Southeastern Utah Tour, March 21 2026

On Saturday, I woke up before dawn. My plan was to drive on to Cisco, get gas, and then drive back down S.R. 128 to see what I had missed while driving in the dark the night before.

So, I did that. I went to where I thought Cisco should be and followed signs to I-70. After getting on the highway, I saw no signs for Cisco, so I went one exit east and then turned around. Retracing my route, I saw that Cisco was a ghost town. (It might still have a few inhabitants, but most of the buildings -- including the gas station -- were abandoned.) I determined to drive back to Moab and get gas there.

Colorado River and Utah 128

Ah, but turning onto Highway 128, I was flagged down by a person who informed me that the section between U.S. 191 and Castle Valley would be closed from 8 to noon for a half-marathon. It was already after 7 at that point, so there was no way I would get through before the road was closed. Instead, I had to take the Mountain Loop Road through the La Sal National Forest, and come back into Moab from the south.

Arches NP from La Sal Mountains

Castle Valley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was a bit concerned that I would run out of gas, but my choices were limited. It turned out that the detour through the National Forest was quite pretty, and gave distant views of the Arches National Park. Even with my gasoline-powered truck's limited range, I made it back to Moab and tanked up in preparation for the rest of the day.

Since I had seen most of what Arches NP had to offer on Friday, I decided to do the touristy stuff in the northern ("Island in the Sky") district of Canyonlands National Park. At mid-morning, there was a line of about 10 cars waiting to enter. There was a slight downslope toward the entry gate, so I was able to let the truck roll forward at fractional miles per hour. I only had to restart the engine to pull away.

The lower part of the Shafer Trail

The upper part of the Shafer Trail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I stopped first at the Shafer Trail overlook. The trail is a 4WD road that goes along below the bluff, winds down through a series of switchbacks and then heads out toward the Colorado River. At the White Rim -- some 1300' lower -- it meets the Potash Road. According to the map, one can follow the Potash Road all the way back to Moab. From the intersection, the White Rim Road goes clockwise along the White Rim around that entire section of the Park.

I was intrigued by the idea of going down to visit the White Rim; I thought it was a better way to immerse myself in the park than viewing it all from the top of the tableland. From the overlook, I could not see the switchbacks. But the picture of them in the park brochure made them look intimidating. I began to form the plan of going down the trail first by bicycle, and then returning with the truck if it proved reasonably navigable. I did not want to find myself halfway down the grade, and then forced to back up for miles on a narrow dirt road.

The White Rim, looking southwest, and ...

... a typical butte from Upheaval Dome Rd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I next drove out to Elephant Rock and the Syncline Overlook Trail. Many families with young children were climbing up Elephant Rock, so I chose to skip that side hike. Instead, I hiked down to the upper syncline overlook.

The Syncline

The syncline is a cone of salt that has welled up from below the sandstone layers. The prevailing theory is that a meteorite imact punched a hole in the rocks, allowing the salt to well up from below. 

Apache Butte and its parent ridge

As I drove away from the syncline, I noticed a pyramid-shaped butte that is named Apache Butte. From this view, it is evident that the Apache Butte weathered from the same ridge that appears in the distance to the northwest.

Green River Overlook

I next drove to the Green River Overlook. From here, there is a fairly good view of the White Rim, with a bend of the Green River visible in the distance. Sections of the White Rim road can be seen skirting the edge of the precipice. The Henry Mountains can be seen far to the West.

Henry Mountains

Next, I drove to the Grand View Point Overlook trailhead and hiked the one mile out to the rim of the canyon. The view to the southwest is breathtaking (not just because the rim is 6000' above sea level). The sweeping views also show more of the White Rim Road skirting the canyons far below, along with innumerable hoodoos crowned by the hard white sandstone.

The White Rim,

looking southeast from Grand View Point 

Driving back, I took a close-up picture of Apache Butte as I passed. Then, I headed back to Moab to refuel and then on to Green River. I stopped at a grocery in Moab to pick up carrots and snow peas, and used these in my stir-fry.

White-Capped Hoodoos

 

A butte near Murphy Hogback

 

 

Junction Butte

I took advantage of the facilities at the Green River State Park campground to cook my dinner and do dishes, refill the water tank and take a shower before heading back to the campground in Arches NP. I checked the water level in the tank and found that I'd used less than 3 gallons since leaving Eagle Island.

Apache Butte

Keeping the camp spot in Arches turned out to be a good call. For one thing, the Green River campground was surrounded by a golf course, so the area was infested with mosquitos. A nearby camper had a yap-yap dog that was going yap-yap at everything that passed -- so basically was yapping constantly. Just around dusk, the place was also filled with wood smoke, because this is an essential element of the camping experience....

It was about 10:30 when I pulled into my reserved space in the Devil's Garden campground. After the neighbors turned down their stereo, it was quiet and bug-free, with no detectable concentration of wood smoke.