The Manti La-Sal National Forest Adventure - Part Two.

Part One left you off at the junction of FR 095 (The Causeway Road) and FR 088 (Gooseberry aka Elk Ridge Road); depending on what map you use FR 095 continues north-west, or changes its name to FR 088, but either way you are heading upwards to Horse Mountain. We made the left turn towards Elk Ridge and I'm warning you now, this roadway will not be for the faint at heart; I am very proud to say that I did not scream. I would do this trip again as there is so much to see in the area on nearby trails and I want to see it!







First the map; I highlighted FR 088 in hot pink; the color seemed appropriate for this wild ride. You must have a good map with you; you will be passing many signs directing you this way and that way, but barely any that will have the road number on them.  The first time you go through this area, it's best to pick a direction and stick with it; you can so easily get lost, or in a situation where Search and Rescue might be needed.

 

 

 

Driving along, the area is very pretty with aspen laden forest, green pastures, you might even see some deer grazing; very picturesque and a good area for that picnic meal.

Yeah, well hold onto to that lunch you just ate for the next stop is Elk Ridge.  Elk Ridge, at its highest point, is 8800 feet above sea level and overlooks the Dark Canyon Wilderness.  The road winds down around the ridge walls, there is barely room for two vehicles to pass; at times, one vehicle will have to pull as close to a canyon wall as possible to allow another vehicle by.  On the other side, Dark Canyon Wilderness spreads out below you; do not be surprised to see dirt from the roadway fall into the 1000 foot drop.  Do not hug that side of the road with your vehicle at any time; a chunk could be missing from the edge of the road and if your tire hits that....  This is a primitive road in all ways!  This is why I warned, in Part One, that a small to mid-sized 4-wheel drive vehicle is preferable; do not be one of those smart ass' who drives a "I need to overcompensate for my small short-comings" vehicle.

Quick Story: We had stopped at Big Notch to take photos and were parked more in the middle of the road.  There was no way I was getting out on the passenger side and stepping off into that 1000 foot drop into the canyon below.  Anyway, this huge, and I mean a cruise ship on wheels, sized silver pickup truck (belonged to some B & B, but can't remember the name) begins the climb from around the ridge.  I jump back into our SUV and we move over slightly; now they have a small switchback on their side, so no problem, right?  Wrong!  The pickup truck stops and the terror on the faces of the two occupants was quite evident; and they were waiting for us to move over even more!  Poor Roy had to get out of the SUV and help direct them into the switchback and around our vehicle; they didn't even say thank you!  So yeah, leave the ship on wheels at home; no one cares about your "small issues".

North Elk Ridge, looking eastward.



North Elk Ridge

 



Big Notch, also listed as "The Notch" on some maps overlooks Chimney Park and Notch Canyon; in the distance are the La Sal Mountains (northeastern view)









Big Notch

 



 South Elk Ridge overlooks Hammond Canyon (eastern view).



South Elk Ridge



After getting off Elk Ridge, the road widens out more and you come to the junction of FR 092; follow the road as it curves to the right to stay on FR 088 and your next stop will be Arch Canyon Overlook.  The trail to hike or ATV into Arch Canyon is about 7.5 miles long, but is the only way you'll be able to visit the three arches (Angel, Cathedral, Keystone), or see the ruins and rock art.  The sun was beginning the descent for the day when we finally arrived there.



Arch Canyon

 

 

One more stop and we'll be done with this 31 mile trek, 63 miles total between FR 095 and FR 088; we began our journey at 7:30am and finally returned home by 9:30pm and it was worth every precious moment!!!  Anyway, last stop is Bears Ears, and like many other travelers and adventurers, the reasoning behind the name escapes us.  Try as we might, look at them from every angle, but just not seeing the resemblance to the ears of a bear.

Bears Ears



Elevation 8929 feet above sea level



Elevation 9058 feet above sea level

It was exciting doing the ride, it was exciting to re-experience it while writing, hurry up summer 'cause I want to go back!  Part Three will be FR 079 - Johnson Creek Road; wait till you see those mountains!

 

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

Camping and Fire Safety.

It's only January of 2014 and already folks are asking questions about camping in the Abajo Mountains; sorry, but the trails that go deeper into the Abajos will probably not be safe to travel until May, maybe June. The snow will begin melting around April which will make the trails quite muddy, and dangerous, during May; so June is usually the safest bet. Which brings me to an adventure that Roy and I took last June up in the Abajos along the trail from Dry Wash and all the way to Bears Ears. I'll be writing about the full adventure in other posts, but right now I want to tell about the fire in Dark Canyon Wilderness.


We first spotted the plume of smoke on the evening of Friday, June 14, 2013; we had just driven Johnson Creek Road (FR 079) from Monticello towards Blanding. We spotted the sign for Elk Ridge (FR 095) and were curious to where it lead; we had not planned on going far as sunset would be soon coming. As we drove the twists and turns nearing the Dry Wash area, we saw a plume of smoke in the far distance; an older gentleman riding an ATV came by at that moment to inform us that there was a fire in the Dark Canyon Wilderness.





After purchasing a map of Elk Ridge at the Monticello Welcome Center, we decided to pack up a picnic and do the entire 63 mile trek on Sunday, June 16, 2013; again, will be posting all about that most excellent adventure later on.  We continually saw the smoke coming up from Dark Canyon, but no warning signs or forest service vehicles blocked FR 095 or FR 088, so we continued on; it was as we got to the forest/pasture areas along the Ridge that we became surrounded by the smoke.  Now one forest service vehicle had already passed by us by that time, the driver simply waving and smiling at us, so we weren't that concerned about the smoke.  It gave the forest a surreal and mysterious atmosphere; we drove more slowly remembering that animals will run from smoke and fire, so expected to see a rampage of forest creatures at any second.

We finally came to a clearing which had forest service workers, a helicopter and the "helicopter buckets" which held water to spill out over forest fires.  We stopped to take photos, the workers waved, and, again, we were given no warnings about turning back the way we came, or to hurry out of the area.  It would be much later on that we would find out what exactly had occurred.

Here is the information about the Dark Canyon Wilderness fire we were able to obtain later on.

On the evening of June 13th, the Manti-La Sal National Forest, west of Monticello, received dry lightning on Elk Ridge; the Forest Service was working on suppressing several fires that were started with this lightning event. The Dark Canyon Wilderness fire, just south of Gooseberry Guard Station, was one of the larger fires and was fully contained on June 22, 2013, but not before engulfing and destroying 350 acres of forest plant life, mainly timber.  No human lives were lost, but the cost to animal and plant lives...?

Our area in Utah is experiencing drought conditions, so while Mother Nature was the cause of this fire; campers and hikers need to be aware of fire safety in this region.  Please be aware of one issue, when being told that "fires are not allowed in the forest at this time"; being offended is the most idiotic thing to feel.  You're not being told this just so your camping vacation can be ruined; you're being told this to avoid causing any fires that will destroy the forest, kill wild and plant life, and perhaps yourself and any other humans in the area.  It's basic common sense!!!

Not sure about fire safety in the forest, then here are two websites that you can access information from.  One happens to be Smokey the Bear's website, and he will not steer you wrong; it included videos you can watch with your children (if any).

Campfire Safety by Smoking the Bear:  http://www.smokeybear.com/campfire-safety.asp
Utah Fire Info:  http://www.utahfireinfo.gov/

It's not too early to plan your vacation to the Monticello area, and camping up in the Abajos; it's never too early to remember what Smokey the Bear always says, "Only you can prevent forest fires".

Mary Cokenour