Utah Expedition - Day 15 - Sep 18 - Part 1

This day started with absolute clear skies, the ominous weather from the night before seemed to just disappear. As I leave the hotel and out to the Trailblazer I see this sitting in the parking This was a melancholy day for me as it was time to start to head back home. Originally I planned 4 days for the trips out and back so that I could stop here and there at interesting places instead of just tearing along the Interstates. However, Utah has so much to offer that I decided to reserve half the day for one final set of local exploration and the other half would be the beginning of my drive back east.

So early that morning I got out the Massey/Wilson Utah book and worked out a route that would start close to Blanding and make its way south and then east. To maximize my time the trails needed to not be return trails (i.e. ones with a dead end).

Comb Ridge was close by so I started at the north end of Comb Wash Trail (Southeast #46, page 202 of the book), it's rated difficulty 2 and scenic 9. Comb Ridge is a monocline which is a type of ground upheaval.

The first picture is of the cut made for the highway that allows for travel across the ridge. The book provides a historical perspective:

To the 1880 Mormon Hole-in-the-Rock Expedition, Comb Ridge appeared an impassable barrier as they descended from Cedar Mesa. They were forced to swing south and eventually succeeded in crossing Comb Ridge at San Juan Hill near where the San Juan River cuts through the ridge.

The trail follows parallel to the ridge on the west side and crosses through Comb Wash several times. Recent rains left many of the crossing wet and muddy although with good momentum, I did not have any issues.

Almost at the end of Comb Wash Trail, there is a turn-off for Snow Flat Road (Southeast #45, page 199 of the book). Snow Flat Road is described as a little more difficult rating a 3 due to a section of exposed rock with climbs and drops called "The Twist". After making a right turn, the road starts heading back north but fairly quickly heads east.

At about the halfway point, the trail heads up through the rocks. Its easy to follow but definitely slow going as there are many areas where wheel placement is key.

The drive west on Cedar Mesa was a smooth one as there were not many areas of washboarding. There was one short area of exposed rock to traverse and then close to the highway a long, fairly deep, and muddy stretch that ultimately posed no problem.

As I headed south on State Route 261, I basically ran out of plateau. The highway turns into a wide graded gravel road and descends the cliffs, known as the Moki Dugway. I tried to snap a few photos heading down but could not stop as these switchbacks are trafficked quite a bit since the road has been made wide enough for 2 way traffic including campers and RVs.

The last picture shows an area where it is quite narrow, definitely room for only 1 vehicle. As I headed in, I met up with a motorcycle coming the other way. We exchanged greetings and he indicated that he was scouting ahead for his wife and their pickup. He then headed back and I followed. A little while later I passed by their pickup and told them they should not have any problems as long as they take is slow and are careful with wheel placement.

After clearing "The Twist" you end up on a plateau called Cedar Mesa. I should note that this whole area is rich in Native American ruins, Petroglyphs, and Pictographs but unfortunately I could not explore on this day as I still had one more area I wanted to get to plus the drive starting back home.