Harts Draw Road Travel Guide.

Harts Draw Road Loop

The Harts Draw Road loop begins at the intersection of Hwy 191 and West 200 South Street in Monticello, travels west up into the Abajo Mountains, and is the only paved road through the mountains  . As the road climbs, plant life includes forests of Gambel oak, Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, aspen, spruce and wildflowers of many varieties. Wildlife sightings are usually of mule deer, wild turkeys, squirrels and grazing cattle.  Stunning views of the surrounding Canyonlands are available at nearly every turn.

·         Location is .3 miles south of Monticello's traffic light (Main and Center Streets), along Hwy 191; turn right onto West 200 South & follow curve onto Abajo Drive (total of 7/10s of a mile to start of paved road up the mountain).  County Rd. 101/North Creek Rd. is 10 miles upward with a turn downward onto Harts Draw Rd., leading 10 miles to Hwy 211.  

Created in 2014 by me to help navigate the City of Monticello, when
trying to find the street to the mountain road.  A few focus points are noted, like the local grocery,
library and park.

·         Loyd’s Lake is 1 mile west up CR 101, one (1) mile south on CR 102; 2.5 mile hiking trail around lake, picnic/barbecue areas, vault toilets, no camping allowed.

·         Monticello Lake is 7 miles west up CR 101, offers vault toilets, dispersed camping.

·         Foy Lake is off a short trail west of the merge of CR 101 & Harts Draw Rd., vault toilets, dispersed camping.

·         Two (2) National Forest Campgrounds: Dalton Springs at 4.5 miles & Buckboard at 5.5 miles up CR 101.

·         Pets – must be leashed at all times, owners are expected to pick up after their pet(s).

·         Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/  (type manti la-sal in Search box) US Forest Service Ranger District Office is located at 432 East Center Street (Hwy 491), Monticello

·         Phone: (435) 587-2041

This is a beautifully scenic and serene drive through the Abajo Mountains.

Mary Cokenour

Completing a Forest Trail; Only Took Two Years.

Back in April 2014, Roy and I traveled the dirt road past Recapture Reservoir, up into the Manti-LaSal Forest, but were stopped by snow and ice along the way.  We kept saying we would go back and finish the trail, but so many other adventures kept enticing us.  Well, in November 2016, we finally finished the forest trail; backwards!

Ok, when I say backwards, not the vehicle going backwards, but finishing the trail from the other way.  It goes back to the junction at 6.6 miles past the entrance to Devil's Canyon, off Highway 191 , and the decision to turn left and follow CR 110 to Camp Jackson.  Well, we sort of missed the turn off a little ways along, continued along, not realizing we were traveling further south, then west, then south again.


It was at mile mark 1.1 (set the odometer to zero at the junction) that we noticed an open area with a rocky crest at the edge.  We noticed a couple of campfire rings, but what interested us the most was the appearance the rocky crest gave to our imaginations...the remains of a castle.  The views from this rocky crest were breathtaking, from the peaks of the Abajo Mountains all the way to Bears Ears in the far distance.  Another one of those, "on a clear day, you can see forever" moments.

Bears Ears in the far distance.

We were able to make our way downwards into the crest; Mother Nature did a heck of a job on sculpting the walls of this castle fortress.

Up ahead we spotted a cave; at the same time we heard movement.  Immediately we looked down at the soft dirt and spotted them, very large cat prints...and we backed up quickly, but silently.  We were armed, we are always prepared, but why engage when we can quietly leave?  We're not hunters, we don't begrudge those who hunt to feed their families; hey, we eat meat too.  We are also not trophy hunters; we don't see the point of killing beautiful animals for fun and pleasure only.  Personally I see it this way; you want to hunt for fun?  Make it fair play; animals have claws and teeth; so then the hunter should only be armed with one knife (the claw) and his/her teeth.  See, fair play....oh, if you could see the sly smile on my face right now.

Along the top of the crest, some of the rocks had potholes filled with water; we saw movement, but could not make out what tiny creatures were residing inside.  There was also a dead tree that seemed to have been cut and used for fire wood, yet still had an artful elegance to it.




















