Thread: Utah Parks
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Old 04-24-2017, 11:49 AM   #20
blue_vett
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Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 14
Default San Rafael swell

Any one who is interested in visiting the swell should check out the Free Museum located on main street in Castle dale Utah. besides having dinosaurs, and local animals, there is Native american artifacts, uv reactive rocks, fossils and a staff that is from the area who are most pleasant and helpful in finding places of interest in the swell. here is a link to the museum : http://www.sanrafaelcountry.com/museums.htm#msr

while at the museum you can pick up their vistor guide (also free) that has a map of the area or you can request it here: http://www.sanrafaelcountry.com/trav...e-request.html

here is a link of an older but still useful guide http://www.sanrafaelcountry.com/Brochures/SanRafBlm.pdf

Places not to miss are Goblin valley- there is no place like it on earth! entry is 13.00 or camping is 25.00 they also have yurts to stay in. 100 per night.

Tip if you want to save money and there is plenty of free caming right outside the park it is all blm land so you can camp pretty much anywhere there a fire ring. gps 38.667976, -110.687128 When we travel to this area we stay near temple mountain. to access the free camping instead of turning onto goblin valley rd continue straight on temple mt rd, there will be a large pull off for camping with pit toilets (this area is very popular) or you can continue up temple mt road there are pull off all over on both sides of the road and there is a pictograph area here. further up temple mt rd there will be another large pull off on the right side with pit toilets (also very popular area) where you can camp. this area has old log cabins that you can explore, there are many hiking trails that take you up the mountain to old uranium mines (most of them are cemented off, there is one mine that has metal bars on it. while hiking you can see large petrified trees stick out of the sides of the bedrock. this area has alot of different layers of rock and it make for quite a colorful scene. or you can explore the bottom of the canyon taking you to the base of temple mountain. there is also a road calle behind the reef road that makes for an interesting drive that has more awesome camping with some trees (better for summer time camping ) while in this area check out little wild horse slot canyon take a pair of shoes that you can get wet as areas of the canyon will have water up to you knees.

other must see while in the swell would be :

Rochester rock panel https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ro...4d-111.1980545

i have heard you can camp near here but to us this was a sight that we drove too and spent about 2 hours checking out. it is a short hike but well worth it.

Wedge overlook

https://www.google.com/maps/place/We...4d-110.7493544

we camped here and the kids loved it! it is free camping, there are pit toilets, but to access it you have to travel on a gravel road for quite some time. but there is a lot to see in this area, the first time we visited we didnt bring the trailer (we were camped by goblin valley and just drove to the wedge with stops at buckhorn wash pictograph, swinging bridge, the dinosaur footprint. if you travel here from i-70 keep an eye out for wild horses and donkeys.

there is also an active Dinosaur quarry that you can visit cleveland lloyd dinosaur quarry.

please remember to leave the area better than you found it and have fun.
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