More Roads North of Monticello, and ATV Trails to Explore.

First off, a little self advertising info; the SUV is now sporting, on the passenger doors, an advertising panel for this travel blog.  It has the main header photo which happens to be an overlook of the Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park, the name of the blog and its link.  Pretty snazzy, huh?



This next foray onto the county roads north of Monticello is into an area I refer to as the lower part of the Manti-La Sal Forest.  Most folks travel up Abajo Drive/CR101 and then down Harts Draw Road to Route 211; or they travel the forest road to Blanding all of which is at a higher elevation.  I was out here for about five hours finding roads or trails that continually looped into one another; also found some wildflowers I'd never seen before.  Yeah, it was a great ride!  Better give you the map now or you'll be totally confused.

I began this adventure down a road I've been on several times before, CR 103, which leads to Spring Creek and many a campsite.  The sides of the road are not as closed off as some of the other county roads I've written about; the occasional abandoned homestead can still be seen.  Getting into the forest area comes rather quickly; the quiet does surround you.






An ATV trail goes off to the left at the 3.2 mile mark and splits to another trail going left, or straight.  There are camping areas; the trail straight opens up to a spectacular view of the Abajo Mountains.

At mile mark 4 is another trail to the left; there's a pond along the way, but it dead ends at a homestead, so this isn't a good place to consider camping in.

At 4.9 miles was another ATV trail leading to the right; like many of the ATV trails, it was unmarked and more than likely made by local riders.  I'm going to jump to the end of CR 103 to mile mark 7.3; at this junction is CR 105 in the middle which brings you to CR 101 (mile mark 9) and only one mile from Foy Lake and the turn to Harts Draw Road; to the left is CR 103/105 which will bring you directly to Monticello Lake (mile mark 7 on CR 101); to the right is CR 165 which dead ends at a road maintenance area.

So, backtrack to mile mark 5.2 to CR 160 and if you enjoy riding loops, then you're in for a treat on this road.  This section of the Manti-La Sal forest is where I spent most of those five hours; just as I thought I'd found a new road or ATV trail, there I was back on CR 160.  Buckle up, pay attention and have patience; good thing I wrote it down and mapped it out, or I might still be looping around those trails.

On this section of CR 160, it's only 1.2 miles before you reach a junction; an unmarked ATV trail to the far left, 119 is an ATV trail slightly left and to the right is the "Wildlife Study Plot".  This trail splits at 9/10s of a mile; the left loops around to CR 160; the right is CR 166 which eventually loops back to...you guessed it, CR 160, but with more ATV trails along it.



119 is an ATV trail; it becomes more narrow and rutted further downward.



View from the Wildlife Study Plot Trail.

CR 166

6/10th of a mile - ATV trail 5382
2.4 miles - ATV Trails 5123 and 5383; 5123 loops back to CR 160 near the 119/Wildlife Study junction.
Total loop in mileage is 4 miles.

Get ready for a little more confusion, it's not done with yet.  After looping around for a couple of hours, I finally went back to CR 103 and Route 491.  There was another road further north I wanted to check out which turned out to be CR 160/FR 175 - Peters Point (Chaining).  Do I really have to say where it loops to?



Here we go again folks!  1.7 miles along the road will be a junction; to the right is a dead end to private property; to the left is ATV Trail 5115 which comes to another junction after 1.6 miles: ATV Trails 5123 and 5383 (sound familiar?).  I simply took the trails back to the 119/Wildlife Study/CR 160 junction, then back to CR 103.  Well now I needed to relax and what better way than to go into the Manti-La Sal Forest, but at a higher elevation. 

Instead of directly back to Route 491, I went to the 103/105/165 junction, made the first left and followed the road to Monticello Lake.  Heading east on CR 101 (towards Monticello) I spied ATV trail 5128; oh what the heck; and off I traveled on it.  It was a little harrowing in spots where the road was more rock and potholes than road itself, but I finally ended up in a flat area with campsites.  Amazing views!!!

The Abajo Mountains



City of Monticello lies below.



Another possible ruin pile?

Wait, wait, wait...there's more!  The wildflowers were amazing during this jaunt through the lower region of forest.