Now here comes an amusing story, and sadly I have no acceptable photos of the incident.  As we were returning to the trail, we looked ahead to see dust floating up and two rather large "things" running ahead.  At first we thought, "Coyotes?", but didn't see any long tails swinging as the creatures ran.  We were doing about 40mph, and could not catch up; then they did a left hand turn to run down an decline and we could see them clearly...bears!  They looked to be about a year old; we found a trail paralleling the decline into the forest, but they were too fast to get a clear photographic shot.  There is only one photo where the outline of two heads can be made out, but not much more.  What a thrill for the day, being mooned by two bears!


Mile mark 1.2 there was a rocky ridge line; it was then we figured out that this area is the same one that can be seen from Highway 191 as we drive north from Blanding back to Monticello.  We were always commenting, "Wonder how we can get up there?", and here we were!  The ridge line stretched for several miles, sometimes seen through the trees, and sometimes a full view of their naked glory.

Being resigned to the fact that we weren't going to Camp Jackson, we continued onward until we finally saw two signs; FR084 and Manti-LaSal Forest.  It didn't dawn on us where we had been until we came to an overlook of Recapture Reservoir, and saw familiar old barns, cabins and open ranch land.  We had been here before; this was the forest road we had started back in April 2014, but not completed!  We did it, but backwards!  We began to laugh so hard, that some cattle nearby looked at us as if we were totally insane.  Perhaps we were, insane with the glee of accomplishment, the thrill of seeing bears, and having one of our glorious adventures...together.

So, coming to San Juan County and want to try out this little adventure; here are some landmarks:

Monticello Welcome Center on Main Street (Highway 191), set odometer to zero and begin traveling south; 8.9 Miles is the Blue Mountain Dude Ranch (cabins and other facilities are available for rental); 9.5 Miles is Canyonlands Lodging (cabins and a lodge for rental); 11.7 is Devil's Canyon (NFS Campground and FR 085 - 6.6 miles and you're at the junction).  If you want to read more about the trails at that junction; use the Search function on the right hand sidebar of this blog.  Enjoy!

Mary Cokenour

Ode to the Old West Cook.

Chuck Wagon, Ranch House, Wagon Train; the cook had one of the toughest jobs of the Old West.  Not only was he responsible for providing meals, but they better be good ones if he didn’t want to find himself staked out over an ant hill, or worse, lynched.  Provisions, many times, ran scarce which meant nothing could be wasted, it had to be transformed into something belly filling, and definitely not make anyone ill.  We take for granted supermarkets with every food item imaginable; we take for granted that restaurants and fast food joints are just around the corner.  Not so easy for all, not just the Utah, pioneers of the 1800s, and early 1900s where the next meal might be sucking on cactus juice, or roasting rattlesnakes.

Which brings me to the tale of Harry (or Henry, presuming that was his full name) Hopkins; cook for the LC (Lacy (ey) Coleman) Cattle Company.  After the horrors of being a soldier during the Civil War Era, Harry decided to move to Colorado, join a ranch, be a cowboy; and he must have been a darned good cook.  Eventually, he found himself in San Juan County, Utah; continuing the cowboy life and running the kitchen there as well.   “Wash, a Ute Indian, reported a white man had been killed by lightning near the head of Devil Canyon.  Investigation showed that Hopkins, the L.C. cook, had been shot in the back – supposedly by an Indian.  He was found by Hickory Dennis and another cowboy lying face down with a pair of field glasses in his hand.  Before coming to the country he had been a cook for the riders on the Disappointment range in Colorado, at the time several Indians had been killed in a fight with the cowboys.  The Utah Settlers felt certain that the Utes had taken revenge on this inoffensive man.” ~from Saga of San Juan San Juan County DUP; page 94.

