The San Rafael Swell

Rods Valley Road is a nice mild trail winding its way through the south end of the San Rafael Swell in Central Utah. This trail provides easy access to a number of trails in the area as well as a good route to take you from the south end, up to I70 and the north end of the Swell.

Caineville Reef Road provides you with a cut-over from Cathedral Valley Loop to Factory Butte Road (north of the Factory Butte geologic feature). The trail directly follows the North Caineville Reef and Mesa, snaking through an area that may surprise you with the stark difference of surface features on either side of you. In some sections of the trail, a gray, moon-scape-like terrain will be on your right, while pink and red-hued rock is a head-turn to your left.

Although no camping is found along this trail, it does lead to Factory Butte Road, which gives you access to the Factory Butte OHV Area and Skyline Rim, where open dispersed camping is available.

Much of Caineville Reef Road travels in a wash, meaning conditions can change quickly, turning this trail from easily traversable to a nightmare mud pit. This trail should be considered Impassable When Wet. The general area is well-known for the extremely sticky mud that forms when rain and snow soak the ground.

Wood Canyon is a difficult and long crossing along the west rim of the San Rafael Swell upheaval. You will cross prairies and zig-zag through trees, all with incredible views of the surrounding mountains. The views are best enjoyed traveling south to north. Along the trail, there are various challenges for stock and slightly modified 4x4 vehicles. The trail has two difficult hills that lead to a narrow rocky canyon. You will need experience on remote and difficult trails and have a reliable and durable vehicle with low-range gearing and durable offroad tires. Camping is found in the trees on the southern portion of the route. The sites are small, with one vehicle max.

It doesn't get much better than sitting on the edge, drinking your morning coffee while the sun rises over the Little Grand Canyon. This easy out-and-back trail has countless free campsites right on the canyon's edge, or you can choose a camp tucked back in trees across the trail from the cliffs. There are breathtaking views all along the route. The trail becomes rougher the further you travel out to the three overlook points. Each overlook offers a different view down into the canyon, where the San Rafael River cuts through the earth. To reach the final point, you'll need 4x4 and high clearance.

Travel across a beautiful landscape, twisting through pine trees and picturesque meadows before ending at a sandstone wall covered in ancient rock art. Prickly Pear Panel is a well-preserved Native American artwork display along a fun 4x4 trail. The trail leading out and back to the panel is an ideal route for stock 4x4s. There are mild challenges along the way that keep things exciting enough to keep pushing forward to the unique reward at the end. Long stretches of two-track zig-zag across grasslands, steep and soft dunes climb through pine trees, and there's primitive camping far away from the crowds. The rock art near the trail's end is estimated to have been painted around 2,000 years ago by the early Native American "Barrier Canyon Culture." These creative archaic people were hunter-gatherers, living in area caves or more temporary brush shelters. The red pigment was created using powdered hematite found in the surrounding landscape and likely mixed with animal fat, eggs, or other fluid as a binder. Paintbrushes were their fingers or brushes made from animal fur or prairie grasses. The course sandstone has absorbed the natural pigment, preserving it for thousands of years.

The epitome of "the further you go, the harder it gets" type trail, Humbug Mountain, begins as an easy gravel road, leading past the Jurassic National Monument site, before climbing up difficult rocky passes at almost 6500' and a breathtaking overlook. Early along the route, signs mark the various sediment layers containing prehistoric bones. Much more information is available at the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, a marked turn along the route.

The trail remains easy and passable for cars until around the 12-mile point. After that, you need 4x4 low-range, high-clearance, and durable tires to reach the trail end. The climb up the mountain is rough and not for inexperienced drivers or under-equipped vehicles. The area is very remote. The ledges are very narrow. Rock slides can occur. Large rocks must be driven over or moved from the trail. The final 8 miles of the route are very scenic as you climb high above the desert, with views of the Price River and Stove Gulch below.

Early along the route, there are large areas where groups can be found camping. Along the easy section, before the steep climb begins, two pull-off trails lead to excellent primitive camping in the boulders. Both areas are interesting to explore on foot.

Price River Road is a welcoming backcountry road through a corner of this secluded desert region of Utah. While traveling along Highway 6, you can detour onto this enjoyable, maintained gravel road. The trail can be completed in 2WD in dry conditions. However, there is one bumpy crossing and soft sand crossing at the train trestle. This can be cautiously completed by all overland and camper van-type vehicles. The camping is pretty limited along this route. Only one established rock fire ring was found. Private ranches line the northern sections of the route; please respect the fence and boundary markers. Connecting the trail to Buried Forest and back on East Mounds Road makes for a scenic trail ride with an exciting hike in the middle.

Smith Camp Road is a maintained gravel road that accesses numerous other scenic routes within the San Rafael Swell region. As you drive along, note how the landscape changes dramatically from the flat plain. The route quickly travels to an old ranch site with a couple of structures still standing. You will also pass a massive area for a free group campsite. Be sure to combine this with Cottonwood Canyon Road and the petroglyphs at Waypoint 08, then onto Green River Cutoff to create a memorable day on the trail.

You will wonder what the travelers think as they watch you drive under I-70, out in this desolate landscape. It's a rare opportunity to drive across an interstate median, but it's legal and a creative link on your overland adventure across the San Rafael Swell. The moderate 6.4-mile trail takes about an hour to cross the seemingly endless desert flats. The dirt is soft, and there are countless deep washouts; a few can swallow an entire vehicle. Please use caution since they sneak up on you. A couple of the washouts have become so large you have to detour around them. The two tunnels under the interstate are large enough for full-size vehicles and rooftop tents. The camping is in the wide open and very exposed to the area's frequent winds. However, there is one protected site at the start of the gravel road, behind the large gravel mound, on the northern section of the trail.

Family Butte Road is tucked far back in the southern region of the San Rafael Swell. The easy-graded dirt road offers breathtaking overlooks, up-close spire views, and memorable primitive camping. In either direction, you will enjoy views of Turkey Spire and Family Butte and stop at a couple of old mine sites. In dry conditions, the route is passable in 2WD with high clearance. There is abundant camping along the route; many sites offer cliffside views, or you can be nestled back in a canyon alone.

In the far northern region of the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area, Jurassic Flats is a unique, rambling journey across a varied and rugged landscape with a unique beauty and wealth of natural history. Buried under various layers of sediment lies millions of years of bones and other organic surprises. Before traveling to this remote trail, the nearby Jurassic National Monument is an excellent place to begin your journey. Combining the route with Humbug Mountain creates a scenic loop around this colorful landscape.

The trail is ideal for stock to slightly modified vehicles. The trail has a few sections in rocky washes, with the big boulders cleared out of the way, but things can always change. Low-range 4x4, high-clearance, and durable offroad-type tires are required. The western portion is wide-open prairies along old fences, while the eastern portion is in the rocky canyons. Camping can be found near the western trailhead in the boulders along the Humbug Mountain trail.

Deep within the San Rafael Swell, the Salt Wash joins the San Rafael River at a scenic remote canyon overlook. This moderate 4x4 trail travels 7.5 miles to a spectacular overlook of this river junction. The rocky and dirt two-track crosses over desert meadows and along the edge of the Little Grand Canyon. The trail requires high clearance and 4x4 for the numerous rocky ledges and soft sand found along the route. Camping is limited to a few campsites along the edge of the cliffs at the end. It's worth the drive if you desire a private camping experience with breathtaking views.