Late Spring Utah - May 2023: Part 4

Part 4 of 4

Starr Springs, Cockscomb Black Table Road, Colorado River, Moss Back Road, & the Way Home

Click on a photo to see a larger version.

May 19th (continued from Part 3; go to Part 1)

Once I came out of Poison Springs Canyon I stopped just before re-entering the highway to weigh my options. The sky, for the most part, had stayed clear, and it was very warm, approaching hot. The Henry Mountains were a possibility even with clouds building overhead. At this point I lamented not having better maps of this area. Looking at my Benchmark Atlas I saw a road cutting off UT-276 several miles south of the junction with 95 and I recalled seeing a Backcountry Byway sign there. I thought I'd try that then work my way south looking for dispersed camping. I didn't want to try to go over the pass as that was likely too high, too cool, and possibly under a rain cloud.

East Trachyte Ranch Road

I found the road and turned west. After a few miles I saw a couple of vehicles that looked like campers or travelers come out which I assumed meant this was a through road. However, before long I came to a junction not on either my map or the GPS. I slowed to look, but passed it by. After a couple of miles the road I'd been following looked like it terminated at a ranch. I turned around and went back to the unidentified road which was in good condition and well traveled. After a few miles it dipped into a valley. It  passed a deluxe campsite that was already occupied with camping and horse trailers. Immediately afterwards the road dropped down to ford a creek. It was running fast, looked deep, and was an opaque grey blue. I hesitated. I could not see evidence that anyone else had crossed recently—both banks were dry. I decided it would be foolish to try it, so backed out, turned around, and headed back to the highway. Looking at satellite maps from home I believe this was Trachyte Creek.

Starr Springs Campground

Seemed like the thing to do at this point would be to continue south on 276 and head up to Starr Springs where I'd camped once before in a nice little BLM campground. Just before entering the campground, however, I drove a bit farther to see if there was a dispersed site nearby. There's one nearby site that seems to be always occupied by two travel trailers. I tried a couple spurs beyond that, but they are no more than ATV trails with no place to camp that I could see. Consequently, I returned to the campground.

Many sites in this small, neat campground were already taken. I found a level site. It fit me well, but would be less ideal for a tent camper as the tent/table area is on a lower area reached by a short set of stairs. This was the only location on this trip where I found mosquitoes, or rather they found me. Not surprising due to the verdant nature of the campground.

Although I had neighbors, they were not around much. I finally figured out after talking to one the next morning that several sites were occupied by friends from Colorado. They were using the campground as a base for daily excursions and in the evening would gather at a site farther away from me.

Saturday May 20

Starr Springs (continued)

I walked around the campground in the morning looking for the birds I could hear and taking a few photos. I got a few glimpses of warblers and vireos, but they were too far into the bush for photos. As I drove out I stopped a couple of times to photograph the wildflowers with the mountains in the background.

Cockscomb Black Table Road

Rather than head straight back to the highway, I decided to be just a little adventurous and explore north along the gravel road below the campground. This is an interesting road running northeast along the sloped plain below Mt. Hillers. 

Mt. Hillers of the Henry Mountains.

The road leading me to the Cockcomb

The view toward the east is extraordinary, although best appreciated when the atmosphere is clear and the sun in the west. This morning it was very hazy and cloudy muting the color and contrast of the red rock country. I took lots of photos, even dug out my polarizing filter, but there is simply no way to compensate for the conditions. I do want to return at the right time of day and weather to try and capture this beauty. I’m not going to post any of the bad photos of this time.

I came to a junction with a well traveled road heading northwest. This was signed as Chaffins Way. A short while later a similar junction with Rainbow Road. Cockscomb Black Table Road became much narrower and a bit rougher from this point on. If you look at a satellite image you can see that those two named roads meet about a mile up and between them are side roads and loops that might have been someones dream of a residential subdivision back when Lake Powell was a thriving recreation destination (with water levels as "intended" and a working ferry.) There appears to be one or two houses there. After returning home I phoned the Henry Mountains BLM office and they said the subdivision is on state land and that there are cabins up there and the land is considered private.

