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A
road less traveled through Utah's San Rafael
Swell |
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Something
wicked this way came... |
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Buckhorn
Wash Pictographs |
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"Head
of Sinbad" pictograph near Ghost Rock |
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Pictographs
in Buckhorn Wash |
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Serious
storm clouds behind the author's Jeep in
Black Dragon Wash |
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Fifty miles wide and 30 miles long of nearly
undiscovered rugged landscape beauty, the San Rafael Swell
area of Utah blew off my driving gloves! Wow, was I impressed.
Formed millions of years ago by geologic upheavals,
this truly is a "swell" in the earth's surface.
Uplifted craggy rocks have been beaten, battered and carved
by erosion, wind and water to make this off-pavement SUV road
tip one for the record book.
The area is loaded with table top mesas, little
Grand Canyons, pinnacles and buttes. But you won't see many
other vehicles. On a recent trip I entered the Swell on a
cloudy, somewhat dreary day, and felt like I had absolutely
left the real world behind.
Managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
and patrolled also by the Emery County Sheriff's Office, you
will see many sights familiar to visitors of other Utah parks
and monuments. But you will see these sights in leisurely
solitude.
One special find on a recent trip was a full-size,
bigger-than-a-shoe dinosaur track. It was an eerie feeling
for me, standing on this sandstone ledge, maybe 15 feet up
off the road under the rim of towering red rock cliff, looking
at one single massive track from a big critter that lived
millions of years ago. It's the only track there and it's
weathering away, slowly but surely. I'll not soon forget the
sensation of standing where this dinosaur walked, feeling
my heart race just a bit, and finding myself looking over
my shoulder…
The pictographs of Buckhorn Wash were like none
I've ever seen. Hundreds of figurines and odd shapes are painted
on a stretch of red rock wall over 100 feet long. You park
your rig within a few feet of the rock art. BLM signs help
explain the symbols and what they might mean. I stood there
in awe thinking of the story these ancient people were telling.
Officially called an anticline, the Swell is
a kidney-shaped convex fold in the earth with a sequence of
rock layers that are progressively older toward the center
of the fold. Only one paved road crosses through the approximately
600,000 acres -- Interstate 70. Click here for an article
about the I-70
view points along the Swell. And there are also plenty
of good dirt roads to explore in the region.
On a recent trip my partner and I learned a scary
lesson about narrow canyons and flash floods. We drove our
four-wheel drives up Black Dragon Wash, a rocky-walled skinny
canyon with a sandy bottom, to see some marvelous pictographs.
The further up the canyon we traveled, the more the canyon
walls closed in on us.
It started out sunny and warm; but by the time
we hit the end of the rough 4-wheel-drive road, the clouds
were building and the sky was turning dark. It was obviously
raining further up the mountain. We were in the path of whatever
might happen.
Brains kicked in! As we made a hasty retreat
out of the canyon, I brought up the rear in my Jeep. My partner
in his Dodge truck called me on the CB and said, "Del,
what's our plan if the deluge hits us?" My answer was
simple, "Roll up the windows and hang on!"
Of course we were kidding with each other. But
we were in a perilous spot. Fortunately we made it out just
fine as the sky turned blacker and blacker behind our vehicles.
The lesson we learned was clear: the desert weather changes
very quickly and one should always have a plan - and an escape
route.
IF YOU GO
The San Rafael Swell is a desolate place where
you can find solitude in your SUV or on foot. But be prepared.
Here are a few recommended travel tips:
- Travel with another vehicle and have overnight
provisions in case of emergency.
- Tell someone your route of travel and have
good maps with you.
- Carry plenty of water and a little grub.
- Do not camp or leave your vehicle in a wash
or stream bed if it looks like rain.
- Stay out of rickety old mine shafts.
- Stay out of narrow canyons when rain is looming
or falling in the higher mountains. Flash floods can be
deadly.
Some Internet sites that are helpful in planning
your trip to the San Rafael Swell include:
The San Rafael Swell is:
- 155 miles South of Salt Lake City
- 35 miles South of Price
- 17 miles East of Castle Dale
- 45 miles East of Salina
- 15 miles West of Green River
Map
of San Rafael Swell
Del
Albright
3/4/07