History of San Juan County by Albert R. Lyman filled in more of the story (page 62-63); “"In the late spring or early summer, while the new settlers were farming at South Montezuma, and making such preparations as they could to move to Monticello the next spring, the Ute known as Wash came in reporting a dead white man somewhere up the creek. Parley Butt went with him and found the body of a man named Hopkins. He had been cooking for the L. C. outfit and someone had apparently shot him from ambush while he waited on a log fence for the outfit to return.  He had crawled a short distance from the fence before he died."   Only 3/10ths of a mile from the grave is an old corral; could this have been the “log fence” where Harry was shot, and he crawled with the last of his life energy to where he is buried now?

Back then, the Indians blamed the white people; white people blamed the Indians; cowboys from competing ranches blamed each other, the Mormon settlers or the Indians.  Since all the people from that era are long dead and buried, and history is usually written by the victors, we'll probably not find out the true story, unless someone finds a written confession from dear old great grandpa. 

We came upon Harry‘s grave on one of our gallivants through the Manti-LaSal Forest in the Abajo Mountains one spring day.  Riding past the NFS campground at Devil’s Canyon, there is a junction six miles inward; the flip of a coin decided which trail to continue on.  At 7/10s of a mile (on CR 110/FR 084 eastward to Hwy. 191)), we got a real surprise...Harry Hopkins Grave.  Who was Harry Hopkins, How did he die, and Why is he buried off this forest trail poked at my curiosity; the research began. 
 

Now some folks asked me, “Why do you care so much about him?”  Simple answer really, because I can, and someone should.  One of the basic fears we have about dying is not being remembered; not having our life story passed on, or even our grave visited.  While an Eagle Scout Project by Cameron Palmer gave Harry a trail marker and information board; it wasn’t cared for after a while.  The plastic covering over the information sheet did not protect the paper, so it is extremely faded and illegible (May 2016); by November 2016, someone had torn it down completely.   I found out that local Sue Morrell and her husband often ATV up to the grave, fixing the fencing if needed.  While another visitor had placed plastic flowers near the headstone; Roy and I cleaned the dead leaves and debris away to make his name seen clearly.

So, to honor the memory of this Old West cook, I give to you my recipe for “Cowboy Stew for the Crock Pot”.  I’d like to imagine I would have made a good ranch cook myself, but then again, electricity has spoiled me.

Cowboy Stew for the Crock Pot

 Ingredients:

2 lbs. lean roast beef, cut into 1 inch pieces

4 russet potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 1 inch pieces, parboiled
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into ¼” slices, parboiled (or use 8 oz. bag of baby carrots)
1 large onion, rough cut into 1/2” pieces
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. paprika
2 (28 oz.) cans vegetarian beans
2 cups barbeque sauce

Preparation:

In 6 qt. crock pot, set on low, mix together beef, potatoes, carrots, onion, salt, pepper and paprika.  Spread beans over top, then bbq sauce.  Cover, let cook 6-8 hours; beef will be very tender.  Serve with cornbread or biscuits.

Note on leftovers, if there are any; the gravy will thicken and become richer.

 

Mary Cokenour

 

  

Once Again in the North Lower Forest.

CR 160 - June 2014, my dog Jenna and I explored trails at the northern lower end of the Manti-LaSal forest.  In 2015, for some reason, a portion of that trail was now fenced off and reserved for hunting.  However, 2016, we tried the trail once more and it was open fully again; this time freshly graded and widened. 

This has to be one of many relaxing rides we have experienced, so having it open, and improved, was a thrill.  Also, a favorite activity is finding rock groupings, or outcroppings, and exploring these as well; never know if ruins or rock art is tucked inside one of many openings.  Climbing up or down to, and throughout, is great exercise too; we also have developed the good habit of checking for scat and tracks.  Coming face to face with a bobcat, mountain lion or bear is not on the to-do list; taking photos from a distance is, and using a zoom lens to achieve it.

This time, Roy was along with us, and good thing too.  As we went the first half mile on CR 160, from Spring Creek Road, we saw a large pickup truck (New Mexico plates) pulled slightly off the trail.  A man came onto the trail waving his arms at us, so we stopped to see if he needed help; a second man sat in the pickup.  The first man said to us, "Did you see it!?!" in quite an excited tone.  "See what", Roy asked.  "The huge dog running through the trees, I think it was a wolf!"  He tried to persuade us to park and follow him into the trees to find this large dog, but we didn't take the bait.

