TRAIL SCOUTS

TRAIL SCOUTS

Trail Scout: The Utah Canyonlands and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Overland Journal has come out with their series Trail Scouts. This video is a perfect example of the beauty and utility of Overlanding, enjoy!

Routes are close to infinite in Canyon Country and we encourage you to explore within your capabilities. For this Trail Scout we will focus on a new classic that takes us through a very remote section of Canyonlands National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and the San Rafael Desert. Your trip may be shorter or longer depending on how you assemble the different pieces. This will hopefully serve as inspiration to plan your own adventure in this amazing section of one of our largest national parks.

After topping up with fuel at the Hite Marina, get off the tarmac via NP633 from Highway 95, less than a quarter mile north of the airstrip and the Colorado River. The fairly fast and smooth dirt road will be punctuated by small washouts, sand patches, and sandstone slabs as it curves gently towards the northeast towards The Maze District of Canyonlands NP. The Cove turnout to the north offers the best permit-free camping; it’s approximately 15 miles from Highway 95. Anything farther north will require obtaining the proper paperwork. The trail winds around the drops of Rock Canyon and then across the Andy Miller Flats. The Orange Cliffs, Gunsight Butte, and the Chocolate Drops stand towering to the north and west. After some thirty-odd miles various junctions in the trail will head off to Sunset Pass, the Doll House, Beehive Arches and other worthwhile detours. Continuing on NP633 into the area known as Lands End will lead to the Maze Overlook junction. Back towards the southwest, the Flint Trail climbs up a tight, rocky series of steep switchbacks. Depending on the current trail conditions, this climb often presents the greatest technical challenge of the route; wet weather provides great excitement with limited traction and sheer drops around each bend. At the top of the Flint Trail we veer north through Gordon Flats to the North Point campground. The fork to the right on NP744 takes a path over a rockier trail for eight miles, ending in a “T” with Panorama Point a couple of miles to the south and Cleopatra’s Chair almost the same distance to the north. After visiting one or both, return over the North Point road to the campground and turn right to the northwest in the direction of the Hans Flats Ranger Station. A large, graded road emerges from the lonely desert outpost and cuts to the north across Robber’s Roost to Highway 24. If you follow the most direct route you will cover around 110 miles, though our experience with exploring side roads and other points of interest suggests your mileage will be closer to 250 miles over a 5-day period.

Location:

Canyonlands National Park is comprised of over 300,000 acres in southeast Utah and is divided into four districts: the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze, and the Rivers. The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area follows the western edge of the park and falls under its jurisdiction. The park was established in 1964 and is visited by nearly half a million people each year. Despite its popularity, the rugged topography of the park and its large trail network provide many opportunities for remote exploration, with ever-increasing isolation the farther one travels from the developed park facilities. The area is characterized by its widely varied sandstone features such as mesas, staircases, spires, domes, and cliffs. The landscape is vegetated by junipers and piñon pines, and much of the ground is covered by cryptobiotic soil. The Green and Colorado rivers join in a confluence in the approximate center of the park and then flow together into Lake Powell to the south in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The remote Maze District only accounts for 3 percent of the 440,000 annual park visitors, approximately 14,000 persons per year.

History:

Nomadic peoples are known to have existed in the Canyonlands area over 10,000 years ago. Later, the Ancient Pueblo peoples from the south and the Fremont from the west settled in the area more permanently. Visible traces of their communities remain today in the form of dwellings, granaries, pottery shards, pictographs and petroglyphs. In the last few thousand years the Utes, Navajos, and Paiutes hunted and gathered in the Canyonlands. Early European explorers largely circumnavigated the difficult terrain of the area, but hunters and trappers began to penetrate the area in the early 19th century. In 1869, Major John Wesley Powell mapped the Green and Colorado rivers and some of the surrounding canyons as part of his famous expedition from Wyoming to Arizona. Beginning in the 1880s, ranchers grazed livestock in the Canyonlands and were responsible for creating an early network of trails. Many of the same families worked cattle and sheep on the land until the 1970s. During the more lawless period of Western expansion, Butch Cassidy and The Wild Bunch absconded into the maze of intricate canyons now located in the park in their efforts to elude capture. The residence of notorious outlaws such as Butch Cassidy earned the place name “Robbers Roost” that is still used today. Government incentivized mining exploration for atomic projects in the 1950s provided funding for the first network of roads that laid the groundwork for recreational visitation.

