Life is Good: Postcard from the Swell

Greetings!

Mary and I are just back from a 12-day trip to the San Rafael Swell. "Where is that?" you might ask. If you've ever driven I-70 between Green River and Richfield, Utah, you'll remember multiple signs warning you it's 110 miles to the next gas station. As you traverse that service-free are, you are crossing the San Rafael Swell, a giant dome-shaped anticline from the time of the Laramide Orogeny, 40-60 million years ago.

Buckhorn Draw panel detail

Our route brought us up the Moki Dugway, across Cedar Mesa (part of the new Bears Ears National Monument), then north on spectacular Utah Hwy 95 to Goblin Valley. When we left the Swell, we headed south via Fish Lake and the Burr Trail to the south flank of the Henry Mountains. After crossing Lake Powell on the Bullfrog-Halls Crossing ferry ($25/vehicle for the 20-minute ride), we were back in Bears Ears country, long one of our favorite parts of the southwest.

Lake Powell near Hite

We had a "swell" time, and came away with some tips for would-be explorers.

(1) We camped, and left home with pretty much everything we needed for the next two weeks. Every time we had an opportunity to buy gas or refill water bottles, we took it.

If you're not planning to camp, the nearest towns are Green River (off I-70) and Castle Dale (on Utah Hwy 10). These are also good places to restock ice and groceries.

Goblin Valley, looking south to the Henry Mountains

If you want a campground, there are only two- Goblin Valley State Park (on the southern end of the Swell, between Hanksville and Green River) and San Rafael Bridge Campground (no drinking water, but in the heart of the Swell, off Buckhorn Draw Road). If you're a boondocker, the Swell is wide open.

Bring everything you need. There really are no services.

(2) Other than Utah Hwy 10 and I-70, there aren't a lot of paved roads. High clearance is nice. 4WD is better. When wet, even graded gravel roads were a challenge for the Eurovan. The Chinle Formation was not just a driving challenge. A surprise thunderstorm made the last few miles of our San Rafael River hike a Slip 'N Slide. Rocks, sand and mud are the major road hazards, and we found ourselves approaching many stretches as if scouting a river rapid.

If highway driving is more your speed, or if the weather doesn't encourage off-pavement exploration, take the time to stop at every east- and west-bound rest area. Between the views and the interpretive signs, you won't regret. it. A Guide to I-70 Through Southeastern Utah

Toby and the Reef (eastern slope of the San Rafael Swell). Our
campsite was less than a mile from an "informal" I-70 exit.

(3) Don't rely on web-based resources, unless you have a reliable way to keep them available offline. Get the most up-to-date maps and guidebooks you can find. National Geographic Trails Illustrated maps cover most, though not all, of the areas we visited. Beware of what one guidebook calls "the great UDOT milepost migration." In the first decade of the 21st century, the Utah Department of Transportation replaced freeway milepost markers, making them more accurate. A worthy goal, although it means guidebooks published before 2010 are likely to contain erroneous milepost information. If your old guidebook tells you to exit I-70 .3 miles after MP 145, the actual "informal exit" might be immediately after MP 147. And yes, there really are "informal exits" leading to wire gates and dirt roads that take you to roads through under-interstate culverts, pictograph panels and backcountry camping and hiking.

Temple Mountain Wash Pictograph Panel detail

(4) Verizon signal (phone or data) was generally nonexistent. What signal there was, was spotty and weak. I posted to Facebook offline, and photos eventually made their way to "the cloud."

Head of Sinbad Panel detail

Why go? The Swell is gorgeous, rugged and remote, and loaded with fascinating Barrier Canyon Culture pictographs more than 2,000 years old. Maybe it's just their emotional impact, and Mary and I believe these figures are mostly larger than life, i.e. meant to be seen from afar. Even though some of the panels are fairly easy to reach, we had them all to ourselves. Iffy weekday weather may have helped. We got the feeling the area is a weekend playground for ATVs and dirt bikes. We saw the most people in the Goblin Valley area and at the Wedge Overlook.

Rochester Panel detail

It wasn't all pictographs and scenery. We saw astounding petroglyphs too, both in the Swell (Rochester Panel) and on Comb Ridge (Procession Panel). We even stumbled on an Ancestral Puebloan village, complete with penthouse apartments and kiva.

Head of Sinbad Panel detail

The night sky was a surprise bonus on this trip. Between mostly moon-free nights and remote locations, we had dark skies every night, from our first camp at Natural Bridges National Monument to our last at Navajo National Monument. More stars than I've seen in decades.

Black Dragon Panel detail. Several of the pictographs in this
panel have been outlined in chalk, in this case erroneously.
This 2015 Science magazine post is a very interesting read.
'Winged monster' on ancient rock debunked by scientists

All the panels in these photos can be found in guidebooks and on the web.