In The Shadow of Longs Peak
Red Canyon
Red Canyon Road, San Juan County, Utah
29 April 2025 to 01 May 2025
In October of 2023, there was an annular eclipse whose center past thru an
area west of Comb Ridge, Utah.
We had some biking/hiking/camping in the Comb Ridge Area as well as camping and hiking at the Natural Bridges National Monument so decided to return to that area to take in the annular eclipse. And to note, this is probably the last local eclipse for us in our lifetime.
Our plan then was to camp at the Comb Ridge Campground and drive to a spot along UT 275 (which intersects UT 95 west of Natural Bridges and leads to Hall Crossing) where the eclipse would cross the highway. We arrived 2 days before the eclipse to be sure we had a site and to have a day dedicated to scouting an eclipse viewing spot. We used waypoints to determine the optimal viewing spot.
The place we picked for viewing was along a gravel road, Red Canyon Road. On the day of the eclipse we parked just above a wash and afterwards Gary bicycled up the road and decided it was a good place to came back and explore.
Our original trip to explore was to be in October of last year but I developed a severe vertigo, so we cancelled. We tried again in early November just after the time change. Since it would be dark no matter what time we arrived at Comb Ridge to bivy, we opted to get a room in Monticello at the Blue Atomic Inn. When we woke up the next morning, the windshield was covered in snow so we bailed as the Red Canyon Road could have impassable sections when wet. So, on to winter sports!
Looking ahead to spring we decided to try again in April. Gary usually skis until the areas close generally mid to late April. This year his niece Jennifer was getting married on April 27th, the last Sunday in April, so we decided to leave the following Tuesday (April 29th) for another try at Red Canyon.
Our plan, again, was to bivy the first night at Comb Ridge then get up early on Wednesday, drive to Red Canyon Road and find a place to camp and hike.
Tuesday, 29 April 2025
We were driving away from my place by 10:45 on Tuesday morning. After a quick stop at the visitor center in Georgetown and a stop in Grand Junction for gas and sushi for
supper, we continued west on I-70 to Crescent Junction then south on US 191 through Moab, then Monticello, then Blanding, then west on UT 95 to Combs Ridge Campground, arriving around 7 PM. There were a number of campers already setup but we were able to find a secluded spot just short of the wash that runs along the west side of the campground.
Once the bivy was set, we relaxed with a beer then supper which was warm sake & sushi, a nice treat.
It was cool but not cold as the sun went clown and before long, we crawled into our sleeping bags. It was pleasant overnight with lots of stars out.
Thursday, 01 May 2025
Now it's Thursday. We get up once the sun peers over the wall to the east. It’s pleasantly warm and we work on making coffee and breakfast. Gary pulls the rest of the cactus spines out of his foot.
I am definitely out-of-sorts, but we get ready to go for a hike, always a good way to cheer up.
We head up the canyon, back toward the confluence of the North and South Forks, past the mine and utility pole. Past there is a confluence, with the main canyon seeming to go left, so we follow it.
It is nice to walk even if I am not too cheery. I keep looking off to the right and surprised that I don't see the road.
After nearly two hours, I am starting to slow down and we decide to take a break. I take a waypoint, look at the map, and realize we are in the north fork of the canyon, which explaings why I can't see the road.
I am considering turning back. Gary continues to hike. After a rest, I decide to go on as well. At one point I can see Gary up ahead, about a quarter mile or so. I don’t see him again and he was going to hike till 2PM. I stop at 1:45 and decide to wait for him as well as marking my position on the GPS.
Indeed, he does show up at about 2:10. We turned back and walk down canyon. I take waypoints at some of the confluences. My mood has not lightened.
We hiked up about 3 hours and getting back is about as long. We left at 11. By about 4, I am starting to ache but will myself to continue on. At 4:30 we are back at the mine and utility pole, so we have about 30 more minutes to camp, a struggle for both of us.
But we make it, and Gary kindly makes dinner, a good idea since I am pretty much toast. It’s hot, and it’s nice having the sunshade to sit under.
I find my anemometer. I am taken aback that it reads 86! As an aside, Gary did not suffers any ill effects of the cactus incident on today’s hike.
Gary makes Chicken Marsala and does the cleanup, which is good since it’s all I can do to just crawl into bed.
I don’t sleep that well, being pretty achy, despite taking 3 Advil.
Friday, 02 May 2025
I wake up, still out of sorts. We decide to pack up and go home.
Initially, Gary had a mechanical issue with the truck, where he could not get out of 4 low. But, by rocking the truck back and forth, was able to coax it into 4 High then 2 High.
We are on our way. The drive was still challenging on the way out, which took about an hour. We arrived at my house around 9 PM
I don't think that I would go back there, at least not just the two of us. It’s too remote. And not a very pretty canyon. However, the road does go down to Lake Powell. It would have been nice to see that but I think we would have needed an ATV.
