Moab 17 Day 5 - Hidden Canyon, Bartlett Flat, Hey Joe Canyon & Mine, Spring Canyon Bottoms Switchback and Courthouse Pasture (between Monitor & Merrimac Buttes and Courthouse Rock (& Camp).
The day started out with some awesome sand riding in Hidden Canyon. Not only was the riding fun but it was scenic as well. Too bad my video camera sucked donkey dung. Missed out on some great riding footage.
Hidden Canyon. ejranz is way down there on the trail.
Awesome scenery in Hidden Canyon. If you don't mind riding in the sand this is a trail not to skip. You can incorporate this trail with many other trails in the area and spend all day here.
It was hard to find some of the next trails we rode but once found we were on our way. We rode some designated singletrack, sand 2-track, and even some slickrock up near the bluffs. I was oh so disappointed when I got back to find the camera didn't record a thing.
On top of that, I didn't take any pictures (thinking my camera was working) so only have this one picture I got from Stig at our lunch parking spot below the cliff on Big Mesa.
Hey Joe Canyon. As I was here last year, I didn't take many pictures and only some video on the way out. But the video captures the feel.
Stig did some 'splorin in the Hey Joe Mine
Some jeepers flying a drone in the area offered to take our photo.
Hey Joe was a Uranium Mine. Behind the dozer was some framework they used to load for shipment on the river. Green river is on the other side of the bushes. Wonder if they caught me taking a piss on the other side of the dozer with the drone. Hey, I had to go.
Famous picture at the mine area
The mine Stig crawled around in is to the right of the truck. The jeeper drone people told us about it so it's their fault we (Stig) had to investigate.
I think this was a compressor of some sort at the mine. Diesel engine I get but the 4 cylinder engine type thing on the left confused us as to what it was. Part of it looked like an air compressor and another side of it looked like a regular diesel. It couldn't have been but like I said, wee's confused.
On a little rise above Green River on the way out. Hey Joe Canyon ride is an in & out adventure but well worth it.
Green River is flowing a little higher and faster than last year
After several miles of riding along the river, we ride the switchback up Spring Canyon Bottoms. Nearish the top in the photo
It was very late in the afternoon but we met another rider heading on down at the gate at the top of the switchbacks
Watch your step as there is a little drop off here. If you fall it will leave a mark.
We then bombed our way to Hwy 313 on Spring Canyon Bottoms road. Not wanting to ride pavement back to camp from 313, we detoured off on Wipeout Hill trail, whizzed through Monitor & Merrimac Buttes (again) and took the shortcut across Courthouse Pasture instead of riding 7 Mile Rim trail (again).
Finally across the pasture and to the pastures namesake, Courthouse Rock.
From here it was 10-15 minutes on Cotter Mine Road back to our camp on Willow Springs road.
To be continued on Day 6, Day Canyon, Bull Canyon, and Little Canyon trails.