Bookcliffs Divide
 Wilderness
in eastern Utah seems to come in two categories. One
category is labeled as such. People who recognize its
beauty fight to regulate its usage and designate it as
federal wilderness area, park or monument. Motorists on
dirt roads often drive Honda Civics or Subarus and wave at
cyclists as they pass. Roads at lower altitudes tend to
have sandy stretches.
The other category of Utah wilderness is frequented by
people who recognize its economic value. They have a
propensity for drilling wells and driving ATVs. Motorists
often drive Dodge RAM trucks with at least one ATV on the
back. They often pass cyclists at full speed leaving them
in a thick cloud of dust. Roads at lower altitudes tend to
have sandy stretches. But all generalizations are false,
including this one, which I think would make the preceding
statements true again.
While the area north of I70 and Rabbit Valley, including
the Kokopelli Trail, belongs into the first category, a
large part of the Book Cliffs area, north of I70 belongs,
to the second. And still - what a fascinating area it is
to cycle.
The Bookcliffs Divide is a marked divide along the Book
Cliffs Ridge road. The route described here follows a
large part of that ridge road, so that the divide itself
is not a point of highest altitude.
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01.(mile00,5000ft) START-END SOUTH
WEST junction of Book Cliff Ridge road with an
unlabeled dirt road, south of Book Cliffs.
02.(mile04,5170ft) route to Hay Canyon stays left.
Stay left.
03.(mile11,5880ft) stay left at fork
04.(mile14,6190ft) stay right at fork
05.(mile17,6770ft) stay left at fork
06.(mile18,7800ft) ridge road continues to right
along rim at this major intersection
07.(mile28,8340ft) Bookcliff Divide; junction with
road to Ouray on left. Route continues along ridge
road to right
08.(mile35,8450ft) TOP: high point
09.(mile35,8250ft) route continues to right down
East Canyon
10.(mile51,5179ft) same as point 2
11.(mile54,5000ft) START-END SOUTH-EAST: same as
point 1 |
Approaches
From South West. The point where the profile begins
can be approached from I70, by taking the Westwater Exit and
then roughly paralleling the interstate east. Then turn north
onto a paved road at the Haley gas processing facility.
Pavement ends just at the point where the profile begins. The
two approaches described here, Hay Canyon and East Canyon,
divert at a picturesquely isolated farm. The junction is
signed. The climb up Hay Canyon begins as straight forward,
shallow climb. The scenery of the staircase like rock layers,
flanking the canyon, changes little as you make your way up.
No predominant caprock forms large cliffs as is so often the
case in Utah. The staircase has more or less equal steps,
making it less dramatic. At the same time this uniformity
emphasizes the vastness of the Book Cliffs area with its
overwhelming maze of canyons. Each one is just a little bit
different. An altimeter can serve as the only verification
that we are gaining altitude. A great number of junctions to
well heads exist along the route. Taking the route most
traveled worked in my case, and led me to the top. Approaching
the plateau, the grade and sand suddenly pick up dramatically,
in order to deliver the rider to a well signed junction,
designating routes to Moon Ridge, Seep Ridge and others. The
route along the Book Cliffs Ridge road is not labeled as such
on these signs. It is labeled in the de Lorme Gazeteer. The
route continues to the right, following the rim
intermittently. The road delivers views of forested canyon
ridges to the south and the a plain to the north, all seen
between innumerable gas well heads. After an initial high
point the Book Cliffs Divide is reached just past the junction
with a signed dirt road north to Ouray (Utah). The divide is
labeled with a sign. The point of highest altitude comes
several bumps later near a transmission tower. The ridge road
contains countless small ups and downs, which don't show up
well in the profile, but do manage to make an impression on
the legs.
From North West. The route through East Canyon is
described in a downward direction. Prior to this descent,
innumerable turnoffs to the south lead to dead end well heads.
The turnoff down the rim is very obvious, which is the major
positive attribute of this route. After a small downhill on
the ridge road the right fork down East Canyon continues
steeply downhill. The left fork on the ridge road climbs
towards a transmission tower in plain sight, immediately
ahead. This is the second transmission tower along the route.
The canyon is quite sandy near the top, making it probably
inevitable to get off the bike at least a few times. But it is
not nearly as sandy as the Kokopelli Trail approaching the
Dewey Bridge area from the north, on the other side of I70.
After an initial steep descent the canyon gives the impression
of ending early. But it is still quite a ride to the junction
at that lonesome farm house, which is the only building
structure along the entire route (first picture).
Tours
Dayrides. (m3:6.5.20) A ride beginning about 5 miles
downvalley from the south western end of the profile, climbing
Hay Canyon, crossing the Book Cliffs Divide and the Book
Cliffs Ridge road summit(u), then descending through East
Canyon measured 65.5 miles with 5770 feet of climbing in 6:3
hours.
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