Seeking Input for a Trip to Arches & Canyonlands end of August

TGK

Senior Member
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Feb 7, 2006
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207
Location
Portland, Oregon
My wife and I will be heading to Utah the last week of August. We'll be making a stop to the north of Arches around 8/29 and are thinking of then dropping down to the Arches & Canyonlands. I'm open to suggestions on best places to go, what to avoid, camping and, of course, the weather. I haven't been to Canyonlands since 1976, when I spent the bicentennial there. Amazing experience, but have to say it was bit warm. I know spring and fall are the prime time to hit that region, but this is the time I have available. We expect to be in the area from around 8/30 and heading back to the NW around 9/8. So, any input regarding the parks and surrounding area would be great. Also, is it unrealistic to expect to get a permit to go down on the White Rim this close to arrival? I drove a section of it in 1976 in a '75 Datsun 2wd pickup. We dropped down the road from the island in the sky to the rim and ran into some serious Detroit iron. I recall it was a Chrysler. No permits were needed in '76. I think it had monument status at that time rather than being a full fledged National Park.

We'll be traveling in our '99 F250 4x4 LB with a Grandby Shell, fully outfitted for long stretches away from campgrounds.

TK
 
We were able to get a White Rim permit on the fly while we were there, im pretty sure it was midweek though. Probably wouldn't hurt to start calling now to see if anything is available. Sounds like a great trip, have fun.
 
Going to be plenty hot. I know of some trails higher up into the LaSal mtns and past Green River. And there is plenty of camping everywhere if you venture off pavement.
 
Murphy Hogback was repaired last spring and is like a highway now. Hardscrabble hill on south/west side can be a bit tight still for big rigs. Start now for camping permit, but given it is still hot, you might not have much competition.

You might consider going in part way and heading back out, say Moab->Potash Rd -> Colorado overlook -> Musselman Arch -> back out up Schafer switchbacks to the Island in the sky visitor center, then down the paved road to Grand View overlook to see the rest of the Rim road below. Bring your binoculars/zoom lens. Return to Moab/Arches via Long Canyon/Pucker Pass off highway 313 towards Deadmans State park. That seemed a bit easier this year also.

Going up to Hurrah Pass and then over to the above route is about 7-8 hours round trip from Moab in a rental jeep. Potash road has some very rough rocky sections in it these days (last April/May). I ride the full route each year for the last 3 years on motorcycle - about 6hrs, 127 miles RT from Archview Campground on a 450. 8 hrs more normal. By jeep/truck much longer :).

Also this year they rebuilt the bridge in Arches NP on the road out to the northwest from Willow Flats road in the park to Eye of the Whale and on to Tower Arch whwere you can connect to Salt Valley road (some recommend north to south route due to steep sandy sections). I have not ridden it yet just the Salt Valley road up the main valley area to Klondike Bluffs and those hillsdie roads/trails. Salt Valley itself is not a particularly exciting road.

A favorite of mine is either 128 to Dewey Bridge -> Entrada Bluffs road-> optional difficult 4x4 side trip to Top of the World -> Delores overlook--> Onion Creek -> 128, and Thompson Canyon, Polar mesa/north beaver mesa, Gateway Loop and Sand Flats Road or keep going south on paved road back to Moab for dinner. Rose Garden hill and Top of the World are rough 4x4 sections though, so an out an back may be best. Onion Creek seems to always have little designated camp spots open. Lots of BLM land around though. Maybe even open camp spots in Arches NP while it is hot out or outside the Canyonlands entrance (Horsethief campground I think it is called?), near the top of Mineral Bottom road and hwy 313. Mineral Bottom switchbacks are an easy drive this year now also. Campspots near the river at the bottom also. Hardscrabble Hill is a short drive from here for a look at the White Rim from the Green River side without going all the way around.
 
Over 100 there these days, not good if anything goes wrong, think vultures. Lasals are a good cool off, also some good camping in the Abajo's West of Monticello. If too warm I'd head towards Capital Reef/Torrey, over 7000'. Cedar Breaks is well over 8500, on your way back Great Basin has campsites near 10,000'.
 
I'd recommend highly, the one day float trip down the San Juan River from Bluff, Utah. Wild Rivers Expeditions is the company to go with.http://www.riversandruins.com/river-trips/upper-canyon-one-day
 
Thanks for all the input everyone. Some good suggestions that I will review over the weekend. I called both Canyonlands and Arches today and it sounds like we may have to plan this more in advance and, with advance planning, I can time it for spring or after Labor day once it cools down a bit and also avoid holiday weekends. Canyonlands advised that I have another 5 days or so to try and book White Rim camping mid week prior to the holiday weekend. They are just about booked up for the holiday weekend. Some spots remain mid week. The ranger also said that roads near Hardscrabble and the switchbacks are underwater. Road will have to be repaired. He said they got dumped on last week. As for Arches, unlike the old brochure I have, the campsites are reserved spring through fall and are pretty much booked. That's one of the disadvantages of visiting the beautiful National Parks, to stay inside, you have to plan. The latter is sometimes an anathema to cruising a region and dropping in on one's own schedule. Guess that's the price one sometime pays for experiencing some of the natural wonders of the west. We may still head into the area but I'm also going to consider the Capital Reef and Cedar Breaks area as Barko1 suggest. Heading to higher elevations when it's cooking down below can be a great idea. We've been to Great Basin NP and really enjoyed it. We stopped there on the way back from a multiple week trip to the Grand Canyon and surrounding area a number of years back. If you haven't been into Toroweap on the north rim of the Grand Canyon, I highly recommend it. While it's in the National Park, camping is free. Most likely due to the 60 miles of dirt you have to traverse to get there. It's one of the narrowest spots of the Canyon one can access via wheels in the Park and the location for one of the quintessential photos that are often published of the Canyon. Absolutely spectacular. You can sit on the edge and watch the rafts run Lava Falls, just down stream from your vantage point, 2,800' below. The acoustics allow you to hear the voices of the rafters. Bring a good spotting scope and you can watch them run Lava. As with most of the SW, if the roads get wet, it gets ugly. When we went in, it was dry. It was a wide dusty road. The only precautions are to watch out for the dust pits. You'll be cruising along at a respectable speed and there will be a slight dip in the road with deep loose dirt. If you hit it fast, it could cause problems. We pulled in midweek and got the campsite closest to the rim. Not more than 100 - 150' from the drop off.

Generubin, the suggestion about the 1 day float trip on the San Juan is intriguing. I met my wife on the Owhyee in '84 and we ran a fair amount of rivers over the years but never in the SW. We have friends that have canoed that stretch many times and have highly recommend it. Thanks for the tip.


As noted in my original post, I haven't been to Canyonlands since 1976. I've been wanting to return for a long time and bring my wife. Your input has been helpful.

TK
 
Over 100 there these days, not good if anything goes wrong, think vultures. Lasals are a good cool off, also some good camping in the Abajo's West of Monticello. If too warm I'd head towards Capital Reef/Torrey, over 7000'. Cedar Breaks is well over 8500, on your way back Great Basin has campsites near 10,000'.


X2 - Another great "cooling off spot" is the Henry Mountains out of Hanksville southwest of Canyonlands NP. This is where we usually head when the heat becomes an issue. Campgrounds are uncrowded (usually just a few locals) and are at approx. 8,000 foot elevation, so nice cool temperatures.
 

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