Off road trips Utah, Idaho, Arizona
After drooling over the some of the trip reports I see on this forum that focus on Utah, Southern Idaho and Northern Arizona I have a great desire to explore these places on my own. I am new to off ...
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Drive to The Wedge Overlook. This is located near Castle Dale, Utah. It is accessed by a good dirt road; high clearance 4wd not required.
The Wedge Overlook
From there, you could head North back to the main road, then continue East to the Buckhorn Draw Rd. Turn South on the Buckhorn Draw. Along this road, there are a few Petroglyph Walls (with parking spots), one Dinosaur Footprint (not marked, but can be found on Google Earth, I can get you coordinates if needed), a shallow cave that you can camp in, and plenty of short spurs that you can drive/hike down.
Camping is plentiful at the Wedge or along Buckhorn Draw. If the weather is bad, get off the cliff at the Wedge and get down in the canyon along Buckhorn Draw. There is more camping available at the river as you continue South.
Continue your journey toward I-70, but just cross underneath and continue South along the dirt on Temple Mtn Rd. This will take you all the way to the entrance of Goblin Valley State Park.
Go by highway to Hanksville, and fill supplies.
Option 1:
Head West out of Hanksville for 18 miles to the Cathedral Rd turnoff (to the North). Drive this dirt road all the way toward Lyman.
Option 2:
Or take Hwy-24 from Hanksville to Torrey, then Hwy-12 and drive to Escalante. Now you drive Hole In The Rock Road (down and back). You can also go South out of Escaelante toward Smokey Mountain (on BLM 330 "Smokey Mountain Rd") and drive to Alstrom Point overlooking Lake Powell. You would return to pavement at Big Water, Utah. From here, head South to Page, Az, then to Kayenta, then North to Monument Valley, drive the Moki Dugway (North of Mexican Hat), then back toward Hanksville or to Moab.
Option 2A:
After Escalante, continue West to Bryce Canyon. From there yo can go South out of Cannonville (near Kodachrome Basin) and continue South along the Cottonwood Canyon Rd and return to pavement near Paria approximately 30mi NW of Page, Az. A quick drive West on the highway to Houserock Valley Rd and continue by dirt to Hwy-89A, then go West to Jacob Lake, then South to the North Rim of The Grand Canyon.
Option 3:
Or South out of Hanksville to Monument Valley, then turn around and go toward Moab.
All of the above roads I've mentioned are 'maintained' dirt roads. You may encounter a severe set of washboards but you can run near highway speeds in sections. Washouts are common after a good rainstorm but are usually repaired quickly. Most can be traveled by a car (wouldn't do it in my car), but there are sections of soft sand on all roads, and a shallow water crossing (Cottonwood Canyon Rd). I would travel all with a 4wd vehicle, and probably never engage the front axle.
DO NOT travel the Smokey Mountain Rd and Cotton Canyon Rd areas after a recent rain storm. These areas are clay and nearly impassable after a storm.
The possibilities are endless for the Southern Utah offroad adventures! Spend a day with Google Earth following roads and looking at pictures, and get an idea of where you want to go.
The Wedge Overlook
From there, you could head North back to the main road, then continue East to the Buckhorn Draw Rd. Turn South on the Buckhorn Draw. Along this road, there are a few Petroglyph Walls (with parking spots), one Dinosaur Footprint (not marked, but can be found on Google Earth, I can get you coordinates if needed), a shallow cave that you can camp in, and plenty of short spurs that you can drive/hike down.
Camping is plentiful at the Wedge or along Buckhorn Draw. If the weather is bad, get off the cliff at the Wedge and get down in the canyon along Buckhorn Draw. There is more camping available at the river as you continue South.
Continue your journey toward I-70, but just cross underneath and continue South along the dirt on Temple Mtn Rd. This will take you all the way to the entrance of Goblin Valley State Park.
Go by highway to Hanksville, and fill supplies.
Option 1:
Head West out of Hanksville for 18 miles to the Cathedral Rd turnoff (to the North). Drive this dirt road all the way toward Lyman.
Option 2:
Or take Hwy-24 from Hanksville to Torrey, then Hwy-12 and drive to Escalante. Now you drive Hole In The Rock Road (down and back). You can also go South out of Escaelante toward Smokey Mountain (on BLM 330 "Smokey Mountain Rd") and drive to Alstrom Point overlooking Lake Powell. You would return to pavement at Big Water, Utah. From here, head South to Page, Az, then to Kayenta, then North to Monument Valley, drive the Moki Dugway (North of Mexican Hat), then back toward Hanksville or to Moab.
Option 2A:
After Escalante, continue West to Bryce Canyon. From there yo can go South out of Cannonville (near Kodachrome Basin) and continue South along the Cottonwood Canyon Rd and return to pavement near Paria approximately 30mi NW of Page, Az. A quick drive West on the highway to Houserock Valley Rd and continue by dirt to Hwy-89A, then go West to Jacob Lake, then South to the North Rim of The Grand Canyon.
Option 3:
Or South out of Hanksville to Monument Valley, then turn around and go toward Moab.
All of the above roads I've mentioned are 'maintained' dirt roads. You may encounter a severe set of washboards but you can run near highway speeds in sections. Washouts are common after a good rainstorm but are usually repaired quickly. Most can be traveled by a car (wouldn't do it in my car), but there are sections of soft sand on all roads, and a shallow water crossing (Cottonwood Canyon Rd). I would travel all with a 4wd vehicle, and probably never engage the front axle.
DO NOT travel the Smokey Mountain Rd and Cotton Canyon Rd areas after a recent rain storm. These areas are clay and nearly impassable after a storm.
The possibilities are endless for the Southern Utah offroad adventures! Spend a day with Google Earth following roads and looking at pictures, and get an idea of where you want to go.
