Named for its naturally formed ochre-hued arches, the strangely beautiful highlights of arid Arches National Park are best seen on foot or via a vehicle on a leisurely sight-seeing drive.
In a state brimming with national parks, it's easy to overlook another national treasure. Utah locals call it 'THE SWELL'. It's a three thousand-foot fold of sandstone and shale on the edge of the Colorado Plateau.
Length:
4 Days - 102 Miles
Additional Details:
This typical itinerary illustrates a four-day bike trip through the San
Rafael Swell.
Day 1
Meet group at the headquarters in Green
River, Utah. A one and one-half hour van ride takes us to Temple Mountain
near Goblin Valley State Park. The ride begins with a dirt trail which
cuts through the San Rafael Reef, then parallels the uplifted rock
faces. Upon entering the Swell, our trail heads west toward Hondoo
Arch and Reds Canyon. We camp near the remains of miners cabins at
Tomsich Butte.
Day 2
After exploring the remains
of uranium mining camps around Tomsich Butte, we head north through
the winding drainage of Reds Canyon. In the afternoon, we climb out
of the canyons and up to the plateau called Sinbad Country. Our camp
this night will offer us views of Iron Wash and the Head of Sinbad.
Day 3
We continue heading north this day. Along
well graded roads, we cover almost 34 miles ending up north of Interstate
70. Our ride takes us across the open fields of Cottonwood Draw and
Limestone Bench. The ride finishes at the San Rafael River with the
structures of Windowblind Peak, Assembly Hall Peak, and Bottleneck
Peak towering over our camp.
Day 4
This morning we take a leisure ride up
Buckhorn Draw stopping to explore many Indian pictographs and even
a dinosaur footprint. After crossing Furniture Draw, we head south
to the Wedge Overlook, also known as the Little Grand Canyon. Our
van will meet us here for a two-hour drive back to Green River.
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