Utah: I-70/San Rafael Swell

All -

I will be driving through Utah in mid-April and have a full day to cover about 6 hours of driving between Grand Junction, Colorado (just east of the state line) and Kanab in SW Utah. I'm planning on filling 2-3 hours with photography along I-70 and US 89. My traveling companion is not a photographer, but is willing to sit in the car and read for a bit while I take photos.

If I were to hit US 191 thru Moab & Bluff, it would turn 6 hours into 9-10 hours of driving and I would not have camera time. Same for diverting into Bryce or Zion National Parks off of US 89. So, I'm finding myself constrained to hitting a few spots close to I-70 and/or US 89.

Having driven this route before (but staying on the highway), the views of the San Rafael Swell along I-70 between Green River and Salina are magnificent, but access seems limited to a few interstate pull-offs on I-70 and some dirt roads that may be impassable in winter (red clay + winter melt = mud slicks). I did see a previous thread here that warned of these dirt roads in the winter and early spring when the snow is still melting (and more snow may be in the forecast).

Can anyone share a few winter-accessible photogenic spots that are within 10-15 minutes of either route besides the scenic overlooks where every cell phone user has already taken images?

I think your best bet is a few small detours.


Not far from the Colorado border you can get off on highway 128 and go through the ghost town of Cisco. Some people do ghost town photography if you like that. 128 will eventually take you to Moab and more importantly it will meet up with the Colorado river and follow it to Moab. The first half of 128 if pretty blah, the second half is very scenic. Once in Moab you can follow the Colorado river south, either on the east side of the river or the west side of the river. Both sides are very scenic. The east side takes you into Kane Creek Canyon, the west side takes you past some good petroglyphs and gives access to a couple of good arches. Most cars could take you as far as Thelma and Louise Point. But from Moab you would have to go back up to I-70.

The other detour is a big one, it would be highway 24 to Hanksville then west to Torrey. Then at Torrey you take highway 12 south and eventually past Bryce National Park then you'll rejoin highway 89. You will see some of the best scenery in Utah along that road.

Red Canyon on 12 is quite beautiful. It's on the way to Bryce, off 89, but it's quite close to the 89 & 12 juncture, so only a short detour.

9 off Mt Carmel Junction - on the way to Zion - is also amazing but it's been photographed a lot. Probably quite a bit of traffic that time of year as well.

What are you willing to do? Just want to drive, pull over and take a picture? Divert to a gravel or dirt road? Do a short 10- 30 minute hike?

Just west of Green River, on the south side of I70, you're going to be near Goblin Valley State park, Little Wild Horse Canyon, Crack Canyon, Dutchman Arch, Head of Sinbad and more (vary from 20-60 minutes off I70)

On the north side of I70 you will be near Black Dragon Canyon, Buckhorn Wash and the Wedge Overlook. (Vary from 10 min-60 minutes off I70)

Details are here :

https://travel-curious.com/home/north-america/united-states/utah/green-river-utah/

The other option if you just want to do the drive, pull over and shoot is to avoid Highway 89 and after Green River head south on Highway 24 to Hanksville, then head west on 24 from Hanksville through Captial Reef National Park, no fees the highway bisects the middle of the park, then continue on highway 12 to Brice.

This is the back way to Brice and if you google map it, you will see it only adds 30 minutes of drive time compared to I70 & 89, but is a lot more scenic. If you are willing to do more than just drive, park and shoot, almost all of the stuff I mentioned that is south of I70 is along highway 24 on your way to Hanskville so you could combine a stop along the way on this back route if inclined.

The route going via Hanksville would also take you past Moonscape Overlook, Long Dong Silver and Factory Butte.

https://travel-curious.com/home/north-america/united-states/utah/hanksville-utah/

There is also the option of diverting in Captial Reef National Park and doing the scenic drive or a short diversion in there.

In regard to the Swell, as you know the two main viewing areas are at the east end of the swell where I70 cuts through it drnmatically, with pull offs on both sides, the one on the north side is called black dragon but it has nothing to do with black dragon canyon less than a mile from there which has an large amount of rock art easily accessible.