Oh well.
I am not sure what my remoteness limits are. Maybe within an hour's walk of civilization. Maybe not as a solo outing. Maybe not on such an exposed road.
I do find our current political situation troubling and do not want to be disconnected for too long.
I need to see if my InReach can be used for car breakdowns in remote places. And maybe Kari could respond to the inReach built-in messages if things come up that we need to return to civilization.
I want to be sure I have time for my creative stuff. My goal is at the end of this (Trump) administration, I want to have a body of work- photography, drawing, weaving, & my website - to show!
And, of course, still do my outdoor stuff.
Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Gary got up earlier than I did and hiked west of where we parked. Across the wash was a sign saying "trail "which he followed up to an old ruin. Once we were packed up, we both hiked back over to the ruin. There was a segment of a wall which may have been a blind or lookout placed on the nose of a hill. There were also a couple of hollowed out sites which may have been kivas that we walked around. And several barrel or claret cactuses in bloom with bright, purple flowers.
Then, back to the car and west on UT 95, past the entrance to Natural Bridge Monument to the intersection of UT 275, then southwest to Red Canyon Road, about 10 miles further. We miss the first cut-off and go on to the second, then proceed along Red Canyon Road.
The first few miles are straight forward, but after 10 minutes or so we are on a section that is steep, winding, and uphill. Gary mentions that the ride up was a hump for him. And on eclipse day there were a number of cars parked nearby.
We continue up and top out. At some point, we begin to follow the rim of the south branch of Red Canyon.
The road, in reality, was that not bad, just very narrow. There were spots where we descended steeply to a sharp corner then began a steep climb up. In spots, I could see the upcoming road and it looked like a narrow ribbon painted on the rock face. Luckily, we did not encounter oncoming vehicles.
Overall, it reminds me of the road to Mineral Bottom, the put-in for the Green River, though not quite as bad. Even so, it was very exposed!
For the most part we are going downward, then leveling out, then downward again.
We have not passed any place where we could pull off the road and setup camp.
We continue.
We have traveled almost 10 miles and are approaching an old mine with a utility pole. Far above is a metal structure but I am not sure of its purpose.
Finally, we are at the bottom of the canyon and there is a fork in the road. One fork goes into the wash and out the other side. I suspect this is the branch that goes back to Fry Canyon. The other fork continues down Red Canyon Road.
Here, we are below the confluence of the North & South forks of Red Canyon.
At this point, the road is hugging the wash and up ahead it looks a bit sketchy so we get out to scout. The road is not any worse than what we had already traversed. We walk a bit further, where the road drops into the wash and up and out the other side, and a wide bench on both sides of the road beyond.
We head back to the truck and continue driving forward. Once out of the wash, there are sites to setup camp on both sides of the road. We pull onto the right side whose bank is a bit lower and check it out. There is room for the tent and a spot to setup the kitchen so we start to unload.
There is a constant breeze but it’s quite hot so we ahead and set up the sunshade. The tent is up and sleeping gear thrown in and we sit down with a beer. The wind has come up some, so we move the sunshade to the side of the truck so that it acts as a windbreak. Good idea and it was secure there for the remainder of out outing.
Next is a walk down the road. Up ahead, I see a biggish bird in the gully and wonder if it’s a road runner.
As we walk along a group of 6 or so ATVs drive by (we had seen their vehicles and trailers near the start of Red Canyon Road. After the ATVs, we hear quite a bit of banging and clanging down the road. Gary guesses that it is a truck with a trailer and he is right! It is two pickups, one with a trailer and 3 or 4 cows, the second pickup has two horses riding in its bed. We chat for a minute and mention that we’re camped back up the road a bit.
We walk for about 45 minutes then turn around. It's a long, hot walk back. Gary is pretty worn down; we decide to skip cooking (there is enough lunch food to eat) and he turns in.
I stay up, finish writing about my watercolors, and start this outing description.
The sky has clouded over, and it sprinkles lightly but steadily for about ten minutes. The wind has come up some, deforming the sunshade, so I stand up against it, holding it in place and getting damp in the process.
Then, I get chilly, decide to wrap up writing, stow every away, and climb into the tent. It rains again, lightly but steadily for about 10 minutes. This is not encouraging. And I am beginning to get unnerved! We are so remote. It’s a long way out to the road, and on a road that I probably could not drive and at this point I do not believe I could hike the 10 miles to the road. Rain, even showers, were not predicted. It’s hot and I do not hike well in the heat. But, before long, I am asleep.
During the night, Gary wakes up, goes outside and steps on a prickly pear cactus. We spend some time getting out as many spines as we can. We both go back to sleep.