Looking back at the way I came with Mt. Hillers and the Cockscomb in view.

The road continues NE across a terrace and a hogback where a cattle guard is to be found. There were lots of wildflowers and amazing views. The road gets rougher, but not technical, as it descends crossing a few canyons before coming out at UT-276. An enjoyable alternate route and I even identified a probable dispersed campsite about 2 miles from the highway.

A close-up view of a Utah Penstemon.

The road drops off the hogback and Canyon Lands appear.
The camera is not pointed into the sun so was able to salvage this photo somewhat.

I spent a long time trying to ID this wildflower without success. The serrated leaves simply do not come close to matching any flower I could find. No one on iNaturalist has suggested a species, either.

In a "palm of hand meets forehead" moment: I was home, checking maps while writing this narrative, before I realized the large, dark, flat-topped peak I'd seen from several vantage points while driving the road was the Black Table. I almost didn't include the one photo I took. Black Table appears to be basalt rather than your typical Utah sandstone butte, not surprising considering the geology of the Henry Mountains.

Colorado River

I took UT-276 back north to UT-95 and turned east. Anyone who is familiar with this section of highway probably recalls it parallels a wash that runs all the way to the lake. I've never seen water in it, but this morning it was flowing. I guess all that rain from the east side of the Henry Mountains had to go somewhere. That, along with all the wildflowers, made this an even prettier drive than usual.

I had time so thought I'd stop and take photos of the bridge across the Colorado near Hite. Kind of a tourist thing to do, but don't think I'd stopped once in the last decade, at least. I bet many of you haven't either.

Looking downstream toward Lake Powell

Hite Crossing Bridge

Looking upstream from the bridge.

I also decided to check out Hite, which I don't think I've ever done. When I'd been poking around the internet looking for destinations and places to camp, I kept stumbling across posts praising the camping at the primitive campground there. I had thought Hite was all closed up with the lake so low, but there was only one way to find out. 

Highway to Hite

Well, there were concrete barricades with pretty permanent looking "Temporarily Closed" signs just about everywhere. My determination is that it is all closed up. This is part of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and with funding as it is, I'm guessing this area will stay closed for a while.

Fry Canyon / Moss Back Road

I hadn't placed Moss Back Road as a priority for this trip as I'd camped there twice last year. But it's a gorgeous location and fit in nicely now as a finale to my week in Utah. I pulled off onto Radium King Road, sign posted as Fry Canyon, and proceeded on the gravel road. It turns to dirt before climbing the butte, but was in very good condition. I turned onto Moss Back Road which had minor wash damage. 

I returned to the site where I camped last spring. I'd camped farther in last fall, but this site I think has the most varied and beautiful views of all. I was all set up by 1pm and got in some good relaxing with intervals of walking around taking photos of wildflowers, lizards, rocks, and the views. It was partly cloudy with a mild breeze.

Just look at this view across Red Canyon!

Around 4pm I could hear thunder rumbling and clouds building behind the butte to the north. I could see rain falling across Red Canyon. It got darker and within an hour began to rain lightly, then a bit heavier. Those who also own a camper with an aluminum sheet roof know how it can amplify the sound of the rain. It sounded like a torrent outside, but it was barely wetting the rocks. 

Still I had some concerns if it lasted too long and I didn't know how heavy the rain was on the other side of the butte where the road has more clay to get slippery. Nonetheless, I was well positioned here on solid rock and away from any washes.

The rain didn't last too long and I couldn't see any running water or even puddles out my windows. It remained dark and overcast. It cooled off enough that defrosting and heating up some of my homemade soup sounded attractive for the first time on this trip.

Just before 8pm I noticed there was a gap in the clouds near the western horizon and sunlight was leaking in. I grabbed my camera and scooted out the door. I started taking pictures around my camp, then realized I was going to get actual golden sunlight at an angle to illuminate the Tables of the Sun. I began walking up the road enjoying the beautiful evening taking photos every which way.

When the sun sank below the horizon I began walking back to camp and was treated to the best sunsets of the trip. What a delight.