Further west there are more pull-offs and the pull-offs really do highlight the best of what there is to see along this route, there really are no quick access points parallelling I70 that take you to really much more than what you are seeing from the pullouts unless you get into the canyons which require more time.

If you like rock art and are willing to combine a diversion drive with a 30 minute walk you take exit 116 onto the South Moore Cut-Off road, you can do a loop north and then back to i70 further west and see the snake panels on Moore Cut off-road and dinosaur tracks and then do the short walk to the spectacular Rochester rock art panels.

My advice is to avoid I70 and go the back way to Brice via Hanksville, it's a visually more target rich environment then the swell on I70.

Thanks,
Mike
https://www.travel-curious.com

We don't know how much of Utah you've visited or not, but you're missing out on a ton of photo opps in Moab area, Capitol Reef, Bryce and Zion. Also CO Natl Monument. FWIW UT and CO are my favorite states.

For sure visit Cisco--- about 10-15 minute detour.

Kent

Thanks bjn.

I've done Hwy 128 on various trips to Moab, although I have never actually stopped at Cisco. One for the bucket list, but probably not for this trip.

bjn70 said:

I think your best bet is a few small detours.

The other detour is a big one, it would be highway 24 to Hanksville then west to Torrey. Then at Torrey you take highway 12 south and eventually past Bryce National Park then you'll rejoin highway 89. You will see some of the best scenery in Utah along that road.

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bjn - the Hwy 24 detour is intriguing. First, I'm assuming as a state highway, it's paved all the way. Correct?

Google says that following your route above adds an hour to the drive. That may be a bit much but is definitely worth considering. Google also says that I could stay on Hwy 24 through Loa to Hwy 62 at Koosharem and take Hwy 62 over to US89 at Kingston. This only adds a half hour instead of an hour but I'm not sure if it adds much in the way of photography since you suggested the longer route. Of course, the same paved road assumption would apply here. Thoughts?

Thanks George. I may be able to sneak away from Kanab for a few hours while we are staying there. I will probably go up to Hwy 9 if I can get that time.

Hwy 12 sounds interesting, and Red Canyon is close to Hwy 89. Definitely a consideration, and fits with the longer route bjn mentioned.

mfinley said:

What are you willing to do? Just want to drive, pull over and take a picture? Divert to a gravel or dirt road? Do a short 10- 30 minute hike?

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No hardcore hiking, but short 10-20 minute trail loops would be possible.

mfinley said:

Just west of Green River, on the south side of I70, you're going to be near Goblin Valley State park, Little Wild Horse Canyon, Crack Canyon, Dutchman Arch, Head of Sinbad and more (vary from 20-60 minutes off I70)

On the north side of I70 you will be near Black Dragon Canyon, Buckhorn Wash and the Wedge Overlook. (Vary from 10 min-60 minutes off I70)

Details are here :

https://travel-curious.com/home/north-america/united-states/utah/green-river-utah/

Click to expand...

Thanks. I'll check it out - lots of material there.

mfinley said:

The other option if you just want to do the drive, pull over and shoot is to avoid Highway 89 and after Green River head south on Highway 24 to Hanksville, then head west on 24 from Hanksville through Captial Reef National Park, no fees the highway bisects the middle of the park, then continue on highway 12 to Brice.

This is the back way to Brice and if you google map it, you will see it only adds 30 minutes of drive time compared to I70 & 89, but is a lot more scenic. If you are willing to do more than just drive, park and shoot, almost all of the stuff I mentioned that is south of I70 is along highway 24 on your way to Hanskville so you could combine a stop along the way on this back route if inclined.

The route going via Hanksville would also take you past Moonscape Overlook, Long Dong Silver and Factory Butte.

https://travel-curious.com/home/north-america/united-states/utah/hanksville-utah/

Click to expand...

Thanks. This is route bjn suggested, and it does look like it hits a lot of highlights.

mfinley said:

There is also the option of diverting in Captial Reef National Park and doing the scenic drive or a short diversion in there.

