We began our exploration of Utah’s backcountry with low-hanging fruit—the Cottonwood Canyon Street. This unpaved street connects US 89 on the south finish with Utah’s Scene Byway 12 on the north finish. The street runs previous Kodachrome State Park the place we camped, which is why it made sense to start out our journey with Cottonwood Canyon Street.
The Grand Staircase-Escalante Nationwide Monument is an unlimited, mountainous space in Southern Utah with US 89 working alongside the border of the nationwide monument and US 12 working alongside the northern border. If it is advisable to get from Lake Powel to the Escalante space, for instance, you need to take a large 300-mile detour and drive across the complete Grand Staircase-Escalante Nationwide Monument. Cottonwood Canyon Street is a 46-mile shortcut that runs via the mountains.
The street is in comparatively good situation and I don’t consider {that a} 4×4 automotive is completely obligatory. In some areas, although, the street is fairly steep and tough. And, like with most grime roads in Utah, it turns into impassable in rain.
It’s a good follow to at all times cease by any Bureau of Land Administration Workplace to search out out if the street is open and inquire about its circumstances. The workplace can present important info like if a flash flood induced a landslide within the space.
We drove Cottonwood Canyon Street twice—as soon as from north to south after which from south to north. I didn’t see any benefit of driving a method over one other.
Associated: Gude to Bryce Canion Nationwide Park
The northern a part of the street is extra mountainous and scenic. If you strategy the final leg of the drive when driving from south to north, there’s a spot on prime of the mountain crossing the place you possibly can cease and luxuriate in an unobstructed view of Bryce Canyon on the left facet and the Kodachrome Basin on the correct. It’s merely breathtaking.
The southern a part of the drive is flatter with nearly no vegetation. All you see are badlands and desert. It is vitally completely different, however it’s nonetheless spectacular in its personal means.
Associated: Valley of the Gods Dust Street Drive
It was the second half of September, which continues to be a busy vacationer season in Utah. However I used to be shocked by how few automobiles we encountered alongside our drive—5 to 6 at most for each drives mixed.
Grosvenor Arch
For those who wouldn’t have time to discover completely different areas alongside Cottonwood Canyon Street, the one cease you will need to make is on the Grosvenor Arch. It’s situated just one km from the principle street and is accessible by automotive.
Associated: Exploring Monument Valley Scenic Drive
The Grosvenor Arch is probably the most spectacular rock formation alongside the drive with two pure arches crowning the highest of the tall ridge.
Cottonwood Wash Narrows
You probably have a few hours to spare, take a simple three-mile hike alongside the underside of the slender canyon. Like I stated, it’s a simple, uncomplicated hike with its solely problem being the doorway on the south finish. The doorway is roofed in enormous rocks from a landslide, however the climbing is simple.
Last Phrases
All in all, Cottonwood Canyon Street is the best solution to begin exploring Utah’s backcountry. It’s the excellent drive for sightseeing and pictures, but it surely additionally serves as a shortcut to Bryce Canyon Nationwide Park and Home Rock Street in Escalante.
2019 Replace – Misadventure on Cottonwood Street
In August 2019, we went on one other driving journey to Utah. We spent two weeks driving a Jeep Wrangler alongside Utah’s backcountry roads to succeed in probably the most distant and secluded areas of the southwest.
Exploring Cottonwood Canyon Street was not in our plans, however we used it typically as a shortcut to get from the Vermilion Cliffs and Lake Powell to the Escalante space.
In the future, after spending three days driving the last word off-road vacation spot to the White Rim Path in Canyonlands Nationwide Park, we had been lastly on our solution to Kodachrome. On the finish of the 500km drive, we had been desperate to get to the campground earlier than dusk, so we took the Cottonwood Canyon street shortcut.
August in Utah is monsoon season. You get sudden, quick, and extreme rainfall nearly day by day. Simply earlier than finishing the Cottonwood grime street part of the drive, we bumped into rain. The clay street instantly turned impassible and we nearly crashed the Jeep as we drove down the steep hill.
Associated: Organizing New Zealand South Island Picture Journey
I utterly misplaced management of the SUV and anticipated an unavoidable crash. However on the final second, the Jeep straightened itself. I assume the traction management kicked in since we slid slowly to the underside of the hill.
Right here is how the Jeep appeared. A layer of moist clay lined all of the tires, which left the tires with zero traction. I understood firsthand why clay roads in Utah change into impassable when moist. It doesn’t matter what car you drive or you probably have chains or spikes.
We couldn’t drive in any respect. The one possibility we had was to arrange camp on the facet of the street and wait till the street dried up.
Fortunately, we had all our tenting gear, meals, and water with us.
The next morning, the street was nonetheless moist and sticky. Driving was not an possibility, so we spent all the day mountaineering and accomplished the Cottonwood Wash Narrows hike once more. It wasn’t till the early night when the day’s warmth dried up the clay that we may full the final 10km of grime street.
Now I do know that clay and water don’t go properly collectively in relation to driving.
