NINE MILE CANYON

The last adventure of this trip started in Price after visiting the CEU Dinosaur museum and all-you-can-eat Pizza Hut buffet.

I suggested we take a little bit longer, more scenic road home in Nine Mile Canyon. The name is very deceiving. It should be called the 80 (Nine) Mile Canyon. The road is paved and there are picnic spots and toilets along the way if you need them.

Here is the trip:

Leave Price going east on Highway 50-6 through Wellington. It is a total of 7.5 miles to the Nine-Mile Canyon turn-off (Soldier Creek Road). Turn left, or north to start your adventure.

26.2 first stop. There is a really tiny sign on the right hand side. You can see some pictographs & petroglyphs from the Ute and Fremont era on the left. (Looks like there is a prehistoric Bart Simpson head also.)

27.2 Cottonwood Glen Picnic area. There is an old cabin here built in the 1800's. The north side was added in the early 1900's. You can walk around and inside it. 

 You'll see a cute memorial (bench and stone) for a guy who apparently loved the Nine Mile Canyon and rock art. It's super sweet.

 Go through the gate next to that and walk down the hill a bit to find a great picnic table next to the muddy creek.

31.9 Balanced Rock - The balanced rock is pretty obvious to find on the left side of the road. There is a petroglyph panel here. 

Not on the balanced rock itself, but walk a little passed the rock and sign that says you are on camera nailed to a tree and there will be a another big rock wall. 

(This is looking back at the rock where the petroglyphs can be seen.)

The panel is there. This is private property so you are supposed to just look from your car, but you will see a little worn path to go take a peek a little closer.

The road forks soon. The left fork goes up Cottonwood Canyon. Keep going straight (to the right) down Nine Mile.

38.8 Granary viewing. There are supposed to be remnants of prehistoric storage granaries around this spot. The front walls are supposed to be washed away so you can peek inside at floor, ceiling, and walls. We couldn't find this spot.

43.8 Daddy Canyon Complex - After you pass an industrial area on the right, there will be a parking lot on the left and toilets. Park here to get out and walk around.

There is a panel right at the beginning of the trail and then as you follow the loop you will see more elk hunt rock art.

If you go outside of the loop, there is a great spot for a small and pretty easy leisurely hike.

 This is where I found my most favorite spot.

The colors of the rocks are magical.

This is as far as we went because the clouds were rolling in and we didn't want to participate in another flash flood. It also warns at the fork in the road that the road conditions can be impassible due to bad weather.

43.6 & 46 Gate Canyon. You can hike around in here if you desire. From the road, you will notice telegraph poles used to service the military post at Fort Duchesne. 

45.5 Fremont Village. On the right hand side of the road, there is an unmarked trail up the hill that leads to remains of a Fremont era pit house. It isn't far at all. You will recognize it by the circle of stones. 

If you keep going up the hill, you will find a cool rock hut/cave thing that you can walk through.

If you go even higher up, you will find a flat area with a cool giant rock sitting on top. 

I don't know if this spot has any great significance, but there is a fantastic view and breeze if you are hot from hiking up.

45.9 Great Hunt Panel (You will see a small sign for the Big Buffalo site between these two, but I'd recommend going to the Great Hunt first and then turn around stop there just for easier parking). There is a big parking lot on the right side. Park and follow the path on the right for a very brief, flat walk.

This is one of the most recognizable petroglyph panels. It has been in National Geographic and numerous times to represent Fremont rock art. It is believed to be a bighorn sheep hunt in the Fall when herds gather for mating season.

This is the only spot that actually has a marked path and sign explaining the site.

Turn around and head back the way you came. Stop on the left 0.2 miles for the last spot.

45.7 Big Buffalo Site. Pull over on the left side of the road. Look for a worn path down into a small ditch and up for a super short, straight walk to the big rock wall you can see from the road. (You might be tired by now, but this stop will not disappoint you.)

Near the bottom of the big wall, you will see some rock art. Here is the largest buffalo petroglyph in the canyon.

After looking at these, head north on a trail to see the pregnant buffalo, other animals, human figures, and a date and signature of the person who found the pictures.

(If you are facing the large buffalo rock wall, turn left. There was a fence with barbwire that looks like you are not supposed to pass. I think it is to keep cattle out of the area. 

Manage your way by it and walk like 1 minute farther through the bush. It's not far and the best spot here!

BONUS spot. As you are headed back down to the fork in the road, you will pass the Daddy Canyon Complex. Just after the parking lot, there is a small little U-shaped turn up to the rock where you can find a funny spot that we saw in a photo on display at the Dinosaur Museum.

At the fork in the road, you can choose to go back down the way you came or take the other road and head north up Cottonwood Canyon. WARNING: the pavement runs out after a few miles and is a really rocky dirt road for over at least 10 miles. This backcountry byway is a little rough if you are in a small car. 

