Outdoor Adventure USA

Tonight is a destination topic - The San Rafael Swell, Utah

This is an area little know to many people as they zoom by on I-70.

"The San Rafael Swell is a very large anticline located in the very center of Utah.
I-70 cuts right through the center of the Swell and climbs up and over it.

The town of Green River in Utah sits along the east side and the tiny town of Emery on the west.
In between the swell extends 70 miles north to south and 40 miles east to west and forms a large kidney shaped fold in the Earth."

A must have for the trip is the National Geographic San Rafael Swell Map #712. This map has a full UTM grid lines in both directions at 1000 meter intervals. It makes it easy to tell where you are or in conjunction with a GPS where you want to go.

Trail Guide

Both the book and map can be ordered as a package deal at
https://www.4x4training.com/w/product/s ... uide-book/

Quotes from other sources

"The Swell is 2,000 square miles of public land, known for its scenic sandstone formations, deep canyons, desert streams, and expansive panoramas. The Swell is a massive maze of winding canyons, broken fins and buttes in the heart of Utah."

"Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the Swell offers visitors many of the same sights that can be seen in several of Utah's national parks but allows these visitors to enjoy these sights in leisurely solitude. The San Rafael Swell also provides sights that cannot be found anywhere else, such as Goblin Valley and the San Rafael Reef. Hiking possibilities here range from easy to strenuous- technical canyoneering.

A part of the Colorado Plateau, the San Rafael Swell is high desert country, vastly different from the Sonoran desert of the Southwest. In some sections, it is a sweeping country with towering mesas, buttes, and pinnacles rising from flat desert floors. In other areas, it boasts rolling pasturelands populated with antelope and wild horses. And just around the bend it can become an incredibly wild, broken land with streams cutting through slot canyons that open up to panoramic vistas."

"There are numerous roads that only four-wheel drive vehicles can negotiate. Spring and fall are ideal seasons to explore this country because temperatures are usually moderate. Summer days can be uncomfortably hot. Winter nights get very cold but winter days are often mild - very pleasant for hiking, biking and jeeping. Make sure your car is filled with gas and bring plenty of drinking water."

Travel to meeting spot in Utah (Richfield)


Mojave Preserve's Cima Dome with Teutonia Peak to the left
Primm Nevada was essentially shut down
Sportsman's Warehouse in St. George was bare!
In Richfield ... this isn't the weather we were expecting!

First Day


Along i-70 - light dusting during the night View of the Swell from Sand Bench View Area Trail Boss Tom Copper Globe Mine Eagle Canyon I-70 Eagle Canyon Overpasses (Best to click right and open in a new tab/window)
Driving Under I-70 Overpasses (360)

Eagle Canyon Arch Swasey Cabin

Second Day

Driver Meeting (360) Along Buckhorn Draw Road
Old San Rafael River Bridge (360) Supposedly a Dinosaur Track Little Grand Canyon

Third Day

The day started a bit chilly, around 20 degrees. The rim of Dennis's left rear wheel caught the edge of a sizeable rock and pulled it into the middle of road. Final Push! (Video)
Further travel up the trail wasn't going to happen anyway. We all had to back down the trail with the help of a spotter. Petroglyphs (360)

Fourth Day

Check in please - Thanks - Bernie

Eagle Canyon Bridge


Little Grand Canyon

Goblin State Park

I-70 Tunnels

Please check-in -

John - KN6VL

Bruce - KD6GCO