a special place

[clikrf8]

We just returned from an isolated area in Nevada that was absolutely stunning. I believe it is state land as years ago there was talk about making it a state park. The scenery rivals anything in Death Valley or other state and national parks. You need to have 4x4 high clearance to get back in there and ATVs to get further still or hike it. There have been some TRs from various folks who blog. Otherwise it is not well-known. We saw some ATVers ride back on a wash then they spoiled it all by shooting for awhile. We did find assorted casings including some 357s.

What do you all think about just keeping it quiet? Should it be a state park? If the hordes are allowed to run loosely then it will lose its special quality. The older I get, the more I prefer the San Rafael Swell model with no government designation (other than BLM). Or, the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument under BLM, not NP rule like Colorado NM.

I am sure a few of you have been there but I am not naming it at this point. It is on the Benchmark Nevada Atlas I have. Photographically it is very colorful. But, if people are allowed to wander around in large numbers then there is a possibility of erosion. Otoh, maybe enforcement folks need to be around if it were a park. In the case of the idiots who toppled the goblin, enforcement wasn't around.

Opinions?

 

[N'kwala]

Shhh...I've got a couple spots like this in British Columbia. Ask me in person and I'll show them to you. But no way would I publicise.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Sounds like a wonderful place. I may have to grovel and ask where it is.

 

[kmcintyre]

We live in Idaho and would be interested to know but I understand the dilemma. There are some things that are good w/ some type of designation by the BLM, etc. Just think about the Redwoods, etc. that would have been destroyed if they weren't protected. On the other hand, I like the BLM model where you can still explore and not be confined by rules (for me that means having a dog off-leash), etc. If you'd like to share, send me a PM. I am not sure about the access part so we may not even be able to make it although we have a 4x4 w/ FWC Eagle.

 

[clikrf8]

I am thinking that most if not all folks who follow WTW would honor the location judging from the posts. Any of you who have 4x4s with pop ups could make it as our lumbering beast did just fine. I am going to post some photos on my website today and perhaps some of you will recognize the area. There are several locations and access roads to the one particular area but just about any road from off the highway will get you to some spectacular settings. While I was setting up for an evening photo (and rewarded with a rainbow and fabulous clouds), two vehicles drove by in about an hour's time while we were parked just a few 100 feet in. There is one ranch nearby and maybe a few others that can't be seen from the road. I will probably finish up my blog today with iPhone photos that I took during the not so golden hours. We only spent two days there as hubby likes to move on. I could have spent at least a week. In several areas we found evidence of homesteading or mining attempts including fenders from a 1920's vintage truck and two ends of a water tank, a wood stove and barrels and a crude foundation.

We will be utraveling through the area again this fall and possibly later this month if anyone wants to meet up. It would be interesting to see if others find it as special as I did. Right now I am conflicted just because of those ATVs who were shooting (at what????) and recent news of the Goblin State Park incident as well as the idiot who stole a dinosaur footprint and vandals who cut out Rock art in California. Some things and places are sacred. While I do think our national and state parks are a wonderful idea and preserve our legacy for all for all time, they can be crowded. Like most of you, we wander the west to explore what else is out there to avoid the crowds and loutish behavior.