backroads

Exploring Canyonlands: Potash Road and the Shafer Switchbacks

/ Andrew McAllister / 13 Comments

The Shafer Switchbacks have been on my to do list since I caught the off-road, 4-wheeling, Overlanding bug a few years ago and on this last trip to Moab I had the opportunity drive them. This route was on my mind both from reading the Guide to Backroads around Moab and from viewing posts from the blog New Mexico Backroads a few weeks before my trip. Needless to say I was psyched! Above: Evaporation ponds and red rock. Below: Really red rock! If you look close in the center of the picture you can see a few ladders that are part of a ropes course.

Below: Looking up at Dead Horse Point State Park from Potash Road. Classic western landscape.

Below: Thelma and Louise Point looking at the Colorado River.

Below: Looking North from Thelma and Louise Point. The rock wall in the image produces amazing echo with 4 or more distinct slap backs. A very cool stereo experience. Give it a yodel and see for yourself. A few miles later we would enter Canyonlands National Park and be greeted with a small but very rocky section of road that required low range gearing and all of the driver’s attention (thus no photos of this section). My stock Xterra handled the rocky section beautifully. (edit summer 2014 the road has been improved and is now very smooth. Conditions can change with one good rainstorm, if in doubt contact the National Park.

Below: Shafer Switchbacks. Notice the very small people in the top right corner. Next time I’ll have to remember to stop at a few points and get some pictures. For my first time up I just kept my hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. The switchbacks and the climb were not that bad however I was not ready for the long drive on the narrow shelf road once we were at the top. That section was a bit nerve racking.

Below: Looking down on a group of cyclists that were starting multi day trek on the White Rim Trail. The road was first used as a cattle trail and later as a road for mining trucks. The thought of driving trucks on that road makes me think of the movie The Wages of Fear.

Exploring Canyonlands: Beef Basin

/ Andrew McAllister / 12 Comments

Above: Mesa’s along Route 211 toward the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. This image was taken at the end of our drive to Beef Basin. In the casual photograph it’s hard to get a feel for how massive these forms are. To capture that feeling I chose to use a normal focal length lens and a position that would not include the top of the mesa. When you see the fence at the base of the mesa you start to get the feeling of how massive it is.

Above: Cottonwood Canyon Road as it rounds Bridger Jack Mesa. Notice the car on the right side for scale. The road was in really good condition (May 2012) with a few washboarded sections and small obstacles. I think of these roads as the domain for 4-wheel drive vehicles but as with other trips you come across the odd car that you wonder how it got there. On this drive it was an old Volkswagen Squareback (early 70’s) in mint condition complete with a driver with small round sunglasses and a waxed mustache.

Above: Salt Creek Overlook. Near Cathedral Butte there is a side road that will take you out to this viewpoint. In the book Guide to Moab, UT Backroads and 4-wheel Drive Trails this section of road is listed as moderate as it is quite rocky. We drove halfway in before deciding to walk. With a little more experience I could have driven it as the Xterra has the ground clearance but today was not the day to attempt it. Next time for sure though. The walk out to Salt Creek Overlook was a easy and a nice change as we had been in the car a few hours at this point.

Above: Almost to Beef Basin we stopped for a look at these large white rock formations and to stretch our legs a bit. Just after this section of road there is a steep and sandy section with large rocks and a blind corner. A bit stressful as it was my first such stretch of road however a few miles later I would be reminded that thousands of cars have made it back up that the steep sandy spot when we came across the old Volkswagon.

Above: Classic western landscape of Beef Basin. Below: One of the many ruins in Beef Basin.

Below: Greater Short Horned Lizard spotted at South Spring Campground.

Below: As we finished the Beef Basin loop the weather started to look as if a storm was brewing. We decided it was best to start our return as it would be a few hours until we reached asphalt and another hour to get to Moab. Fortunately the only weather encountered was random spots of raindrops and nothing that would make the return trip difficult.

Below: The Xterra on Cottonwood Canyon Road. I brought extra gas not knowing what kind of milage we would get on the back roads or what we would run into. Turns out we only used a bit more than half a tank up to this point. In the future I hope to replace the rear bumper with one that will accommodate the spare tire and have room for Jerry cans so I don’t have to keep the fuel on the roof.

Exploring around Moab: The Book Cliffs

/ Andrew McAllister / 11 Comments

Of the half dozen times I have been to Moab my latest visit was the first time I had the ability to drive some of the areas back roads and discover some amazing landscape. On my last visit I picked up a copy of Charles Wells book Guide to Moab, Ut Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails and have spent some quality time reading it’s contents. The first trail in the book is the Book Cliffs & Sego Canyon (suitable for stock 4-wheel drive SUVs). The above image shows the Book Cliffs and Crescent Junction as seen from the I-70 rest area. By the time I get here I am ready for Moab, however this time Moab would have to wait for several hours.

Above image: the Xterra at Thompson Pass with the first trail dust of the trip. Below: The road through Thompson Pass to our first waypoint. From there we would follow a wash for a few miles then climb up to the top via a steep windy section of the trail. The trail goes through some great scenery as it winds along and is fun to drive.  Having to keep an eye on the road I did not stop for many pictures. Highlights included spotting a Pronghorn and an Eastern Collard Lizard.

After about 20 miles a small trail leads out to the overlook below. The Trail was challenging in a few areas with tight turns, rocks and small ledges. Being new to 4-wheeling, I’m still getting to know the Xterra and what it is capable of when it comes to clearing rocks so I took it easy.  At a point about 3/4 of the way to the overlook I came upon some larger rock ledges an decided to walk the rest of the way. As I reached the overlook the wind picked up and it looked as if rain could come our way. Not wanting to get stuck off the main road I cut my time at the overlook and got going.

The rain held off and after viewing the rock art in Sego Canyon we headed back to the highway via Thompson Springs. Below: parting photograph of the Book Cliffs at the mouth of Sego Canyon. At this point the cliff rises 800 feet from the desert floor.

All photos in this post shot with the Leica M8.