The pavement comes back and the road takes you by a million drilling machines and pipeline to Myton where you can turn right to head toward Duchesne.

The End.

GREEN RIVER

We left Goblin Valley State Park and drove to the city of Green River (population about 900). Seriously small stuff. What's in Green River? I've heard they have the best watermelons around. So I bought some.

What next? Green River State Park is mostly a camping site for those rafting the River. No hikes or anything exciting. We were tired so we decided to stay the night, but not in the state park.

 The best free camping spot...Swasey's Beach. (Not THAT Swayze!)

This spot is designated as recreational access with no permits or fees for camping or boating. The sand is nice and soft to sleep on and the water might be the brownest/muddiest water you've ever seen (but still great to jump in to cool off). Be aware of the strong current. This is also a great place for a wonderful view of the stars in the sky at night. 

DIRECTIONS:

Go East on Mail Street. Turn left (North) at Hastings Road. Look to the left at mile 2.4, you'll see a marker where the Spanish Trail once crossed the River where it was the only place to safely cross for hundreds of miles. The beach is at mile 9.5. The road is paved all of the way except for the last hundred yards or so. 

If you keep going on the dirt road (it gets pretty rocky/bumpy), you can see the Old Stone House at mile 12 (many say it's haunted), petroglyphs located on a low rock ledge at mile 17.8 (depictions of big horn sheep, elk, and snakes), and at 18 miles, look towards the south to see the famous Nefertiti formation. That's the end of the road. From there, you may hike, ride horseback, or bike further into the Lower Gray Canyon, but you have to return the way you came to go back to town.

GOBLIN VALLEY

It is Labor Day weekend. So what are most people doing? Camping. To avoid the crowds, I went to a State Park a little less traveled - GOBLIN VALLEY STATE PARK.

Goblin Valley is a small, but unique park. The main attraction area can be covered in a few hours. I heard the "goblins" look different in different lights throughout the day so allow more time if you have it.

INSIDE THE PARK

Upon the arrival at the formations area, there is a big overlook, toilets, and signs to read. Once inside, the valley floor is flat so it offers easy access for all ages and abilities. The cool thing about this place is that there are no designated paths (the map shows 3 areas but you can go wherever you want). The shape of these rocks comes from an erosion-resistant layer of rock atop softer sandstone. The figures fall and new ones form constantly. Thanks to this factor, visitors are allowed to climb on, play with, and discover everything in the area.

CAMPING

The fee for the park is $8 per day right now. There is a nice campground in the park which I believe is another $18. The campground has running water, toilets, showers, benches, and fire pits. 

Just outside the park, there are two great spots to camp for free on BLM land. The first can be found if you turn right on the Little Wild Horse Road just before the Ranger station/gift shop/entrance. Follow the road outside the park for about 3 miles until you reach a few dirt roads that lead you to the cliffs. If you have an off-road vehicle, you can camp right next to the cliffs. It's a fantastic view.

The other free camping spot can be reached if you turn onto Temple Mountain Road and head South. There is a campsite spot next to airy bathrooms. If you drive beyond that, there are more spots that might give you more privacy. The BEST spot there, is the first turn once you get on Temple Mountain Road.

TOILETS

I'm adding a category for this because, as a female, I hate those non flushing toilets where you can feel the air rushing up on you as you sit down. UGH. I avoid them at all costs. Next to the goblins and at the campsite down the road that I mentioned, there is an air toilet. In the campground and at the ranger station is a flushing toilet. Be wise.

HIKING

Obviously, you can hike near the formations. Outside the park are also places to discover. A must do hike when you are in the area can be found at Bell Canyon. (The park ranger can give you a brochure of this hike.) If you take the Little Wild Horse Road and drive 5 miles on that road, you will find the parking lot to the hike. When we arrived at the parking lot, there were a lot of cars, but once on the trail we hardly saw our fellow hikers. While hiking on the path, you will reach a fork in the road. If you turn right, you can make it to a slot canyon. It's about a 3 mile hike there and back or you can do the full loop and it's about an 8 mile hike. 

It was raining a bit before we started hiking and we encountered a flash flood. It was still fun to hike in the flood water to the narrow canyon, but we decided the water level might be too high if we kept going in the rain. So beware of the weather conditions.

I was hoping to find Willie Wonka's factory at the end of the trail due to the color of the rain water, but no luck.

*There aren't any stores super close to the area so make sure you have your gas and needed supplies before getting to the park.

*Dogs are allowed in the park on leash so feel free to pack your best friend.

*Yes, this is the place filmed as the alien planet in the movie Galaxy Quest and in the Killers Human music video.

*Finally, support your state parks, but don't forget to clean up after yourself.

I filled an entire beef jerky bag full of garbage just at the spot we camped near.