Old Utah State Road 95

[hatchcanyon]

The Bicentennial Highway from Blanding to Hanksville ist well known. I still wonder how many people today know about its predecessor. This is still a breathtaking route over the cliffs of the Comb Ridge:

The uppermost part of the road. Seems to me that a wash was widened and an new wash ditch blazed on the right side. This is by far the roughest stretch of the whole descend.

Looking back upwards

Above the alcove the road isn't that bad

Looking back again

A stretch of the road farther down

We drove the trail down in may. This year it was worse than ever before.

 

[1911]

I've driven that trail before and it is pretty. It was originally part of the Hole in the Rock pioneer trail. From the bottom, you can get on the Hotel Rock trail and into the Dark/Mule Canyon Wilderness areas and Ruin Canyon on the other side.



Hotel Rock Trail:

 

[hatchcanyon]

It was originally part of the Hole in the Rock pioneer trail.

Hm, I always thougt that the pioneers traveled farther South across Cedar Mesa, down The Twist and along Comb Ridge to the San Juan River and up San Juan Hill. Am I wrong?

 

[1911]

That's what Bill Burke told me (photos are from a trip he guided that I was on), but it's possible that I could have misunderstood.

 

[Abel Villesca]

Hm, I always thougt that the pioneers traveled farther South across Cedar Mesa, down The Twist and along Comb Ridge to the San Juan River and up San Juan Hill. Am I wrong?

I think this is correct. Definitely the along Comb Ridge and up San Juan Hill part.

 

[hatchcanyon]

As far as I know from the Blue Mountain Magazine the shelf road was not built until the early 1950ies. Its purpose was to shorten the travel distance to the mines nearby Piute Pass, for example Happy Jack Mine.

Sure enough, at a first glance it looks like dynamited by the pioneers. But then you recognize the drill holes made by modern equipment.

 

[1911]

I stand corrected!

 

[pcut]

Ha- my wife and I mistakenly drove up that road about 7 years ago in her stock BMW X5. We made it without and damage but she was terrified and didn't speak to me for a couple of days! That cloud has a silver lining since I was, as a result of that afternoon, able to convince her that we needed to have this instead of an X5.:wings:

 

[SmoothLC]

^ score!

 

[hatchcanyon]

Ha- my wife and I mistakenly drove up that road about 7 years ago in her stock BMW X5.

We did it several years abo in an Jeep Grand Cherokee - stock too.

But this year the game changed. Even with a Wrangler Rubicon it was not easy. In my opinion no more chances for Cherokees or X5/7.

 

[toddz69]

I've driven that trail before and it is pretty. It was originally part of the Hole in the Rock pioneer trail. From the bottom, you can get on the Hotel Rock trail and into the Dark/Mule Canyon Wilderness areas and Ruin Canyon on the other side.


[/UR[/QUOTE]

That looks like my buddy Herb's Bronco.

Todd Z.

 

[1911]

That looks like my buddy Herb's Bronco.

Todd Z.

I bet it is - the driver's name was Herb, though I only know him from that one week-long trip. He was from southern California. I gave him ******** because he trailered the Bronco to Utah, and I drove my FJ40 all the way from Texas. His was a cool rig though, really well done. The nicest Bronco I have ever seen in person, and really capable too.

 

[hatchcanyon]

View attachment 293147Ha- my wife and I mistakenly drove up that road about 7 years ago in her stock BMW X5. We made it without and damage but she was terrified and didn't speak to me for a couple of days! That cloud has a silver lining since I was, as a result of that afternoon, able to convince her that we needed to have this instead of an X5.:wings:

Good decision!

Do you know that the German authorities refused BMW's intend to sign these vehicles as "SUV" anymore? (At least for Germany or maybe for the whole European Union?)

 

[Martinjmpr]

I remember seeing that road from the paved UT 95 and wondering where it went. Now I know!