127 Hours of San Juan County

In the southeast corner of the state, San Juan County is known as Utah’s Canyon Country.  San Juan is rich in culture, history and immensely diverse in outdoor recreation. There are so many opportunities for high adventure that 127 hours barely does the county justice. Here’s but a sampler:

Day one, a San Juan River Adventure.

As it courses through the heart of the Colorado Plateau, the San Juan River evokes wonder, beauty and solitude unlike any other on earth.  Its aesthetic has inspired the west’s finest authors, artists, photographers and musicians.  The river corridor’s natural, geologic and human histories have endlessly indulged creative spirits from all walks of life.  And the river’s serenity has made return visitors of the most traveled wilderness enthusiasts.

The tiny, historic town of Bluff is the home of Wild Rivers Expeditions, a leading river outfitter guiding trips on the San Juan River.  Bluff was the first Anglo community in the county settled by Mormon pioneers who were sent to southeast Utah in 1880. For a time, Bluff was one of the wealthiest towns in the state but the desert proved a difficult master. Today Bluff is a quiet little village along the banks of the San Juan River. Many of the original Victorian sandstone homes are still in use along an historic walking tour.

Wild Rivers runs a exciting and fun-filled one-day river trip on the San Juan from Bluff, suitable for families. In the morning, the rafts eddy out making two stops to hike to the Butler Wash petroglyph panel and river house cliff dwelling.  Noontime brings a fresh gourmet lunch under the cottonwoods before entering a limestone chasm for the afternoon, where river runners can spot desert bighorn sheep and view 300 million year-old fossils. A full day and 26 miles in length, this is a great trip for those with limited time. RiversAndRuins.com and whitewaterutah.com/content/view/36/11

 

Day two, hiking in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park and Valley of the Gods

A short and scenic drive from Bluff leads through Comb Ridge, past Mexican Hat rock (you’ll know it when you see it!) the town of the same name and into majestic Monument Valley and the Navajo Tribal Park.

The views driving into Monument Valley are spectacular and, difficult to believe, even better once you arrive.  Goulding’s Lodge is the center of activity for supplies, lodging and guided tours.  Goulding’s offers several vehicle tours, but you’re here for higher adventure – a hiking tour.  Beginning each morning at 9:00 AM and after a Navajo rug weaving demonstration, this excursion enters the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park to start your hike at the Wildcat Trail trailhead.

Personally guided by one of Goulding’s friendly, professionally trained Navajo guides, you’ll hike through spectacular desert countryside, follow along washes, and traverse over sandy slopes. This scenic 3.2 mile (5.3km) hike loops around the West Mitten Butte, offering spectacular views of the red rock monoliths of Monument Valley. Following the hike, you will head back to the vehicle to be returned to Goulding’s Lodge.  Tour duration is approximately 3-1/2 hrs long. Time enough afterward to sample a Navajo taco or frybread.  After lunch you can choose to stay and catch a sunset tour in the afternoon or depart for more hiking in the Valley of the Gods.

 

 

The main road through Mexican Hat (US 163) eventually joins US 191 which goes north toward Bluff but before passes close to the Valley of the Gods. This is a smaller scale version of Monument Valley, with tall, red, isolated sandstone mesas and cliffs, buttes and pinnacles standing above the level valley floor, remnants of some ancient landscape. The area may be toured via a 17-mile dirt road that winds amongst the eerie formations; this is rather steep and bumpy in parts but is passable even in two wheel drive vehicles in good weather. Stop and hike wherever the scenery looks good, which is virtually anywhere along the entire route. There are no designated trails but the hiking is virtually flat. The western end of the road joins UT 261 shortly before it switchbacks up the Moki Dugway, 1,200 feet to Cedar Mesa.  Drive up (slowly!) and take in one of Utah’s most spectacular panoramic views. Gouldings.com

 

Day three, canyoneering in Fry Canyon.

North Wash Outfitters in Blanding operates guided canyoneering adventures in a section of the great canyon country known as the Colorado Plateau.  One of their best is a day trip into Fry Canyon, a fun and easily accessible technical slot. The route contains two short sections of narrows and a visit to some great Anasazi ruins. The canyon is quite pretty and the second narrows photographs extremely well.  The route is short and is not really committing. There are many opportunities to escape from the canyon bottom if you’re a “never-ever” and begin to feel uncomfortable. The route contains one rappel, several easy downclimbing problems and a short swim.

