Spring 2022 Utah Adventure, 4.23.22 - 5.12.22, Part 12 of 12

Leaving Goblin Valley meant that we were now heading towards home. We had one last adventure to experience before our final push back to the Pacific Northwest. On last year’s Utah trip, Mike had told me of a place north of I-70 called The Little Grand Canyon. Apparently, there were lots of opportunities for dispersed camping right on the rim of this canyon at a place called The Wedge. He sent me a photo and that’s about all it took to determine we had to incorporate a visit there into our itinerary.

The Wedge is not exactly near any beaten path which almost certainly contributes to it not being nearly as crowded as your state and national parks. We drove north from Goblin Valley up to I-70 and followed the interstate west for awhile before exiting and heading north to the small town of Castle Dale. Just north of Castle Dale is where we turned off and left the pavement. Our RVs are not really designed for rough travel. Everything shakes and get’s jostled and in general just doesn’t like it much. There was much trepidation amongst our traveling party about even leaving the pavement at all. It certainly didn’t help that we had to be off the pavement for seventeen miles. As I always do, I had done considerable research on getting to this place. I had seen videos of big forty foot trailers and other Class C RVs parked at the Wedge so I knew it was possible. I’d also read and heard that the road in was very well maintained county road and that we shouldn’t be too concerned about getting stuck on some wild jeep road just to get there.

When we left the pavement outside of Castle Dale we found the road to be very hard packed dirt with very little gravel and quite smooth for the first section. We did go through a few miles where the road had deteriorated a bit more and I’ll admit that was bumpier than I preferred but once we turned off onto the Wedge Overlook Road conditions once again improved. Soon we gently climbed up into a really nice forest of pinyon pine and Utah juniper. The road ended at a spot called Wedge Overlook. Rather than take in the views, we parked the RVs and took the Jeep along the rim road to look for a suitable spot to camp. This rim road went on for about two and a half miles but the further down the road we went the rougher the road got. We backtracked and found a wonderful spot across the road from the rim that was plenty big enough for both RVs and both toads. It had a nice fire ring and the bathroom at the Wedge Overlook was still walking distance, much to the approval of our spouses. I didn’t even need any wheel blocks. Right where I parked it was completely level which is always a bonus.

Now that we had found our free non-reservable spots and were safely established it was time to check out The Little Grand Canyon. From our site we simply walked across the rim road and we instantly understood how this place got its name. Before us running east/west lay a huge canyon carved by the San Rafael River which could be seen flowing through The Little Grand Canyon twelve hundred feet below us. Standing on the rim we were looking straight across the canyon so looking left or right we had unobstructed views up and down the full length of it. Wow, wow, wow! What an amazing place!

**The Little Grand Canyon of the San Rafael River**

**Looking straight across The Little Grand Canyon right by our camp**

I had kept our group on the go for the better part of three weeks and with two nights at the Wedge I wanted to allow time to just kick back and relax in this fantastic scene. We had the whole afternoon to just chill. Bob and I took a drive in his side by side to explore the rim road. We followed it out the full two and a half miles to a point jutting out down the canyon with a commanding view looking back up the canyon. With the view up the canyon being to the east, I knew this would be the spot to take photos at sunset.

There was one Airstream camped at a sweet spot right on the rim itself but no one else had chosen the rim to camp and there were tons of empty sites all along the rim road. After dinner we hopped in the Jeep and drove back to the western point for a cigar and sunset. Now that’s what I call relaxing!

**Early evening sun on The Little Grand Canyon**

After returning, Bridgit and I went out and got a bunch of downed dead pinyon branches and brought it back to our camp for a fire. I later read on a sign that we were not supposed to gather any wood. Oops. Most of our nights had been either too chilly, too windy or too cramped quarters for a fire so it was really wonderful to get a nice warm blaze going. I played guitar for a couple of hours before my fingers got too cold. Then we really built up the fire and played around with taking night photos with our iPhones. It was really a great evening with the fire, the guitar and just sitting around enjoying each others company.

One of the really nice features on our Navibahn is that I have a window right next to the bed. I usually leave the window open at night for the fresh air and whenever possible I position the RV so I have a view out the window. That night I couldn’t actually see the canyon from my window but that was the direction I was facing. Around 4:30AM I had a clear view of the Milky Way right out my window. Trust me when I tell you there isn’t much light pollution on the Wedge. Not wanting to miss it I dragged myself out of bed, threw on some clothes, grabbed my gear and walked over to the rim and fell off. No, I didn’t fall off, I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.

