IntrepidXJ's Adventure Weblog

Here’s a map of the track we took yesterday on Grand Mesa. You can see all the switchbacks on Lands End Road.

If you want the GPX file, you can download it here

I took this panorama picture from an overlook on the top of Grand Mesa. You can see a number of the switchbacks of Lands End Road, the Grand Valley and even the Uncompahgre Plateau across the way. If you look really closely at the large version, you can also see the top of Mount Garfield poking out next to the mesa.

You can click on the image above for the full sized version, but be warned, it is a very large file and will take a few minutes to download.

For lunch today, Amanda and I decided to head up on top of Grand Mesa. I thought it would be a good idea to check out Lands End Road.

After gassing up, we headed towards Grand Mesa.

Soon the pavement ended and we started the climb up Lands End Road

Lands End Road is a nice easy gravel road the whole way, and consists of a lot of switchbacks as it ascends Grand Mesa.

A few of the switchbacks

When we reached the top, we stopped by the observatory located there. It doesn’t open until July, so we only checked out the views from the top of the mesa. While taking in the views, Amanda made a new friend

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Here’s a map from from yesterday’s trip starting in Jacks Canyon to Divide Road and then headed to Dominguez Canyon, Dominguez Ridge, Brushy Ridge, Palmer Gulch and finally Escalante Canyon. The yellow route is the way we went yesterday and the red route is Divide Road that I travelled last year.

The GPX file for yesterday’s trip can be found here.

Today Amanda and I went up on the Uncompahgre Plateau to do a little exploring. Last year I had driven across the plateau on it’s main road (Divide Road), so this time we started checking out some of the 4WD roads on the northeast corner of the plateau.

We accessed the plateau through Jacks Canyon and Divide Road, but quickly turned off the main road and headed towards Dominguez Canyon. We skirted around the canyon as it is a wilderness area and ended up on top of Dominguez Ridge. We were on some two tracks that don’t seem to be well travelled.

There were a number of wildflowers growing all over Dominguez Ridge

From Dominguez Ridge we crossed over onto Brushy Ridge.

View towards Brush Mountain

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A few weeks ago in The San Juan Mountains my old trusty Canon Powershot SD700IS started making some bad grinding noises when the lens would retract. I have got dust in there before that cause a noise before, however this was not that noise. It was a sign that my camera was on it’s way out of commission. I had to get a new camera to replace it, since the last thing I wanted was to be out and about and have the camera completely die on me.

After some searching around, I settled on Canon’s new Powershot SD890IS which is an upgraded version of my old camera. It is 10 megapixels and has a 5x optical zoom built in.

The camera arrived today, so I took a few test pictures of Moab and Tellico

Arch Canyon (Blanding, UT)

Arch Canyon is a fun trail with outstanding scenery. This trail starts out from Comb Wash a few miles north from Highway 95. It stays in the bottom of Arch Canyon the whole way and crosses the creek a number of times. The day we ran the trail it had rained all night, so the crossings were deep early in the day. Normally the creek crossings are not very deep.

Near the beginning of the trail are some Anasazi ruins that are pretty cool to check out. Once at the end of the trail there is a nice primitive camping area and the beginning of a hiking trail that takes you past Cathedral Arch and to Angel Arch. The hike is well worth it.

You can combine this trail with Hotel Rock for an excellent weekend of exploring. Plus, there are numerous Anasazi ruins in this area near Comb Ridge that you can spend a lot of time exploring.

Please feel free to leave your comments and post your pictures from Arch Canyon below.

Arch Canyon KML Track
(Right click and ‘Save Target As’)

Open file above in Google Earth.

One month ago today I pre-ordered my copy. I just received my copy today from UPS. This book is much nicer than the previous versions as it has better topographic maps, more trails and a nice hardcover to help keep it protected. I look forward to exploring all of the trails in it

You can order your very own copy here.

Hotel Rock (Blanding, UT)

Hotel Rock is a very fun trail that takes you to some nice Anasazi ruins on top of Little Baullie Mesa. This trail takes off from Comb Wash just past the Arch Canyon trailhead. While the trail is not overly difficult, it does have a few rocky sections and steep climbs along the way. Near the start of the trail, there is a side trail that takes off to the left and offers a great overlook of Arch Canyon.

A little further up the trail is a narrow and off-camber section of shelf road that may bother some less experienced drivers. The biggest obstacle is a large steep ridge that needs to be climbed, with a sharp turn halfway up, and a steep descent on the other side.

This trail is a must-do for anyone interested in exploring Anasazi ruins. It makes a great weekend when combined with Arch Canyon. Plus there are a number of other Anasazi ruins to explore along Comb Ridge and Butler Wash.

Please feel free to leave your comments and post your pictures from Hotel Rock below.

Hotel Rock KML Track
(Right click and ‘Save Target As’)

Open file above in Google Earth.

Thompson Canyon (Moab, UT)

Thompson Canyon is a pretty easy trail with a few steep sections that any stock 4×4 should be able to handle without any problems. This trail offers great views of both the La Sal Mountains and over Fisher Valley.

This trail combined with Onion Creek and Polar Mesa makes a good day of wheeling. There are also a number of other trails in the area that can be explored.

Please feel free to leave your comments and post your pictures from Thompson Canyon below.

Thompson Canyon KML Track
(Right click and ‘Save Target As’)

Open file above in Google Earth.