At the get-go, right off of the highway, you’ll swim and wade through a gallery of light bouncing off of the red rock canyon walls, a wonderful spectacle in the early morning light. After this bit of narrows, the canyon opens up into a broad dry wash which gradually gets deeper with every bend. Soon the wash tightens up again and it is time to break out the ropes. Moving any further down canyon requires going straight down. Waiting at the bottom of this 50′ rappel is a wonderful cavern, usually filled with a cool pool of water! The swim is short but fun and breathtaking as you negotiate between the red rock walls of the canyon.

Soon you’ll emerge from this beautiful pocket of fluted and ornately polished walls of convoluted rock to the warming rays of the sun and view the history above you on the cliff walls. Waiting there at the end is a wonderfully preserved site of Ancient American History. The Anasazi used to inhabit this canyon and used the pools of water as a water source during the long dry summer months. After a short break and change in attire, you’ll continue down the canyon to the confluence of White Canyon. From here you’ll head up the canyon to begin the ascent to the rim and a quick return back to where it all started.

Fry Canyon is great for an introduction to canyoneering. The section that requires ropes contains an exciting and photogenic rappel, breathtaking narrows, and a bit of swimming. One great thing about Fry Canyon is that it lends itself well to an educational experience in both canyoneering skills and Native American History.  North Wash Outfitters is accredited by the American Canyoneering Association.  In addition to guiding services, they provide all the necessary gear and equipment.  NorthWashOutfitters.com

 

Day four, an outdoor history classroom – ancient archaeological sites and rock art.

San Juan County is loaded with rock art panels left by the ancient Anasazi culture centuries ago.  Vaughn and Marcia Hadenfeldt operate Far Out Expeditions (FOE) in Bluff and know where they are, how to get you there and can offer their personal interpretation. Comb Ridge near Bluff is an amazing rock formation in the desert and canyon area of southeastern Utah. It is an immense sandstone formation tilted at an angle of about 20 degrees, almost 80 miles long running north and south, and about one mile wide.  Comb Ridge houses literally hundreds of rock art panels.

Far Out Expeditions offers adventures designed specifically for the individual or group, many in Comb Ridge. Most trips are led by Vaughn who, for over 30 years, has explored and guided in the region. His passion for archaeological sites, especially rock art, is what distinguishes FOE trips. Vaughn spent years in the field seeking out the sometimes subtle, elusive, less visited remains of prehistoric cultures. One of the most awe inspiring is the Procession Panel, a spectacular petroglyph wall in Comb Ridge. It contains 179 figures in what is thought to be a funeral procession. You’ll need a wide angle lens to get a shot of the entire panel! A tasty and hearty lunch on the hike or in nearby Butler Wash is included in FOE’s day trip.

The Hadenfeldt’s cherish these areas and take responsibility of visiting these sites very seriously and reverently. By sharing their knowledge they hope to instill an admiration of the prehistory and landscape as well as an understanding of their preservation and care to all who would travel here. faroutexpeditions.com

Day five, a road trip – take in the sights of San Juan County.

No trip to San Juan County would be complete without visiting several of the area’s most notable spots.

1. Canyonlands National Park.  This huge, wild and incredibly beautiful slice of real estate encompasses parts of three Southern Utah counties, much of it in San Juan.  About 15 miles north of Monticello off US Hwy 191, state highway 211 heads west into the Needles District of the Park on Indian Creek Scenic Byway.  Before entering the Park, your first stop is at Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument, a huge, fascinating rock art panel about 200 square feet in size.  These petroglyphs were carved by Native Americans during both the prehistoric and historic periods thought to be first around 2000 years ago. The carvings are of human figures, symbols and several animals – deer, buffalo, pronghorn antelope and riders on horses.  While precisely dating the rock carvings has been difficult, repatination of surface minerals reveals their relative ages. The reason for the large concentration of the petroglyphs is unclear, making the rock somewhat of a mystery.

