I had initially decided to hike some old trails into Labyrinth Canyon on Black Friday but I was a little worried about the length of the drive and the hike. With the short winter days I would have needed a very early start to have enough daylight to comfortably complete all the hiking I wanted to do as a day trip. But as I was coming up with a backup plan in case the roads were washed out, that backup plan started looking better than the original plan. So, I switched gears and went with plan B, which allowed me to sleep in longer and also be home in time for dinner. I hiked in to McCarty Bottom on the Green River, which is northeast of Horse Bench. The name McCarty Bottom doesn’t appear on any USGS topo maps, and I read about it in a Michael Kelsey guidebook. I got a rather leisurely start, and on the drive I noticed there’s a new concrete dip where the road crosses Ninemile Wash. I stopped at Horse Bench Reservoir for the obligatory reflection photo and then arrived at my parking spot after sunrise. I set out hiking cross-country at first before picking up an old road that was probably originally the main route used to herd livestock between the town of Green River and the San Rafael Desert. A cairn marked the spot where the trail and road diverged, and I followed the rim of a small canyon to a constructed trail that leads into the canyon.
The sign
New concrete dip at Ninemile Wash
Ice at Horse Bench Reservoir
Deer tracks on the old road
Road across sandstone
Cairn marking the cattle trail
Cattle trail along the rim
Above the canyon
Wide constructed trail
Looking back up the trail
Once in the bottom of the canyon I hiked a short distance and encountered an interesting rock formation. I passed it up and turned back for another look and noticed a large inscription on the other side. Going in for a close-up photo I noticed another inscription above it, easily recognizable as being made by Ned Chaffin! I was pretty excited to see that. A little farther down the canyon I came upon some more inscriptions, one of which looked fresh and unweathered even though its style appeared to be older. I’m still torn on whether I think it’s from 1904 or 2004.
Down in the wash
A very erect rock formation
W.A. Jameson, July 27, 1916
N.L.C. (Ned Legrande Chaffin), 1934
Nearing McCarty Bottom
Newer inscriptions?
Walt Stark, March 25, 1906
Where the canyon joins the Green River is the lower end of McCarty Bottom. Nearby is an old car and a collapsed structure and a bunch of other junk lying around. Farther upstream along the bottom is a lot more old stuff, including a VW bus, a collapsed trailer house, and a two-seater outhouse. The hike in had been comfortable but down here on the river bottom it was very cold!
Lower end of McCarty Bottom
Old car
Bed springs and frame
Straight six
Collapsed building
Small seep
McCarty Bottom
Shallow adit up high
Truck flatbed
McCarty Bottom
Old VW bus
VW and collapsed trailer house
Two-seater outhouse
Two-fer pooper
Unknown apparatus
Collapsed trailer house
Collapsed trailer house
There was also some rock art in the area. It appeared to be mostly Fremont style petroglyphs, but there were also some faded pictographs and possibly Ute petroglyphs (not pictured).
Snake petroglyph
Large Fremont petroglyph
Human and sheep petroglyphs
Petroglyphs
Hands-up, big-feet
Petroglyphs
Above McCarty Bottom I continued upstream along the Green River, following the river bank as much as possible but unable to avoid walking the road in some parts. At one point my travel along the shore was blocked by cliffs and boulders and I had to do some scrambling and bushwhacking to get beyond it. Above that on the road was a broken-down backhoe that appeared to have sprung a hydraulic leak, a locked gate with “No Trespassing” signs, and some sort of enclosure, and it was all on BLM land.
McCarty Bottom road
Pinch point on the Green River shore
Cat tracks along the river
Riffle
Broken-down backhoe
Gate on BLM land
Enclosure, also on BLM land
I left the river by climbing out on a cattle trail and did a side trip a couple of miles long to a little valley with some hoodoos that I’d spotted in Google Earth. It was less interesting than I was expecting but still worth the extra miles. I guess.
Trail leaving the river bottom
Climbing up the hills
View atop the hill
Green River view
Pair of planes
Morrison Formation badlands
Tiny mesa
Balanced rocks
Hoodoo
Hoodoo
Overhanging rock
I retraced my route back to the river and then back to the truck and it went by very quickly. I made it back before 2:00 PM and had covered eight miles, leaving plenty of time for dawdling on the way home. The ice had melted off Horse Bench Reservoir and the surface was so glassy that I had to stop for another photo. I also stopped at the corral about a mile north of the reservoir and walked around it, finding a strange inscription that I couldn’t fully read nor understand–something about the Social Security Act. Crossing Ninemile Wash again I realized that both of the “Dip” signs had been intentionally ran into and pushed over by a vehicle. I suppose somebody is upset by the road being improved? I was glad I’d chosen a shorter drive and hike for this trip, but I’m still impatiently looking forward to longer days so I can do the hike I’d originally planned.
Trail back to the river
Constructed trail above
Upper constructed trail
Dirt bike trail sign
Cans at an open camp
Logs at an open camp
Almost back to the truck
Possibly constructed section
Horse Bench Reservoir reflection
Strange inscription, something about the Social Security Act
Pushed-over “Dip” sign
Photo Gallery: McCarty Bottom