(non-skiing) Backpacking San Rafael Swell, UT

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I'll let the photos do the talking. For those of you whose sole Utah experience is skiing in the Wasatch this may open your eyes -- we have a whole host of widely varying topographies within a short drive of Salt Lake City. This is the Little Grand Canyon within the San Rafael Swell, about 150 driving miles from SLC, where friend Todd and I spent the weekend backpacking. I've geotagged a bunch of the photos and added them to Google Earth in the attached file.
 

Attachments

I clicked the download, Google Earth opened...I can see your route and the links to the images, but when I click on them, they come up blank.
 
At 1.59 MB I can assure you that the download contains the images. To be certain I downloaded and installed Google Earth here on the office computer and downloaded and opened the file -- sure enough, the photos are there.

Perhaps you need to update your edition of Google Earth?
 
I updated my Google Earth...now it works. Nice pics!

Really does look like the Grand Canyon...but on a smaller scale.

It's that arid desert canyonlands that characterize that part of Utah and the Southwest.

From it's location is doesn't look like a short drive from SLC?
 
that's funny, Google says it's 4 1/2 hrs 165 miles and Skidog said 5 hrs

maybe you were exceeding the speed limit a bit :)
 
Sharon":2j4x8x6s said:
that's funny, Google says it's 4 1/2 hrs 165 miles and Skidog said 5 hrs

maybe you were exceeding the speed limit a bit :)
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Skidog has his head up his arse. :wink: TomTom in my truck reported 142 mi. to the west end of the canyon via the route I took, door to door. As for exceeding the speed limit, I-15 along that stretch is 65 (although traffic flow is doing 80), and US-6 and UT-10 are likewise 65 mph, so the entire trip save for the last few miles on dirt road (which itself is 40-50 mph dirt road) is @ a legal 65 mph -- you do the math.

And Jason, thanks.
 
I'll have to look at the trip on the home PC. I would counter with pics of our new hot water heater but I'm guessing no one wants that ! :?

Anyway, quick question. How acceptable is it to thropw up the occasional pic of mtn biking or rafting or etc...? not that I would often, but there are the occasional trips that might be worth while. No vacation pics to the beach or etc..., more like 'epic' trip "mtn related" activities...

we have a whole host of widely varying topographies within a short drive
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Yes, I believe it's "moved here for the skiing; staying here because of the summers" or something close to that.
 
EMSC":1g8nrxzv said:
How acceptable is it to thropw up the occasional pic of mtn biking or rafting or etc...? not that I would often, but there are the occasional trips that might be worth while. No vacation pics to the beach or etc..., more like 'epic' trip "mtn related" activities...
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Absolutely. More than welcome. Most folks here enjoy other mountain recreation during the summer months, and besides, what else are we going to talk about, global warming or fuel economy? :wink:

EMSC":1g8nrxzv said:
I believe it's "moved here for the skiing; staying here because of the summers" or something close to that.
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That's my story, for sure. I've often said that despite my passion for skiing I actually enjoy summers here more than winters.
 
Skidog does not have his head up anything...the time I quotes Sharon was Round Trip...so i'd be RIGHT THE HELL ON THE MONEY...

Shut it foo's..
 
Skidog":3atqhcju said:
Skidog does not have his head up anything...the time I quotes Sharon was Round Trip...so i'd be RIGHT THE HELL ON THE MONEY...

Shut it foo's..
Click to expand...

So, how long has it been since you drove down there, BTW?
 
Admin":y1xadtfo said:
Skidog":y1xadtfo said:
Skidog does not have his head up anything...the time I quotes Sharon was Round Trip...so i'd be RIGHT THE HELL ON THE MONEY...

Shut it foo's..
Click to expand...

So, how long has it been since you drove down there, BTW?
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I was just going by your totals...but if its the same way....I think I remember doing it around the time we went to keystone??

But hey...I can read a map too....I dont need to actually drive it...

I mean I know roughly how long it takes to get from NJ to CA, but I never actually drove it..

Hows that SMART GUY??
 
I should add a few more things that aren't obvious from the photos. This isn't a National Park, National Forest or National Monument. Not even a State Park of State Forest. It's BLM land that's a minimum of 25 miles from the nearest paved road, so really, few tourists even know the place is there - which makes it rather attractive to me.

You can camp anywhere on BLM land that camping isn't expressly prohibited (a miniscule percentage of places). The only access into the Little Grand Canyon is from one trailhead at either end. Our trailhead parking had only two other cars parked there upon our arrival mid-morning on Saturday, and there was only one other vehicle there when we left at mid-day on Sunday. On Saturday we encountered only two parties of day hikers (two each, and both were not far into the canyon), plus the pictured pair of canoeists floating downstream past our camp. On Sunday we only encountered one overnight party of two hikers who passed our camp heading downcanyon as we were breaking camp ourselves, and one pair of dayhikers heading in as we were heading out.

That's it.

Ironically, this is nonetheless one of the more popular areas of the Swell. When camping I prize my solitude.
 
jamesdeluxe":1cssga6b said:
SkiDog = guy most likely to get into a fistfight on a powder day.
](*,)
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Maybe with you...

Oh wait...sorry you must be frustrated since you live on the Ice Coast and skiing is all done for you...
 
Admin":w6ri7xgu said:
I should add a few more things that aren't obvious from the photos. This isn't a National Park, National Forest or National Monument. Not even a State Park of State Forest. It's BLM land that's a minimum of 25 miles from the nearest paved road, so really, few tourists even know the place is there - which makes it rather attractive to me.
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I had not heard of the place despite traveling to the 5 National Parks and Esclalente NM.

However, this might not last forever.
In 2002, then-governor Mike Leavitt of Utah proposed the creation of a San Rafael Swell National Monument. President George Bush, who has authority to create such a National Monument under the Antiquities Act, has yet to act on Leavitt's proposal as of 2006.
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Soon all of Southern Utah should be one big eroded sandstone and canyon national park.
 
ChrisC":3ev4yagf said:
In 2002, then-governor Mike Leavitt of Utah proposed the creation of a San Rafael Swell National Monument. President George Bush, who has authority to create such a National Monument under the Antiquities Act, has yet to act on Leavitt's proposal as of 2006.
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Click to expand...

I'd be surprised to see it happen, for there's a strong local resistance to the proposal and it hasn't seen the light of day for 5 years. It's even stronger than the local resistance was to the designation of Escalante as a National Monument, when locals were even more perturbed as Clinton held the ceremony making Escalante a National Monument in Arizona (Phoenix, IIRC) rather than in Utah. Folks down there are getting sick of the restrictions such designations place on the use of their land.
 
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