The famous "House on Fire" ruins lie Mule Canyon, in between Natural Bridges National Monument and Blanding, Utah. Southeast Utah is home to the most numerous and varied collection of ruins, spread over a remote area of about 30 X 25 miles. Besides hundreds of ruins, mostly cliff dwellings, the Cedar Mesa area contains many petroglyphs and pictographs, all between 800 - 2000 years old from the Anasazi and Pueblo Indians. Most are found in canyons, where water was easily accessible and conditions were cooler in summer months. All land is public, managed by the BLM, and as of 2016 is protected under the Bears Ears National Monument.
High above the meandering San Juan River, lies Goosenecks State Park. This largely undeveloped park is home to a rare geological featured known as the Entrenched Meander. This refers to a river that is confined to a canyon or gorge, and in most cases is narrow with very little or no flood plain. The headwaters of the San Juan River are in the San Juan Mountains of Southwestern Colorado, which is the origin for 90% of the rivers' flow. The river flows 360 miles from its source, starting at an elevation of 14,000 ft and dropping to just 3,600 ft at Lake Powell.
After our visit to Mystic Hot Springs, we drove west down I-70 for another 20 minutes until we reached Fremont Indian State Park. Thousands of years ago this area was home to the largest population of Fremont Indians. Many petroglyphs (engraved rock with symbols) still exists, and the park offers a small trail system to view them. Inside the museum are artifacts, a film, petroglyph tours, hands-on activities for kids, and exhibits that reveal the lives of the Fremont. The park also offers RV and tent camping, you can rent out a Tipi, and there's also access the famous Paiute ATV Trail.
Mystic Hot Springs is located in Monroe, Utah, about a 2.5 hour drive south of SLC. It's been on my Utah Bucket List for awhile, so a few friends and I made it happen this weekend as a day trip. Among all of the hot springs in Utah, this is by far the most unique and least crowded, but also the most expensive. The natural hot springs flow into 6 large bathtubs, and two smaller, shallow pools. The closer you soak to where the water flows from, the hotter the water is. Mystic Hot Springs has been around for nearly 100 years, and has changed owners a few times. Originally, the hot springs were where the Indian tribes of Ute, Shoshone, & Piute would set up camp, and soak for warmth and comfort. Legend says that they would paint themselves with the red dirt to keep themselves safe.
The Sand Flats Recreation Area is located just outside of Moab, UT, about 5-10 minutes to the East. Sand Flats is a nationally significant public land area at the heart of the Colorado Plateau. With high slickrock domes, bowls, and fins, it meets the colorful mesas with views of the La Sal Mountains to the East. Just to the North lies Arches National Park, and to the West, Canyonlands National Park. Sand Flats is home to one of the most famous mountain biking and hiking trails, Slickrock Trail and the nearby Grandstaff Canyon. Sand Flats is managed through Grand County and the BLM.
Slickrock Trail, the world famous mountain biking trail, is located in Moab, Utah. Most people bike this 10.5 mile loop, but we hiked it! Slickrock Trail is located at the Sand Flats Recreation Area, about 10 minutes outside of Moab, where we also camped for two nights. This trail is popular for its scenic, rugged expanse of Navajo Sandstone, the remnant of wind blown sand dunes. Slickrock Trail was established in 1969 for motorcycles, but the trail is now popular for both mountain bikes and motorcycles - it is closed to all four-wheeled vehicles.
Goblin Valley State Park feels like another world - most say it resembles what would be Mars, however the park sits at the northern end of the San Rafael Swell. The hoodoos ("goblins") are mushroom-shaped pinnacles that are only a few feet high. The formations have large orange/red boulders of hard rock on top, with weaker sand layers below that have eroded more quickly over millions of years from the combined effects of rain and wind.
Spotted Wolf Canyon is located off I-70 at the Northern end of the San Rafael Swell, which makes up about 1/4 of Utah. "The Swell" as us Utahns call it, is what most people think of when they think of Utah. The arid area, with little vegetation is often very scenic, with mesas, cliffs, buttes, springs, and many canyons; these are sometimes wide or can be very narrow such as Little Wild Horse Canyon. Most of the swell is owned by the BLM and encompasses 2,000 square miles! This is great for 3 main reasons in my opinion: 1) the land is protected and will not be built on 2) dogs are allowed off leash 3) you can camp almost anywhere, for free!
The Wave is a hiker & photographers dream destination! The smooth, unique rock formations make for an unforgettable experience. The Wave has become so popular in the last few years due to social media, photographers, and many articles naming it one of the "coolest", "most unique", "most isolated", most blah blah places on earth! And it really is. However, people don't do their research before hiking here and many have needed to be rescued or have even died while gone missing. Why? The reason is because they go unprepared. There is no trail, the temperatures can be up to 115 degrees in summer, and people don't bring enough water and food.