The San Rafael Swell

Three Fingers is a popular petroglyph site on the edge of the San Rafael Swell. The site is named for a specific piece of art with three fingers. The artwork is quite impressive, with numerous characters unique to this site. This easy out and back trail travels to a small parking area for hiking to the rock art site. The trail is easy enough for all stock 4x4s with high clearance and durable tires. This dirt road is not for passenger cars. A couple of deep washouts and ruts could cause low clearance 2WD vehicles to become high-centered. The walk to the rock art is about 100 yards beyond the parking area. Stay to the right as you walk into the canyon and start looking at the solid rock ground and walls. Be careful as you walk to help preserve the site; the petroglyphs are in the rock under your feet. There were not any campsites found along this trail. Please do not camp in the parking area.

Camping and more camping is the best way to describe Desert Lake Road. This well-maintained gravel and dirt road is the main access route into the San Rafael Swell from the north. The trail travels across wide-open prairie while approaching the base of Cedar Mountain. Once you're around the foothills, the boulders along the eastern edge of the trail contain numerous free campsites. Many primitive campsites have large open areas for groups or RV campers. Smaller sites are hidden back in the boulders, making an ideal basecamp while exploring the Swell.

An astonishing overlook awaits the adventurous traveler who ventures way out into this remote region of the San Rafael Swell. Slaughter Slope, on the western rim of The Swell, is a massive geologic upheaval named after a wild horse slaughter in the 1930s. The rather mundane drive up to the cliff edge can reward you with fleeting glimpses of the remaining wild horses. While along the rim, you'll enjoy some of Utah's most spectacular views. The 360° views are like no other place on the planet, and you can camp right there on the rim, or you can find a campsite away from the edge. Durable tires, high clearance, and 4x4 for some vehicles may be required to reach the very end viewpoint. A loose shale rock hill leading to the summit is the most difficult challenge. Steady momentum should carry even the biggest rigs up and over.

A more challenging trail leading west toward Swasey's Cabin and Eagle Canyon, Earl's Draw is an easy-to-moderate 2.8-mile two-track traveling past several charming campsites. The trail winds through a dry gully with a few short side trails leading to large campsites. Almost all the sites are ideal for a group base camp while exploring the San Rafael Swell trails. The trail is ideal for beginners and stock vehicles with durable tires.

Circling out and back across rolling hills and sprawling meadows, Arsens Garden Loop is used to access some of the country's best-wet slot canyoneering. Upper Greasewood Draw and other narrow slot canyons can be accessed by foot along this trail. A couple of pull-off areas mark where the hiking trails leading to the canyons begin. Minimal camping is found before the loop begins, and no "campsites" are found on the loop itself. The wildlife is abundant; herds of pronghorn antelope, the fastest animal in North America, can be seen grazing. The trail is ideal for stock-type 4x4s with high clearance. The tunnels under Interstate 70 appear to be around 12' tall. They can be filled with blowing sand, reducing the height. Do not attempt the trail in wet conditions.

An excellent addition to Thompson Hole, Tidwell Draw offers a more clear view of the Swell's uprising and a different 4x4 challenge while traveling out to the Hole. The trail is the same difficulty, but the challenges are more dirt with a mix of rock. You also drive through the cottonwood trees in the large Tidwell Draw. The trail ends at the brushy, dry Tidwell Draw and the always-flowing San Rafael River. There was no river access and no camping found along this route.

As the early settlers crossed this desolate landscape, they marked their way, leaving behind a trail marker for others to follow. Old Spanish Trail is the original route used by these weary travelers. This small section follows that original trail before it treks through Cottonwood Wash. The trail is loose and soft dirt but was once a graded road in areas. BE CAUTIOUS because there are deadly blind washouts. One crossing over a washout is not advised. Bypassing around the crumbling "bridge" will prevent a collapse. Camping is in the wide open on the dirt, where it can be very windy.

Neversweat Canyon is a truly unique Utah rock-crawling experience that isn't well-known or run by full-size vehicles. The pock-marked greenish sandstone narrow slot canyon section is almost surreal. You must choose your line through the entire canyon, over and around boulders, picking the best line for your vehicle, one rock at a time. The canyon is very challenging in stock vehicles. Modified 4x4s with extra ground clearance, skid plates, and durable 33-inch tires are recommended for this challenging route. Count on harsh pin-striping and potential body damage. The route follows the wash for the entire canyon. Motorcycles still use the grassy by-passes, which are now reclaimed and overgrown, therefore reduced to single-track. There's no camping within the canyon, but it is available on many of the easier trails in the area.

As the name suggests, this is another way to reach Dog Hollow Reservoir. Although that may not be your end goal, this trail is pretty exciting in its own way. From the start, you are treated with views over the western side of the San Rafael Swell. Once you start down into the wash, you will be treated with a few minor obstacles until you must exit the wash. Over the years this exit changes, so much so that previous users abandoned hopes of continuing on and returned the way they began. This has left the northern end of the trail almost invisible. For those people able to exit the wash, you can head north to other access trails for the Swell. If you are just looking for a little dirt, be sure to make it to the descent before the wash for the most scenic views!

Lower Wedge is simply the trail with the most camping in the area. This easy dirt road winds through the trees to several free and eight improved sites that charge a fee. The campsites range from large open sites for RVs and groups to small intimate single tent camps with beautiful views of the nearby canyons. The trail ends at a large turn-around with a canyon view with Cedar Mountain as a backdrop. Early in the trail at campsite 5, there are vault toilets for the area campers. The most challenging part is the blind corners around the trees. Please be sure to use caution and take it slow.

In the early 20th century, a Utah photographer captured an image he labeled "Buried Forest." Perhaps he thought the large circles in the cliff face were petrified logs. We now know that to be false, but they are visually stunning, naturally occurring rock formations. The recent rediscovery of the "Buried Forest" concretions gave folks in Carbon County a new interpretation site. A hiking trail with signage explains how these tubes formed. The road from the highway and all the main roads in the region are well maintained. They are rough gravel, but there are no washouts or serious washboards. Camping is wide open and free, but the only established site was at the hiking trailhead. It's very exposed to the wind and visitors to the interpretive site. The hike to the site of the tubes is 1 mile.