautiful!!!
Another item on the list of Have-to-see places I must go!

Thanks

 

[1leglance]

Is there any chance I could get a waypoint or track file of this trip?
Whatever system you have can usually be converted if you can offload the info.
my email is info AT disabledexplorers DOT org
What an amazing looking area and somewhere I want to go really bad

 

[LilKJ]

Is there any chance I could get a waypoint or track file of this trip?
Whatever system you have can usually be converted if you can offload the info.
my email is info AT disabledexplorers DOT org
What an amazing looking area and somewhere I want to go really bad

I could... if I used a GPS. Topo and compass is how I roll:victory:

 

[1leglance]

I could... if I used a GPS. Topo and compass is how I roll:victory:

Cool....could you call me and read off the turns as you look at your map...you know old school info sharing
Or really old school, could you draw me a map and I could go treasure hunting?

Hey thanks for the inspiration and now I want to go check it out even more.