So Long, Stinktown!

[ZappBranigan]

Heading for Utah early tomorrow (Easter Sunday.) First 'wheeling trip of the season for me.

Will be hitting the Maze District of Canyonlands, Capitol Reef (via Burr Trail), Bryce Canyon, Grand Staircase/Escalante, Monument Valley and Valley of the Gods.

Should be back next Friday.

See Ya! :D

[scottycards]

Nice. Take lots of photos. Excellent trip you have planned, there.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Mack]

Let me know how Maze is, and where you stayed. Headed there at the end of Apr, and there isn't too much about it on the 'net.

[ZappBranigan]

Just checking in from the Cannonville KOA near Bryce Canyon.

Mack: The Maze is incredible. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get into the maze proper because there is still too much snow and ice on the Flint Trail where it drops off the plateau. However, the upper maze are trails are amazing. The views can't even be described, really even photos don't do them justice you have to see it for yourself, definitely worth the trip.

I camped at Panorama Point which was a great choice. The views, again, were just unbelievable and I had the whole place to myself.

Will post more with pics when I get back on Friday.

[Mack]

Awesome, great to hear! We'll be staying at the Doll house (right next to the river), and Maze overlook when we're there, so hopefully the snow/ice is gone by then.

Would love to see some pictures, as well as pick you brain about the trail system. Are things fairly well marked? How long did it take you to get to the Ranger Station from I70?

[ZappBranigan]

I left Green River at about 2:00 or so. I did take a detour of a couple of hours at Goblin Valley (highly recommended, BTW) and got in to my campsite, which was just outside the Ranger station, by about 5:00. However, I was taking my time, and stopping to take lots of pictures. If you're going straight from Green River to the Hans Flat Ranger Station, you should be able to make it in about an hour and a half max.

The BLM roads are pretty well marked. The turn off off for Hans Flat is about a half mile past the Goblin Valley turn off. Once you turn right there, it's well marked all the way to Hans Flat.

[meatblanket]

It's a shame you weren't able to make it down to the Land of Standing Rocks, but that just gives you an excuse to return!

Two hints for next time-- First, you can leave Green River from the south on a dirt road that will go all the way to Hans Flat. If you go that way, you go past the Horseshoe Canyon unit of Canyonlands. Horseshoe Canyon is very nice, and contain the Great Gallery pictographs. There is a BLM campground near the trailhead, but it isn't that great.

Next hint is that there is VERY nice camping available right outside the park entrance at Hans Flat. If you inquire at the ranger station, they will give you a map showing you where these places are. The beauty of this is that these sites are on BLM land outside the NP boundary, so the NPS rules and fees do not apply there.

The Doll House is a nice place, make sure you allow plenty of time to get there.

http://www.colorado4x4.org/gallery/files/9/2/8/037MazeDistrictSolitude.jpg

[Brokeagain]

I wish I could go. Been thinking and prepping a little for a couple of years now. I'm looking forward to pics and writeup.

[ZappBranigan]

It's a shame you weren't able to make it down to the Land of Standing Rocks, but that just gives you an excuse to return!

Two hints for next time-- First, you can leave Green River from the south on a dirt road that will go all the way to Hans Flat. If you go that way, you go past the Horseshoe Canyon unit of Canyonlands. Horseshoe Canyon is very nice, and contain the Great Gallery pictographs. There is a BLM campground near the trailhead, but it isn't that great.

Next hint is that there is VERY nice camping available right outside the park entrance at Hans Flat. If you inquire at the ranger station, they will give you a map showing you where these places are. The beauty of this is that these sites are on BLM land outside the NP boundary, so the NPS rules and fees do not apply there.


As for your first point, interesting that you mention that! I took the road from Hans Flat out to Horseshoe Canyon and there was a point where the road to Horseshoe turned Left (West) while another road continued straight on. I wondered if that road led all the way to Green River, but my maps didn't make it clear whether it did or not, so that's good to know.

As for the second, I camped exactly where you said, in an "unofficial" BLM campsite less than a mile from the Hans Flat ranger station, with a beautiful view of the Dirty Devil River canyon! Since I arrived on Easter Sunday there was nobody else there, although sometime in the night someone did arrive in a little Suzuki 4 door tracker with a tiny little pop-up tent trailer.

[meatblanket]

That's great that you found the campsite. There are others, but the one I'm thinking of is on the south side of the road out of Hans Flat. It is a cherrystem road in the WSA. Very nice views, it was probably the same place!

Someday I'd like to enter Horseshoe Canyon from the east. I've not read any accounts of anyone doing that, but it would make the hike to see the Great Gallery shorter (and more importantly, less populated). The road apparently dates back to the 1920's when it built by Phillips Petroleum. At one point it was possible to drive all the way through the canyon.