Arrowhead Balsamroot - only found in the areas covered by the Great Basin; San Juan County is not one, but this plant is here.



Datil Yucca (Agave family)

Eaton's Penstemon (Figwort family)



Dwarf Evening Primrose




Many-Flowered Goldeneye (Aster family)

Preuss' Milkvetch (Pea family), rear is Silvery Lupine (Pea family)

Stinking Milkvetch (Pea family)



Western Blue Flag Iris



Field of Western Blue Flag Iris

Yellow Salsify (Aster family)

To say I was exhausted by the end of this is an understatement.  Home for lunch and a nap!  So much to see, so much to do and enjoying every precious minute of it.

Mary Cokenour

Abundant Campsites in the Abajo Mountains.

Four years ago hubby and I noticed a couple of signs indicating the locations of Indian ruins.  However, the roads leading to them were very unsuitable for a car; so we kept saying that we would make more of an effort once we got a Jeep or SUV.  Two years later we finally purchased a used SUV and made the trip back up North Creek Road (aka Abajo Mountain Loop Drive, Abajo Drive) to visit those elusive ruins.  The signs were no longer on the roadway; there are so many dirt roads leading to who knows where and we couldn't remember. 



Jenna
 

Mule Deer
 

Yesterday I decided to take the ride back up the mountain road, and took my dog Jenna with me.  She had a great time running through grassy fields, and surprisingly didn't bark at, or chase, any of the mule deer in the area.  We investigated a few of the dirt roads by parking my car safely off the main road, and walking through to see what we could see.  I did see a male wild turkey, but they can walk faster than I thought; by the time I had the camera ready, it was already into the brush.

I didn't find any ruins, just too many dirt roads to investigate; however, there are so many places to go camping up there!  Many sites are visible from the roadway, many you have to drive a little way to.  There are two campgrounds up in the Abajos that are run by the Forestry service, Dalton Springs and Buckboard.  They can accommodate RVs, but have no hookups; there are toilets of a sort, and no electricity to charge your cellphones, Ipads or laptops.  The camp sites around the three lakes can accommodate small camping trailers, but no mansions on wheels.

Guess I better tell you how to get to a few places; at the corner of 200 South and Main Street in Monticello, Utah is the Welcome Center.  Take 200 South west and follow the street as it curves to the left; keep following this curvy street and you'll finally see the beginning of the road up into the mountains.  As you travel the road, be careful of the deer, they're out any time they want to be; you're the visitor, not them.  The first place I investigated was at the 4.5 mile mark, a dirt road off to the right side of the road; there are camp sites and the most beautiful view of the valley, Monticello and the road (Route 491) going off towards Colorado.  Small trailers can get through, huge motor homes...not; continue up the mountain road and you'll see the signs for Dalton Springs and Buckboard to accommodate those.

View of valley and the La Sal Mountains
 

You'll have to travel about 10 miles before you get to a fork in the road; to the left leads to Foy Lake, to the right leads to Harts Draw Road and finally to Route 211.  All along the way you'll see breath taking scenery of the mountains.








Now if you only travel about 9 miles, you're going to see a graded road on the right which leads to a 3-way crossroads after curving up the hill.  If you take the road going straight, that is Spring Creek Road; it is bumpy here and there, but a car can traverse the entire road until it comes out on Route 191 (8.5 mile drive).  All along the road are dirt roads where many camp sites are visible via the road, and some you have to drive a little way to.  The speed limit is marked as 35, but I did 20 with my car; many a squirrel and chipmunk crossing the road were thankful for that.



If you want to go directly onto Spring Creek Road from Route 191, there are no signs indicating it by name, no mile markers nearby, just a simple white marker with the number 103 on it.  I can tell you though that it is 4 miles north from the town of Monticello; and the photo gives you a hint of what the entrance looks like currently.  There are many ranches along Spring Creek Road, so if you see "Private Property" and/or "No Trespassing" signs, YES!  they are meant for you.


Basically, if you are looking to camp outdoors and leave all the modern conveniences of the world; the Abajo Mountains is your mecca.  It is peaceful, quiet, serene; you can commune with nature and forget about stresses in your life.  Just enjoy.

Mary Cokenour