See, we're smart enough to know that, besides the four legged predators that live in, and roam, the forest; the deadliest predator walks on two legs...Man.  The last known wolf to be killed in San Juan County was a large male (his hide measured eight feet long), sixteen years old, nicknamed "Big Foot"; killed by Roy Musselman in March 1920. ("The Improvement Era Volume 24" – September 13, 2013 by Church of Jesus Christ of Saints,  Story of "Big Foot" by Albert R. Lyman)  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that the last known wolf within the state of Utah was killed in the 1930s.  (Personal Opinion: The senseless slaughter of wolves is BULLSHIT!!!)  Now, since wolves have been seen once again in Colorado, could one or more have made their way to San Juan County, Utah?  Maybe, or maybe these guys saw a large coyote, they can grow as large as wolves; or maybe they were simply up to no good.  We said good luck in finding the dog, and kept driving.

Anyway, we soon found an interesting grouping of rock ledges with small alcoves and did some searching there. 

We did try out CR 119 again, but only 2/10ths of a mile down, the trail turned into a rutted mess just perfect for ATVs. Doesn't mean we won't check it out from time to time to see if it gets graded, and more passable.













A favorite place to stop is just past a dry wash; there's a rocky outcropping that we enjoy climbing up to; Jenna especially loves running around there. 







 

Panoramic View from CR 160

Back onto Highway 191, we weren't ready to head home yet, so decided to try and find Gordon Reservoir. Gordon Reservoir, off CR 120, is located 3.8 miles from Monticello, North on Highway 191.  The first time I'd traveled CR 120, I found the remains of a building; what I didn't know was that the dirt road on the side of the building led to the reservoir.  Most of the abandoned building has been removed, basically only the foundation remains; but we took the side dirt road on a lark, and found treasure at the end. 



The road to Gordon Reservoir.

Members of the CR 120 Road Committee.

 Oh, before I continue, I guess I should introduce you to the CR 120 Road Committee and its future membership.

CR 120 Road Committee in Session.

Future Members of the CR 120 Road Committee.

A Young Member Takes a Lunch Break.

View from CR 120.

Taking in the view from CR 120, we found ourselves being circled by Turkey Vultures; we disappointed them by NOT making ourselves available for the lunch menu.  I remember once a visitor to town asking me, "Why are all those birds circling around in the field outside of town?"  After getting a basic description from her, I surmised they were turkey vultures, to which I answered, "Oh, that's part of the Search and Rescue Team; they find the body, and the circling informs the team where to find it; it also means the vultures have found lunch, and the recovery team better get there pronto!"  I have no idea why she looked at me strangely, but said thank you anyway and left quickly.  Geez, doesn't anyone have a sense of humor anymore?

Anyway, the trail we took to Gordon Reservoir was not in the best condition; long, deep ruts often forced us to drive on the opposite side of the road.  Once we traveled as far as we could, it was a short walk to the reservoir itself....lovely, quiet, cattle grazing at one grassy end; the blades of the windmills slowly turning...it was a picturesque scene.

Gordon Reservoir is named after Warner Eugene, aka Latigo, Gordon, who was the third foreman of the Carlisle Cattle Company.  However, some writings have his name as William E. Gordon, such as in Life in a Corner: Cultural Episodes in Southeastern Utah, 1880–1950  by Robert S. McPherson, and wonder if the author just gave Latigo the same first and middle name of the local sheriff, William E. Hyde by mistake?

 

 

There was a great feeling of accomplishment, finding CR 160 open fully again and finally finding Gordon Reservoir.

So now I'll leave you with a few nature photos.

Horses in a Pasture on Spring Creek Road.

Wooden Stump Sculptured by Nature.

Prickly Pear Cactus.

No matter how much time you have, no matter the weather, go out and enjoy...period, just enjoy.

Mary Cokenour