Sunday May 21

Moss Back Road (continued)

I love this campsite. Just about anywhere else being this close to the road would be a major disadvantage, but I've camped here twice without anyone ever driving by. When I camped two days at the site farther in only two vehicles slowly drove past in all that time.

I got outside just after dawn hoping to capture that wonderful light. I sent the drone up for a spherical panorama. The result is striking as the light before sunrise has brought out the diversity of this landscape of contrasting rock and soils. The spherical panorama I took last year is much prettier and you may prefer to view it.

View on the Kuula site or in the frame below, In either case, click the Full Screen icon in the upper right corner to get the full experience.

I knew I had a full day of driving ahead to get back home, but did take the time to walk the other direction along the road & cliff edge to get more photos. The Cliff Rose bushes were were showing a riot of blossoms. I've never seen such a display. I didn't realize there were so many all around. When not blooming they are just another desert scrub brush.

A Cliff Rose in full bloom.

Cliff Roses on the rock bench with Wingate Mesa in the background.

A close-up photo of the Cliff Rose blossoms.

On the Road Again

It was a lovely morning across southeastern Utah. Lots of wildflowers and views across the canyons to the mountains. I took my usual route including the Cow Canyon Road cut-off to Montezuma Creek. The Globemallows were thick on the shoulder of the road, and as there was no other traffic, I stopped for photos.

I drove south on Red Mesa Road and stopped at Tony's Road for photos of yucca blooming.

Filled my tank at Beclabito then stopped once more for a photo of yet more Globemallow, then again for a giant storm cloud.

I drove though a brief rain shower on US-550 thus completing my record of being rained on every single day of the trip (even if only briefly.) Still, a wonderful trip with mild temperatures and no bad winds—quite the accomplishment for spring. It would have been nice to have a bit more sun for photography, but you probably think I posted more photos than warranted anyhow.

Thanks for following along on my little adventure.

Return to Part 1

Late Spring Utah - May 2023: Part 3

Part 3 of 4

Cathedral Valley, Hanksville Dinosaur Quarry, Poison Springs Canyon

May 18th (continued from part 2; go to Part 1)

Click a photo to view a larger size—highly recommended

Capitol Reef National Park

From Boulder Mountain UT-12 drops down into sunny Torrey where I filled my tank for the next leg of my journey. My thoughts were on a return to Cathedral Valley and the weather looked promising. I phoned the Capitol Reef National Park information line and got the latest road conditions—good to go. I drove east on UT-24 and into the park. I had thought maybe I'd drive into the park and drive Grand Wash Road, which I'd missed previously, and maybe take a short hike. But once I turned off the highway at the visitor center I changed my mind. It was a circus in the park with all the cars, trucks, RVs, buses, pedestrians, bikes, and what not. I did spot a couple pop-up campers, and we exchanged waves, but I turned around and got the heck out of Dodge as quick as I could.

I turned back east on the highway exercising caution around the various attractions with their tourist traffic. The road reports didn't mention an issue with the ford on the Fremont River, but I checked out the flow as I drove down the highway anyway.

Hartnet Road

I turned off the highway at Hartnet Road and drove the short distance to the ford. It looked fine, so I ventured across. [The park service cautions that the Cathedral Valley loop is strictly 4WD/high-clearance.] I decided to stop in the shade along the road beneath a cottonwood tree for lunch before venturing into the desert. I set out my little table and my Home Depot bucket with its padded seat.

My picnic spot in the Fremont River bosque.

Many of my readers know about WanderTheWest.com - an interesting and informative forum for campers, most of whom have pop-up truck campers. Many years ago one of the moderators offered bumper stickers and I had applied one to the back of the camper. It just has the tent logo and the letters WTW. Never got any comment about it. As I was having lunch a white pickup with a pop-up camper came through the ford and stopped next to me. The driver yelled out "Wander the West!" Wow, cool.

I walked over and had a short chat with the gentleman and his wife in their full-size pickup with ATC pop-up camper. He introduced himself and I recognized his name and face; I introduced myself to Vic. Thought at first I'd met him at a meet-up, but he assured me I had not. He thought I just recognized him from the forum where he uses his picture as his avatar. A very cool meeting. They drove on ahead and I finished my lunch.

