Factory Butte Road

This offroad trail crosses a dead flat plateau of hard-packed, grayish bentonite clay, with views of Factory Butte, the most recognizable feature in the immediate area. It is bordered by Capitol Reef to the west, the Henry Mountains to the south, San Rafael Swell to the north, and the San Rafael Desert to the east. This road gives you access to a vast network of four-wheel drive routes within the Factory Butte OHV system as well as the open OHV areas. It can also be used to connect to Wild Horse Road, which takes you all the way to Goblin Valley on dirt. This is a relatively maintained dirt road, with a few small patches of bumps after rain storms. 2WD and high clearance will be plenty under dry conditions. However, due to the bentonite, 4WD will be required if the trail is wet, but it is advised to avoid it altogether if there is heavy rain in the forecast. Camping is available in many locations, all in the form of dispersed camping. Interestingly, some scenes of Disney's "John Carter" were filmed in the factory butte area.