I70 San Rafael Swell summit(u)
An extraordinary 50km by 80km area of canyons in south
eastern Utah has so far managed to escape the destiny of
being designated a national monument or park, an area
known as the San Rafael Swell. Rich with mountain biking
opportunities, the swell has one paved road, and one paved
road only, I70 between Green River and Fremont Junction.
Riding on the spacious shoulder of I70 is not exactly a
ride through the woods to Grandma's house. But for those
not totally put off by riding on the shoulder of an
Interstate, it's a ride through the kind of scenery that
may make you want to get a Geology degree. At least that's
the effect it once had on me a long time ago.
And as always, there are benefits of cycling over driving.
Instead of wondering "what was that ? A canyon of
some sort ?", there is time to stop and gaze into it.
Instead of being mystified by the curious vertical rock
markings in Spotted Wolf Canyon, there's time to observe
that this is a rock cut and the markings are an
engineering feature instead of geology. Instead of
experiencing a bump in the road where I70 crosses Devil's
Canyon, the opportunity exists for a picnic lunch next to
a scenic bridge in earshot of comfortable but still
discernible sounds of the modern highway.
click on profile for more detail
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1.(4280ft,mile00) START-END EAST:
junction I70 and Ut24 to Hanksville
2.(5360ft,mile07) Spotted Wolf/ Black Dragon Canyon
overlook
3.(6640ft,mile18) Interchange provides access to
Mexican Mountain and Sinbad Valley
4.(7270ft,mile27) TOP: overlook area with elevation
sign
5.(6850ft,mile30) bridge over Eagle Canyon
6.(7220ft,mile32) overlooks at Justensen Flat and
exit to Moore Road
7.(5620ft,mile41) START-END WEST: ranch exit along
South Salt Wash
8.(5550ft.mile42) START-END WEST ALTERNATE: I70
crossing of South Salt Wash |
Approaches
From East. This is the dramatic side of the
monocline as well as the largest climb. It begins soon after
the junction of Ut24 and I70. After crossing the major river
of the swell, the San Rafael, I70 begins its massive breach of
Navajo Sandstone through Spotted Wolf Canyon. The road soon
emerges on older rocks. View points on both sides of the road
are not connected and lead to different vistas, a vantage
point onto Spotted Wolf Canyon (second picture) for westbound
riders, an overview of Black Dragon Canyon (see picture page)
and the the reef extending northwards for eastbound travelers.
As the monocline levels out, the journey continues over what
appears like a plane, albeit a somewhat tilted plane. This
plateau like section of the monocline is called Sinbad Valley,
and level cliffs of Sinbad limestone, appearing like distant
lips, point the way to the summit, which is nothing more than
a crease in the blanket of the landscape. This adds to the
surprise of the stunning vista at the top, extending
northwards across the swell and Castle Valley (first picture).
The exprience is shared with truck drivers, and befuddled
cross country motorists, who thought "there wasn't
anything between California and some eastern state", and
are now bothered by the fact that they left their camera at
home and can't even find their picture phone to take a snap
shot for the folks back in New York or California. The top has
an elevation sign without the word summit. Furthermore I have
not seen a map that designates this point as summit. Therefore
the designation is followed by (u).
From West. The profile begins just west of Ranch
Exit 108. There is more San Rafael Swell scenery to the west.
But this is a convenient low point to start the profile. While
the road on this side also cuts across geologic formations at
an angle, progressively climbing through older and older
formations, these rocks are much softer, and the climb appears
to be nothing more than an inclined plain. It is mostly
through the improving vista onto the Wasatch Plateau and to
the west and occasionally induced hard breathing, that the
climb makes itself felt. Personally I find the starkness of
this scenery very appealing, even if it does not seem to do
much for the average motorist. Road signs warn drivers to pull
over at the next exit if experiencing drowsiness. If the vista
over Eagle Canyon at that point, doesn't shake you awake,
there is little hope left. Immediately after another exit
presents the only view to the southern part of this uplift.
The first high point is separated from the true summit by
Eagle Canyon and a bridge over it, which motorists never have
a chance to notice, but makes a nice picnick spot on a dayride.
Tours
Dayrides An out and back ride from a the junction of
I70 and Ut24 over the summit to Ranch Exit 108, where Willow
Springs Wash crosses I70, measured 88 miles with 6600ft of
climbing in 7.3 hours. (M2:6.04.16) This also includes less
than 5 miles and 500 feet of climbing, exploring short
sidetrips next to the highway.
History
Early travelers, such as caravans on the Old Spanish trail
or Gunnision's transcontinental railroad survey made a detour
around the reef, to the north of the path of today's I70.
Modern Highways. The decision to construct I70
across the reef was reached in 1957. But ten years went by
before construction began. Finally in 1970 the 70 mile stretch
between Green River and Fremont Junction opened as a two lane
road. Two more lanes were added in the 1980s.
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