In regard to the Swell, as you know the two main viewing areas are at the east end of the swell where I70 cuts through it drnmatically, with pull offs on both sides, the one on the north side is called black dragon but it has nothing to do with black dragon canyon less than a mile from there which has an large amount of rock art easily accessible.

Click to expand...

I'll check the Canyon at the link you provided above.

mfinley said:

Further west there are more pull-offs and the pull-offs really do highlight the best of what there is to see along this route, there really are no quick access points parallelling I70 that take you to really much more than what you are seeing from the pullouts unless you get into the canyons which require more time.

Click to expand...

This is kinda what I was afraid of - limited access without planning a focused trip with plenty of time to really explore.

mfinley said:

If you like rock art and are willing to combine a diversion drive with a 30 minute walk you take exit 116 onto the South Moore Cut-Off road, you can do a loop north and then back to i70 further west and see the snake panels on Moore Cut off-road and dinosaur tracks and then do the short walk to the spectacular Rochester rock art panels.

My advice is to avoid I70 and go the back way to Brice via Hanksville, it's a visually more target rich environment then the swell on I70.

Click to expand...

Thanks Mike for the thorough response with links. Lots to think about.

mfinley said:

Thanks,
Mike
https://www.travel-curious.com

Click to expand...

Just to note, I see a lot of references to Cisco on this thread. I'm not sure how many have been there recently, but Cisco is pretty much all but disappeared, just a warning, if your memories of Cisco are from a while back, you may be disappointed with expectations today that won't be met.

I've been stopping through there for almost 25 years and it looks nothing like it did then and not even what it looked like 7 or 8 years ago. Most of the buildings are gone now, at least 1/2 to 2/3rds have been broken down or hauled off for scraps or burning wood.

A few years ago there was a little resurgence in Cisco with an attempt at making it into an artist colony, there was an art residency taking place, and they did some interesting things, like revamping the post office exterior, did some interesting artistic signage here and there and the most interesting was the RV with the snake wrapping over the top and through it.

My last pass through there last fall the gal doing the art residency is gone, the snake has fallen down, things are missing and the post office is looking haggard, in another year or two that stuff will probably be derelict too. The earth is reclaiming what is left of everything in Cisco, so just be aware.

I usually pass through there because I like to take the back way into Moab but my stops in Cisco are probably about over, sadly. I will probably still stop in at the Buzzard's Belly if she is open to buy a few snacks and drinks just to spread a little commerce into her register but that's about it.

--
Thanks,
Mike
https://www.travel-curious.com

KENTGA said:

We don't know how much of Utah you've visited or not, but you're missing out on a ton of photo opps in Moab area, Capitol Reef, Bryce and Zion. Also CO Natl Monument. FWIW UT and CO are my favorite states.

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Sorry Kent ... I should have given more info ...

I have been doing work projects and photo trips (including Colo Nat'l Monument) in Grand Junction for over 20 years. It is a 'comfortable' town / known quantity for me and the reason it's a waypoint on my longer trip to Kanab.

I have also done several photo trips to Moab (including a paid photo workshop) - it is not as familiar as GJ, but certainly also a known quantity. Hence, it's not a key attraction when there are new areas to explore. But (as others have also noted) I do need to hit Cisco.

My exposure to Zion is limited to one pass-through trip during peak season, so it was not really worthwhile photographically. Definitely a re-do with more time and planning. I have not hit Capitol Reef or Bryce at all yet ... hopefully I'll get to do a focused trip for all 3 parks instead of just passing through.

KENTGA said:

For sure visit Cisco--- about 10-15 minute detour

Click to expand...

KENTGA said:

Kent

Click to expand...

Thanks Mike. I just checked Google Street View for Cisco and it has images from October 2021 (surprisingly recent for Street View in a rural area). Not really much going on, per your post and more recent experiences. I did see the snake in the bus ... intriguing art, but it did not look to be in good shape as of the 2021 image.

Looked at my Cisco photos and they were from 2007. I looked on Google street view and somebody even painted the post office. Things have changed.