After climbing out of the river valley the land quickly gets interesting.
Double-wide exposure pano—click for a larger version.

A rugged canyon off to the right side of the road.

As I drove north I couldn't help but see the clouds building and there was even a rain storm to the northeast. I crossed my fingers. The road was in pretty good shape though there were quite a number of places where it crossed an arroyo or even continued along the bottom for a short while. The bottom was a fine gravel, very moist from previous rain. I used 4WD as a precaution and kept my momentum up. It was definitely shifty under tire and sometimes there was a ledge on either side. I did drive through a couple of small rain showers. These isolated storms were moving across the area from NW to SE.

The rain clouds were getting closer as I entered the Bentonite Hills.

I skipped the Lower South Desert Overlook road, as I'd done it before and recalled it was a few miles long. I wanted to make sure I got to the official campground while there were still sites available. It has only 6 sites and is first-come. I did, however, turn off for the Upper South Desert Overlook as it was within sight of the "main" road.

As I pulled into the tiny parking area I found my newly met friends already parked. There is a tall hill as part of the overlook and I could see Vic and his wife at the very top. By the time I walked to the lower overlook they had made it down. We got to talking again about camping and travels when suddenly Vic had a eureka moment. He'd misheard me when we'd introduced ourselves. Now he realized he knew who I was. He is a regular reader of this blog and has used my adventures as take off points for his own travels. What makes this small-world moment even more amazing to my mind is that he drove down from his home in Canada. We enjoyed more conversation before they headed on out. They were going to do the whole loop before returning to Fruita where they were staying in a double campsite with relatives. It's great fun, and gratifying, to meet my audience while on the road—it's only happened a couple of times.

The expansive view from the lower overlook.
Double-wide exposure pano—click for a larger version.

Cathedral Valley Campground

When I pulled into the campground I was delighted that the site I'd hoped for was open. When I was last here one of my new friends from the previous days' S.U.W.A.  meet-up was camped in this site. It features a short path to the edge of the bluff with an overview of Cathedral Valley itself. Three of the other sites were occupied when I pulled in and by the evening all would be full. I set up camp.

It was a windy afternoon and evening, but my site was somewhat shielded from the worst. I made a point of making it to my "private" overlook for the golden hour to take pictures. There were quite a few clouds moving across the sky, so lighting was hit or miss. I probably spent about 90 minutes trying to get good light. I'm not always so patient. 

I think of this as the main cathedral complex of the valley.

This is a larger view of Cathedral Valley proper.

And finally, a dramatic view of the eastern end of the valley in the last of the sunlight.

Friday May 19

Cathedral Valley (continued)

The morning started mostly sunny, which was very nice to see. My plan for the day was to head out via Cathedral Valley proceeding easterly. If I timed things right I hoped to reach the highway and scoot up toward Hanksville in time to make the 1pm tour at the Hanksville-Burpee Dinosaur Quarry. BLM announced tours three times a day during the week and twice on Saturday for two weeks in May and one in June (skipping Memorial Day week.)

Cathedral Valley Road

I descended the switchbacks below the campground into the valley. I took pictures of the "cathedrals" from the various angles provided by the path of the road. I again enjoyed the wildflowers; a recurring theme this trip.

Photo of the main cathedrals taken as I started down the switchbacks.
You can see the road farther along in the lower right as it crosses the valley.

An "end view" of the two cathedrals seen in the photo previous to this one.
There was a short path to this view point.

Looking upstream from an arroyo. Notice all the lava rocks rounded by eons of tumbling.

The road crossed a number of arroyos. These were generally narrower with steeper banks than on Hartnet Road. High clearance definitely required as even I dragged my behind in one. There was also an evidence of recent water in many, probably from the storms I saw moving through the afternoon before. There were clouds developing above the snow capped mountains to the west, but most of the sky was clear.

Looking back at the main cathedral complex.

There were lots of lupine around, as well. This one was in a small wash; note the moist soil.

