GCNRA, Above LWHC, Temple Wash

I spent the weekend before last weekend at home with the kids while Traci was out of town, but I had Monday and Tuesday off work and I’d planned on exploring Clearwater and Rock canyons in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area those days. I didn’t expect the U.S. government shutdown to affect my plans. Although that area is managed by the National Park Service, they don’t provide any actual services there and I didn’t see how the lack of a workforce could possibly prevent me from hiking and camping in the backcountry. During the drive south on Sunday afternoon I stopped briefly to see the Moqui Queen pictograph in North Wash. When I arrived at the Hite overlook and found the road partially barricaded, I began to worry. Closing off areas that are normally staffed by NPS personnel makes sense during a shutdown, but closing unmanned overlooks is total bullshit. I encountered a similar barricade on the dirt road to my destination between Hite and the Flint Trail. I spent a few minutes there thinking about whether to press on and eventually decided to scrap my plans. My primary concern wasn’t being in a “closed” area, but being caught with my dogs in the Orange Cliffs area of GCNRA (which boundary is not made very clear to the general public), and being in a “closed” area would increase the odds of an encounter with a park ranger.

Turnoff from UT-24 to Hans Flat
Turnoff from UT-24 to Hans Flat


UT-24 just north of Hanksville
UT-24 just north of Hanksville


North Wash
North Wash


Moqui Queen pictograph
Moqui Queen pictograph


Moqui Queen alcove
Moqui Queen alcove


View upstream from the Hite Overlook
View upstream from the Hite Overlook


We the people…
We the people...


The road from near Hite that leads to the Flint Trail
The road from near Hite that leads to the Flint Trail


I drove back to the north and fell back on the good ol’ San Rafael Reef. I camped at a familiar spot at the junction of the Temple Mountain and Goblin Valley roads. I slept very comfortably in the back of the Jeep, falling asleep somewhat early after spending the evening reading a book about the town of White Canyon in Glen Canyon. Sunset that evening was brilliant despite the clear sky, as was sunrise the following morning.

Driving north on UT-24
Driving north on UT-24


Henry Mountains at twilight
Henry Mountains at twilight


Crescent moon above Wild Horse Butte
Crescent moon above Wild Horse Butte


Sunrise on the Henrys
Sunrise on the Henrys


View toward the distant La Sals
View toward the distant La Sals


After breakfast on Monday morning I drove a short distance to the Little Wild Horse Canyon trailhead where I was the third vehicle in the parking lot. More people arrived as I was getting myself and the dogs ready for a hike. My plan was to hike up the San Rafael Reef just to the north of Little Wild Horse to a spot overlooking a sharp bend in the canyon. I hadn’t done the usual planning and didn’t have any waypoints in my GPS to help me get to the top of the Reef, but I’d studied the route in Google Earth enough that I was confident I could make my way up without issue. I was expecting a well-defined drainage leading up the Reef but what I found was a series of smaller drainages that all led in the general direction I wanted to go. A little more than an hour after I started hiking I reached the spot overlooking the canyon that I’d hoped to reach. I rested there, then hiked along the rim for a while as I watched for hikers in the canyon below. I hiked back to the trailhead and reached the Jeep before noon, then drove back to the previous night’s camp spot to eat lunch.

Sign at the Little Wild Horse Canyon trailhead
Sign at the Little Wild Horse Canyon trailhead


Beginning to climb out of Little Wild Horse Canyon
Beginning to climb out of Little Wild Horse Canyon


Factory Butte
Factory Butte


Top of the Reef above Little Wild Horse Canyon
Top of the Reef above Little Wild Horse Canyon


Little Wild Horse Canyon trailhead
Little Wild Horse Canyon trailhead


Formations above Little Wild Horse Canyon
Formations above Little Wild Horse Canyon


Navajo Sandstone
Navajo Sandstone


Torrey and Boulder
Torrey and Boulder


Above Little Wild Horse Canyon
Above Little Wild Horse Canyon


Hikers in Little Wild Horse Canyon
Hikers in Little Wild Horse Canyon


That afternoon I hiked Temple Wash. One can drive through North Temple Wash and South Temple Wash, but the main fork of Temple Wash is closed to motor vehicles and I had never been there before. Although the route through the canyon doesn’t appear on the BLM’s travel plan, it was clear that many people drive through it anyway. An old mining road runs along the bottom of the canyon for a distance before climbing out and paralleling the canyon bottom as it climbs up the San Rafael Reef toward Temple Mountain. I hiked for over an hour but the canyon wasn’t holding my attention very well. I turned back without completing the hike through the canyon to the other side of the Reef. I was bored with this area and kicking myself for not having a good backup plan. I returned home a day early, out of ideas and without the necessary tools in the field to plan for the following day. Had I simply stayed another night I’m sure I would have come up with something worthwhile to do on Tuesday, but at the time I was glad to be heading home and looking forward to a cold beverage when I got there.

Temple Wash
Temple Wash


Temple Wash
Temple Wash


A seep in Temple Wash
A seep in Temple Wash


Towering buttes above Temple Wash
Towering buttes above Temple Wash


Temple Wash
Temple Wash


Old road climbing out of Temple Wash
Old road climbing out of Temple Wash


Delicate formation
Delicate formation


View of cliffs above Temple Wash from where I turned around
View of cliffs above Temple Wash from where I turned around


Photo Gallery
GPS Tracklog and Photo Waypoints (Google Earth .KMZ Format)
GPS Tracklog and Photo Waypoints (Google Maps)

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