Continue on to Needles Outpost, a remote, quaint general store with supplies, gifts, books and maps just outside the Park entrance.  Breakfast and lunch is served at their Western Grill.  If time permits, take a hike to one of the many canyons nearby.  Entering the Park, you’ll come to the Needles Visitor Center and a short drive to the end of the road is the not-to-be-missed Needles Overlook. Nps.gov/cany

2.  Travelling south on Hwy 191 will lead you to Blanding and Edge of the Cedars State Park. At this museum, explore Edge of the Cedars Pueblo, a village inhabited by the ancestors of contemporary Puebloan peoples from AD 825 to 1125.  Climb down a ladder to enter the 1,000-year-old kiva. View the largest collection of Anasazi pottery on display in the Four Corners area. Enjoy programs for adults and children, including archaeology and art exhibitions, storytelling and craft workshops. Park facilities include a very short, paved interpretive trail around the ruin, landscaping with native plants and outdoor sculptures, and a picnic area.  StateParks.Utah.gov

3.  A few miles south of Blanding, Utah Hwy. 95 juts off to the west.  This is part of the Trail of the Ancients and will lead you to Natural Bridges National Monument. On a wooded mesa next to deep sandstone canyons, three natural bridges were formed by meandering streams slowly cutting through canyon walls.  Natural Bridges preserves some of the most dramatic examples of natural stone architecture in the southwest.  The three bridges are named in honor of the Hopi people who made this area their home – Kachina, Owachomo and Sipapu.  The scenic Bridge View Drive loops the monument and passes all three, but a much better option is to hike one or more of several trails to the bridge’s base.  And a bit of trivia – the International Dark Sky Association has rated Natural Bridges a Class 2 on the Bortle Scale, the darkest sky ever assessed! Nps.gov/nabr

 

So much adventure for 127 hours!  However if you opt to spend your entire time in San Juan County experiencing but one or two outdoor trips, here are a couple great choices:

1. Buckhorn Llama Company offers all-inclusive, regularly scheduled five-day llamapack trips into Grand Gulch and the upper Dark Canyon Wilderness.  If you’ve never trekked with one of these animals, you’re in for a treat.  They’re friendly, social and can carry lots of gear; 100 or more pounds and out-hike you, big time!  Grand Gulch is a unique area for exploring. This is a place where cultural resources are found in remote, primitive and wilderness-like settings. A wealth of rock art panels consisting of petroglyphs and pictographs can also be found. Most canyons and cultural sites can only be reached by hiking or backpacking.  Ergo, that’s where llamas come in handy.  And yes, they spit.  But only if provoked and there’s really no good reason to do so.

Dark Canyon begins at 8800 feet, high on the edge of pine covered Elk Ridge, in the heart of southeast Utah’s canyon country.  The canyon is named for its high steep walls that narrow in the lower section so that they block the light in the morning and late afternoon. The roughly horseshoe-shaped wilderness is made up of the upper part of 40-mile long Dark Canyon and two major tributaries, Woodenshoe Canyon and Peavine Canyon in the Manti-LaSal National Forest. Dark Canyon is primitive and remote – Utah backcountry at its finest.  Llamapack.com and backcountryutah.com/content/view/29/25

2. Rainbow Bridge/Navajo Mountain Hike. Very few visitors make this traditional pilgrimage from the north side of Navajo Mountain along the Rainbow Trail. Many of the sites held sacred by the Navajo, or Diné, in these remote corners of Utah and Arizona have been violated by modern developments. Few of the old people remain who know the sacred stories and rituals.  Canyonlands Field Institute and Navajo guides Eric and Charlene Atene lead this incredibly moving, five-day journey to the edge of Lake Powell in Glen Canyon and Rainbow Bridge, a sacred place to the Diné.

 

On the Rainbow Trail you’ll encounter an abundance of wildflowers, striking views of Navajo Mountain and encounter a native Hogan.  Camp life is filled with stories of Navajo culture, instruction by CFI staff and time for personal reflection. We end our hike at Rainbow Bridge, gather in a circle where Eric says a brief prayer allowing us to cross under the huge span.  We return via boat on Lake Powell. Total hiking distance on the Rainbow Trail is approximately 16 miles from the trail head to Rainbow Bridge and Lake Powell.  A truly amazing and spiritual experience.  cfimoab.org and backcountryutah.com/content/view/28/28

For more information on visiting San Juan County, go to UtahsCanyonCountry.com

For more 127 Hours of Utah itineraries, go to travel.utah.gov/127hours

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This entry was posted on Monday, June 13th, 2011 at 8:58 am and is filed under 127 Hour Itineraries, Articles and. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.