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Published: October 4th 2018
Scenic Hwy 95 runs West from Blanding to Hanksville in Utah. This is mostly BLM (Bureau of Land Management) with free and open camping. The middle section with the Colorado River is Glen Canyon Nat. Rec Area (US Park Service) that used to have free camping, but no longer.
I made my usual stop at Clarks Market for supplies including fruits and their large collection of shasta sodas, with sugar and sugar free. From Blanding there are interesting geological features (mostly canyons) set in a scrub desert ecosystem. About thirteen miles West of Blanding is a major geological monocline called Comb Ridge that runs North-South for about 100 miles. South of Blanding on US 183 Comb Ridge is visible, but smaller, with a good parking space to get off the hwy.
At Utah Hwy 95 Comb Ridge has two different views. The East side has very hard white sandstone curved upward to the faultline. (They blasted a gouge in the top of Comb Ridge to construct the Hwy 95 I think in the 1960s.) The West side of Comb Ridge has sheer cliffs up to 800 feet high with reddish colour; with no parking on the ridge. It is
a neat ride down the West side of Comb Ridge to the valley below.
At the bottom of the valley ,South side, is a large free BLM camping, and day use, area. There is much clay there so do not enter when very wet. There are large cottonwood trees so you can have some shade while you are there. There is a county road there following the West side of Comb Ridge. That would be very bad four wheel drive if still open.
I drove up to the top of the hill over the valley West of Comb Ridge and parked by the road (Utah Hwy 95). I spent some time walking while trying to get the best pics. When I wanted to drive West I felt a little stupid. Only a foot or two from the paved hwy, I was stuck in the sand and gravel and my wheels were spinning. I put Old Blue in gravity assist mode (reverse gear) and was spinning my wheels. This time I was slowly going downhill. I turned my steering wheel at little to the left; and spinning wheels I slowly made it back to the pavement and thus got
to driving the road again.
I got to the "White Canyon Junction" where the main fork of White Canyon is farther away, with a tributary of White Canyon nearby. After the forks combine downhill, the scenic value rises and the free camping areas are many.
I made stops at several nice potential camps; some at the rim over the White Canyon inner gorge, up to 300 feet high.
One unique very private camp in White Canyon just before the Park Service (no camping) has a big loose gravel parking lot to the South; then take the tunnel under Utah Hwy 95; then cross the very muddy White Canyon creek to some nice isolated camps up the hill of the White Canyon inner gorge. Please do not try this without four wheel drive!
At the entry to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (NPS) all of their great camps are closed to the public; but still open to the NPS employees. Still the day use is open and worth checking out. Not far into the Park is the White Canyon bridge where White Canyon leaves the highway on its way South to the Colorado River.
Then I
Clark's Market
bakery & drinksdrove on to the Colorado River Bridge for a view. Next was the Dirty Devil Bridge. (J W Powell's men long ago gave that unusual name to the river with a very bad taste from the water.)
I drove up to the Scenic View and Hite Overlook. (Hite Marina closed due to very low water levels.) This is a wonderful view, with walking trails; also a place for the all important "goofing off". After my walking my water bottle was dry and I found Old Blue waiting in the parking lot with very cold agua.
I was very near the hudge and beautiful North Wash Canyon; but this was enough for this day. (The North Wash Canyon in the BLM outside of NPS, people would need four wheel drive to get back to the highway.) I drove back downhill to the Dirty Devil River then across the Colorado river. I finally drove out of the NPS and into the free camping of the BLM. About a mile or two into the BLM of White Canyon I made my camp with Old Blue. Not far from camp, on the top of a nice hill with good views I enjoyed
the late afternoon. Back at camp I had food and drink on my tailgate chair. Later that evening before sunset I went back up to my view point for a nice evening.
Later back at camp and it was cool and pleasant outside. I had a good sleep for the night.
The next morning I had my usual coffee break and spent some time at my "private" viewpoint. Then I needed to get rolling for a big day to end my next camp in the Boulder Mts. I did not start to shoot the NPS until I passed the Colorado and Dirty Devil Rivers. When I got to the nearby Scenic View I started burning mega-pixels. I walked the trail to the viewing of the very large and wonderful canyon called North Wash. After my walking over one KM and finished my shooting, I was very dry. Old Blue was waiting with plenty of cold water.
I got back on Utah 95 Westbound (that followed North Wash uphill to the top of that nice canyon) and quickly found a nice long dirt trail with many views of North Wash. I have visited this nice driving
trail before, with good views, and it was a rare trail in North Wash that did not require four wheel drive. Again I burnt mega-pixels! After driving just a few miles I was happy to leave behind the NPS (National Park Service) with its many silly rules.
Back on Utah Hwy 95 (BLM) uphill in North Wash I burnt megapixels while driving up this nice canyon. (Note: As I drove up North Wash the canyon cliffs got progressively smaller.) As i neared the top of North Wash I could see the Henry Mts; the last mts to be discovered in continental USA...by the one armed ex-soldier of the US Cival War.
Then I crossed some nice scrub desert and got to Hanksville. (A favorite place for Butch Cassidy.) I did not need petro or supplies, but I did stop at Silver Eagle Gas & Groceries to make a pit stop to leave behind liquid nitrogenous liquid. End Utah Scenic Hwy 95.
completed
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