Kent

Thanks for the update about your UT trips. My advice for Zion. I went there in late March with a photo group in 2006 or 2007 and it was "light season" and you could drive into the valley rather than shuttle only. My wife and I celebrated out 50th anniversary June 2017 (Salt Lake to Phoenix) and the shuttle parking lot was full so we just drove on. Ditto Grand Canyon South Visitor Center.

If you do go to Zion, consider Sedona if you haven't been.

Also, highly consider Capitol Reef and Bryce for one of your trips. I've been to Bryce twice and unless you hike mid afternoon, sunset, sunrise and mid morning to end of the road will do it.

UT Hwy 12 from Torrey to Bryce is a great drive and in Boulder take the Burr Trail Road for about 15 miles (paved). Beautiful.

When you get a chance click on the flickr link below and most of UT is in my albums.

Kent

--
Here is a link to some of my travels since 2006. Feel free to comment.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/108062364@N04/albums
KENTGA = Kent from Georgia (metro Atlanta)

KENTGA said:

Looked at my Cisco photos and they were from 2007. I looked on Google street view and somebody even painted the post office. Things have changed.

Kent

Click to expand...

Here is the history of Cisco and the post office at it's peak after the artistic redo if you are interested. There is also a good shot of the RV snake.

Mike, I love history and old photos like those. Here is my photo of the Cisco post office (2007).





Also, here is a RR water filling station between Crested Butte and Fairfield near Boreas Pass. I guess the road replaced the RR track.





Thanks again,

Kent

--
Here is a link to some of my travels since 2006. Feel free to comment.
KENTGA = Kent from Georgia (metro Atlanta)

If you add an extra hour of driving, according to Google) you can take exit 149 off I-70 and head south on Utah-24. When you get near Torry you can take Utah 12 through the Grand Staircase-Escalante and past Bryce to catch US-89 for the rest of your trip. At Torry you are right next to Capital Reef and the drive just south of there is is a designated Scenic Byway:


The drive with just turnoffs is beautiful. It is one of the best drives I have ever taken.

RSColo said:

If you add an extra hour of driving, according to Google) you can take exit 149 off I-70 and head south on Utah-24. When you get near Torry you can take Utah 12 through the Grand Staircase-Escalante and past Bryce to catch US-89 for the rest of your trip. At Torry you are right next to Capital Reef and the drive just south of there is is a designated Scenic Byway:

https://www.visitutah.com/articles/the-all-american-road-scenic-byway-12

The drive with just turnoffs is beautiful. It is one of the best drives I have ever taken.

Click to expand...

Have to agree - 12 is an amazing drive!

And yes, Capitol Reef is just minutes from Torry. Just after entering the park you can see/park at/take a short walk around Chimney Rock (very photogenic). And/or stay on 24, take a right at the visitor center, and continue on to the Scenic Drive and it's amazing. Off Scenic Drive is Grand Wash. Drive to the parking lot and then hike to Cassidy Arch, which is beautiful.

Highway 12 and 12 are good paved roads. East of and going through Capitol Reef the road is pretty windy and not very fast.

Hanksville to Torrey is very scenic. Going through Capitol Reef and on to Torry is very scenic just from the road. East of Hanksville there are several opportunities for interesting scenery just off of the highway- Factory Butte, Moonscape Overlook, Long Dong Silver. West of Torrey I can't talk about, I've never been that way.

Continue from Torrey south on 12 and there is a very scenic area from upper calf creek trailhead continuing to just past escalante river. I don't recall that there is as much to see from there on to almost Bryce but I haven't been on that road in many years. Another thing if you take the detour from Boulder east towards Burr Trail that road is very scenic too.

You mention your traveling companion- I would expect that your companion would be thrilled to see the additional scenery on these detours.

Cedar Breaks National Monument is a vastly underrated monument. My wife and I were traveling in the area and decided to take a shortcut from I-15 to Kanab when we blundered into the monument.

Turn south on Hwy 143 at Parowan and continue past Brian Head. Cedar Breaks has several groves of Bristlecone that are worth seeing and the 'breaks' themselves are similar, but different to Bryce NP. Anyway, just throwing this out.

Have a safe trip!