Patrick McKay

I didn't actually run most of the main Rainbow Terrace trail, but I wanted to correct something in this listing. The intersection at waypoint 6 does not actually lead to a dead-end, but to an awesome looping/connecting trail which splits off at waypoint 2 and then rejoins the main Rainbow Terrace trail at waypoint 6. This side trail gets closer to the butte across the valley and descends though a neat slickrock area before following the wash back to the main trail. It is well-defined and marked with cairns on the slickrock sections. This side trail (D2624 in the BLM's route inventory) is being considered for closure in the likely preferred alternative of the Labyrinth Rims / Gemini Bridges travel plan, and the off-road community needs to defend it. I highly recommend running it as a loop with Rainbow Terrace, and I hope other people will run it and comment asking for it to stay open in the next public comment period. I've attached some pictures of this side-trail as well.

Mineral Canyon is an incredible trail. It's much easier than the nearby trail up Hell Roaring Canyon, with similar spectacular views of towering cliffs all around. I wanted to clarify that this listing has the wrong endpoint for this trail. The trail actually continues about 0.6 miles past the endpoint described here, where it gets a bit rougher and ends at a clearly signed point on a shelf road section with just enough room to turn around. It used to continue further in the past but the rest is long closed and obliterated from the ground. The offroad community needs to be aware that the second half of this trail is proposed for closure in the likely preferred alternative of the Labyrinth Rims / Gemini Bridges travel plan, and needs to show up and comment asking the BLM to keep the full trail open in the next comment period.

I ran Mineral Bottom last week and even though it's an easy trail that 2WD vehicles can drive in good conditions, it's still an incredible road with amazing views as you descend the switchbacks. However the focus of this review is actually the trail up Hell Roaring Canyon, which starts basically where this writeup ends at waypoint 23. While this writeup describes the trail as withering away to nothing and becoming impassible after that point, it actually continues about 9 miles past waypoint 23, continuing along a narrow shelf road above the Green river a ways before entering Hell Roaring Canyon and traveling up the canyon in the wash at the bottom. The upper 2/3 of the Hell Roaring Canyon trail is proposed for closure in the likely preferred alternative of the Labyrinth Rims Gemini Bridges travel plan, and the motorized community needs to step up and defend it against closure. Part of that is just making people aware that this trail exists and is drivable, as currently it is only vary rarely used. When I ran it, I found the trail blocked by a bad washout right where it makes the turn and enters Hell Roaring Canyon. I spent about 2 hours shoveling to level out the washout and create a ramp up the far side to make it passible for my Jeep. (See before and after photos below.) I was then able to drive through the washout and continue on to the point where the trail enters the wash. Beyond that, this trail is sort of choose-your-own-adventure, with sections that have one clearly defined route and others where you have multiple options, usually one path down in the wash and a bypass up on the bank. The further you go, the harder the trail gets, as it gets much rockier and narrower. I turned around about 2.6 miles up Hell Roaring Canyon, where it started to get too difficult for me to be comfortable doing solo. I would rate the first 2.5 miles or so a 5, and beyond that a 6 or 7. Though the upper portions of the canyon are most commonly driven by dirt bikes and ATVs, I believe it is possible for full-size Jeeps to make it all the way to the end. If you are in the area, I highly recommend continuing past the final waypoint in this writeup and driving as far up the Hell Roaring Canyon trail as you can. Even the first few miles offer an incredible mix of technical challenge and amazing scenery, with towering cliffs all around. Because this trail is relatively unknown, you will likely be the only one on the trail, so it offers great solitude as well. I would love to go back with a group and see if I can make it further up the canyon.