It was almost pre-dawn blue hour so by the time I got everything set up and fired off a few shots I had just enough morning light to give a little definition to the walls of the canyon but it was still plenty dark enough to catch the Milky Way.

**The Milky Way rising over The Little Grand Canyon**

I got a couple of hours sleep before getting up early just to make sure the canyon was still looking good. It was.

**Early morning at The Little Grand Canyon**

Our last day of play had no urgency for an early get out and go start so we had a leisurely breakfast before preparing for our excursion. Bob and Dana are really liking their new side by side so we decided to take both vehicles for our cruise. The first order of business was to drive further along the rim road to the east of the Wedge Overlook. This used to be the prime rim camp sites but has since been closed to camping on that side and has been turned into a day use area which was nice. At the end of the rim road was another great view looking east up the canyon with the San Rafael River twisting far below.

From there the road wound its way through the pinyon forest until rejoining the Wedge Road a bit further down from the Overlook. We drove back down the Wedge Road to a junction with the Buckhorn Draw Road and followed it down Buckhorn Draw. I had taken screen shots of beta on all the points of interest along the way and their mileage. Our first stop was to look for a three toed dinosaur track in a slickrock bench above the road but we never found it, even though it is supposed to be easy to find. Stopping again a mile or two further we hiked up to a canyon wall covered in pictographs. These were some really nice pictographs and seeing art so old was pretty thrilling.

Buckhorn Draw was worth it even without the points of interest. It was a beautiful deep draw with high walls on either side and bright green cottonwoods running down the length of the draw. A bit further down we came to another set of pictographs called the Buckhorn Pictograph Panel.

Near where the Buckhorn Draw opened up was Swinging Bridge Campground where we stopped for lunch. The road continued down a lot further all the way to I-70 but we opted to turn around and drive back up through Buckhorn Draw to get back to our camp. Almost to the end of the return trip we made one last stop at a point of interest I had missed on the way down. I’m so glad we took the time to stop for this one because it turned out to be the coolest spot of the day for Bridgit and me.

It was called Ruin Arch. Situated high on the canyon wall, it isn’t even perceptible from the road. If I hadn’t read about it I never would have spotted it. While Dana and Bob waited, Bridgit and I walked across the wash, followed it down the canyon a short way until we spotted a rough social trail heading very steeply up the hill towards the canyon wall. The trail led up to underneath a large alcove where a scramble got us up into the alcove. There we found the ruins of an Indian granary although we thought it looked more like it had been restored rather than being original. Still, it was in a really cool spot. Just above the alcove was a deep recessed cave and just above the cave was a small arch. Working our way up to the inside of the arch we found a single pictograph on each side of the inside of the arch. The whole thing was really cool and we had good views looking up Buckhorn Draw from high above the road.

**Lunch spot at Swinging Bridge Campground**

**Ruin Arch on the left side of the big alcove**

That evening was our final night of the “play” part of our wonderful amazing Spring 2022 Utah Adventure. The next day we drove eleven hours to Baker City, Oregon and then a seven hour drive the following day back home.

Looking back on it now I am amazed how fortunate we were the entire trip. Almost every day we had good weather. Even on the days with wind we still accomplished a lot those mornings. Our snowstorm in Cathedral Valley was more fun than burden and we had clear skies and gorgeous sunrises and sunsets nearly every day. Other than a refrigerator issue (which isn’t new) the RVs performed like champs. Having the Jeep and the side by side was immensely fun and really expanded our opportunities. All three spots where we gambled on finding sites without reserving (Ward Charcoal Ovens State Park, Tom’s Best Spring and The Wedge) all worked out fine and we had no trouble finding not just sites, but really nice sites. We had a huge list of things to do yet always left the option open for taking a break if one so chose to.

Twenty days was our longest trip in the RV yet and it felt just about like a perfect length of time for where we are at these days. We had an amazing time, but we were excited to get back and see Andrew. We already have two more trips in the deep planning stages, We will be in Glacier National Park early in July and another epic trip in the fall which will include the Colorado San Juans for fall foliage, Monument Valley, spending our thirtieth anniversary at the Grand Canyon, Zion and various spots around St George, Utah and Mesquite, Nevada before heading back home.

Thank you for taking the time to follow along with us on our journeys. We can only hope it provides you with some joy and perhaps encourages you to get out when you can and seek your own adventures!

Spring 2022 Utah Adventure, 4.23.22 - 5.12.22, Part 12 of 12

Spring 2022 Utah Adventure, 4.23.22 - 5.12.22, Part 11 of 12

Yellowstone National Park/Grand Teton National Park, 9.26.21 - 10.6.21, Part 1 of 11