The Temples and Glass Mountain

I turned off onto the short side road to visit the Temples of the Sun and Moon even though I wasn't all that impressed with them my previous trip. That could have been because it was about a million degrees that afternoon. Much nicer this morning. There was a junction with a small sign I hadn't noticed last trip, "Glass Mountain", pointing to the right. Hmmm, I'll check that out first. I soon came to a small loop and to the side was a strange lump. I asked a man standing beside his pickup "Is that Glass Mountain?" "Yes," he replied, "it's much more interesting from the other side." And was he ever right.

Glass Mountain with a human for scale. Really more of a lump than a mountain.

Temples of the Sun and Moon arise behind the Glass Mountain.

I took a number of photos and chatted with another visitor and we speculated what the heck this was. It looked like sheets of soft crystal had been broken up into chunks, stirred up in all directions and orientations, then smushed tightly together to form this hump.

A closer view of the gypsum crystals.

The globemallows were growing every where.

About the time I was going to leave a large SUV came in with "Waterpocket Adventure Company" on the doors. The visitor I had been talking with asked the man who stepped out of the truck about the glass mountain. I overheard him saying that it was composed of gypsum crystals and geologists were not exactly certain on how it formed, but that gypsum as it crystalizes changes direction as it grows, so the haphazard took to the formation was its natural growth. The knowledgable guide was showing two clients the area. He was the owner/operator of a tour company that provides a number of different tours around the Capitol Reef area with a speciality in geology.

He also explained that the Temples, as with the other formations in Cathedral Valley, were built from thin, alternating layers of Entrada sandstone and much softer siltstone overlain by the marine Curtis formation*. This explains their appearance. He sounded like an interesting guide should you be looking for a hosted day adventure.

[* actually, I didn't remember him saying all this, but filled in the details from a USGS paper on the area I found online. ]

Temples of the Sun, foreground, and Temple of the Moon

I returned to the main loop road and continued. I came through some bentonite hills and saw an older gentleman metaphorically scratching his head. I pulled alongside to see if he needed help. He asked if he was on the right road to find the Temple of the Sun. I assured him he was and they were not far up the road. I laughed and said the first time I visited I had to stop and ask someone coming out if I was on the right road, too. The east entrance is a bit more ambiguous than the west due to there being some side roads.

A globe of Evening Primrose along the roadside.

I passed through one more section of rocky undulating terrain, then was approaching UT-24 near Caineville. My GPS said I was about 15 miles to the turn-off for the quarry. The lady at the BLM office said it was 8 miles from the highway and to allow about 25 minutes. I was cutting it close, but thought I'd make the 1pm tour just in time.

A note on camping in Cathedral Valley. The NPS is quick to point out camping is only allowed in the one campground and I don't suggest you ignore this prohibition. However, much of Hartnet Road leading in (or out, depending) is not within the park, but is BLM land where you are allowed to camp providing you adhere to their commonsense dispersed camping regulations. I did see a couple of double-tracks off Hartnet Road where you might find camping, though I didn't explore those, and they might be risky. Close to the campground is Polk Creek Road which comes in from the national forest. Not far past the gate on Polk Creek Road, which marks the park boundary, is a dispersed camping area according to my sources. However, on this trip the gate was reported locked by the park service as the road beyond was still under seasonal closure. There are a number of roads off Cathedral Valley Road on the north (east) side. Exercise good judgement on any of these side roads as it may be a long time before anyone else comes along to help dig you out. There is one obvious site on the main road, west of the Temples turn-off (you can even see it from a satellite map.) 

Hanksville Dinosaur Quarry

Heading east on UT-24 I nearly missed the junction even though I had it marked in my GPS. I was warned there was no road sign for Cow Dung Road, which is the turn-off. The quarry had put up their own sign, but I didn't see it until I'd already turned off. Their sign is green, about 3' wide by 5' tall (not that big if you are going the speed limit) and sits on a small knoll just east of the turn-off. It is hard to make out what it says, but there is a bright yellow arrow mid-way down that points north, toward the quarry and a small, unpainted board under the sign which read "OPEN."

The road travels through sandstone, salt flats, and bentonite hills - the very picture of a Utah desert. The going was slow as you have to watch out for inverted speed bumps, i.e., nearly invisible erosion troughs crossing the road. I passed the Mars Desert Research Station that I'd heard rumors of before. I'd take a photo on the way out. I was really beginning to think I'd drive forever when the road finally arrived at the dig. There was a rail fence with cars parked up to it and two chemical toilets. 

Inside the fenced area was a blue tarp pavilion with a number of folks sitting in camp chairs underneath. It was a couple of minutes past 1pm and I thought these were the other people out for the tour. When I stepped under the awning all heads turned toward me and I said "I hope I'm not too late." "Nope, right on time," someone said to the amusement of all. Seems I was the only one there for the tour and everyone else was part of the crew finishing their lunch in the shade.

Hudson, an intern of the Hanksville-Burpee Dinosaur Quarry, offered to show me around. We started with the area he was working and he explained the pneumatic tools everyone was using—a micro jackhammer device like a vibrating ice pick—to carefully separate the fossilized bones from the surrounding matrix. The sound of the gasoline powered air-compressors to run the tools was a constant. I'll spare you the names of the species and the types of bones as I remember very little to be honest. He explained how every bone was recorded as to position and orientation.

You can see the pneumatic pick in the hand of the man in the dark blue shirt.

Dinosaur bone fossils

Every angular black stone on this random piece of ground is a dinosaur bone.

However, I do remember that the entire area is filled with bones. That this was a Jurassic stream and many dinosaurs washed up here, especially young ones. Hudson pointed to the ground where dark, jagged stones were actually a piece of bone. Looking carefully you could see the pores. Pretty amazing.

A spacial record is kept of the in situ location of every single bone excavated.

A view to the northwest from the quarry. This whole area is full of bones according to Hudson.

Hudson also said that they were always happy to give folks who drove out a tour. You don't have to come at any specific time of day. I'd say look for that green sign near the highway and if the "OPEN" board is up, you can probably get a tour. They only work the quarry for about 6 weeks every year, May and early June. I was told when they leave for the season, they cover all their work in progress so fossil hunters wouldn't be able to find the excavations.

As I drove away I stopped a couple of times to take photos, including the Mars Desert Research Station where they apparently practice "living and exploring" on Mars.

Are we on Mars? Or maybe only in Utah.

On the way out a glimpse of the north end of the Henry Mountains.

When I got back to the highway I drove into Hanksville to top off my gas tank. Then I drove south on UT-95 following the coordinates I'd programmed into my GPS for the junction with Poison Springs Canyon Road.

Poison Springs Canyon Road

The day had stayed clear and it was quite warm. Although the highway intersection is not marked, there is a wooden BLM sign a short way down the dirt road cautioning the road is high-clearance 4WD and giving distances to various landmarks/destinations. As I left the highway a wide vista opened up. I don't know if this rising feature has a name. On an old USGS geological map it is simply labeled "Canyon Lands." Seems reasonable as it's in the general direction of Canyonlands National Park and The Labyrinth.

Road to Canyon Lands.

The road then dropped down into the canyon which had pink sandstone walls. The road followed the bottom and had been graded once upon a time. It was surprisingly rough and bumpy. None of the videos I'd watched mentioned this aspect. I could barely make 5mph. 

Going slow enough to spy this Spiny Desert Lizard.

An early section of canyon with a blooming Cliff Rose.

That's water to the left side of the road. The road itself can become inundated.

It was an interesting canyon, but not unique and not quite up to the praise of the YouTube review I watched, IMHO. Before the trip I had scoped out two possible campsites and entered their coordinates in my GPS. It took the longest time to limp only a couple of miles to the first spot where I found many vehicles already camped. About this time ATVs started to come out where they'd been exploring farther in. The next possible campsite, which hadn't looked as nice as this one, was over 5 miles farther. I felt no inclination to drive that far on this awful road (especially since I'd then have to drive it again on the way out.) I did go a bit farther just to see a little more, found some blooming cacti, then turned around to head out. Many more ATVs passed as I made my way out. Still, if you drive a vehicle that does well on rocky roads you may enjoy the canyon.

This is where I turned around.

Close-up of one of the blossoms in the previous photo.

Go to Part 4 for the Henry Mountains and Red Canyon.