Logistics:

A high clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle is recommended for this route. Suitable off-pavement use tires and a full-size spare are advisable. Vehicle aids such as traction differentials or recovery tools may be needed depending on driver aptitude and ability. The distances covered are substantial and additional fuel supplies are a necessity for gasoline-powered vehicles. Travel time may vary from two to five days. Navigation is easily performed using paper maps. There is limited access to water in the elevations above the rivers and visitors should be self-sufficient. All backcountry considerations for health and safety should be applied as emergency resources are not close at hand.

When to go:

The weather is most accommodating in spring and fall when temperatures are moderate and precipitation is limited. Visitors are also more frequent during the summer travel season. Rain in the summer monsoon season and snow in the winter will make steep sections of the trail much more challenging.

Considerations:

There are many miles of trails and roads within Canyonlands National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, but the possible routes don’t immediately present a conventional loop. It’s best to approach the idea of traveling through the park with the expectation of a return visit. Don’t try to see it all in one go: Seek out the destinations that most interest you and be prepared to backtrack or overlap as necessary. Photographic opportunities abound, but the strong Utah sun will limit the quality of midday camerawork. Utilize the golden hours after dawn and before sunset, and account for them in planning when you will cross the most visually interesting portions of the park. If you travel by vehicle, don’t be afraid to visit some of it on foot when the engine isn’t running. The complicated, overlapping terrain features often obscure discoveries that are very close at hand. Hiking over a hill or climbing down into a small canyon may yield spectacular results.

Regulations:

All overnight trips in the backcountry of Utah’s Canyonlands require a permit. The Orange Cliffs Unit of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area shares Canyonlands’ western boundary and is administered under the same backcountry management plan and permit/reservation system. Permits are issued seven days a week at district visitor centers and the Hans Flat Ranger Station, and can be reserved in advance (see below). Walk-in permits are only available the day before or the day of a trip, and are issued up to one hour before the close of business each day.

Resources:

Canyonlands shares a headquarters facility with the parks of the Southeast Utah Group
2282 SW Resource Blvd.
Moab, UT 84532
(435) 719-2100
nps.gov/cany/index.htm 

Check out the XT

What Boreas Owners Are Saying area

Joyce K.
I love my Teardrop from Into the Wild. It is up to any adventure, large or small. We have slept comfortably in rest stops in WY and the middle of nowhere UT. We have traveled for weeks, the kitchen has been great! The...
Read more
Nick D.
Matt builds an absolutely first-rate trailer. After months and months of research, I am confident in saying that the Boreas XT is one of, if not the best thought-out offroad travel trailers on the market. I'm consiste...
Read more
Nicci M.
Best decision made, worth the money hands down. Matt is great to work with and always makes sure his campers are top notch and work properly.
Michael G.
If you’re looking for a way to get away, check these out. Our Boreas has been one of the best purchases we’ve made. We keep it loaded and ready to go so we can get to the mountains at moments notice. Our trailer has h...
Read more
Shan M.
Owning a Boreas XT and working with Matt has been a pleasure! Customer service runs neck and neck with producing a quality product. From campgrounds in the Sawtooths, and friendly driveways in Haden ID, weeks out in N...
Read more
Franklin C.
We bought our trailer in May and we couldn’t be happier. I toured the shop before I bought and I saw the dedication they took to make a quality trailer. The build quality and materials are all very impressive. We have...
Read more
Jake D.
Great people. Great product. Delivered when they said and what they promised. I rented a Boreas in June, and then had to have one.
Diane M.
We have had a Boreas XT for over a year and absolutely love it. Our adventures have tripled since we got it and already have several more trips planned for this year as well as a trip to Alaska for next year. We have...
Read more
Bill M.
We have now had our Boreas XT for a year with some 3000 miles towing (Ford F-150 4X4) on various surfaces. We very much enjoy the life style made easy by this rugged trailer with its well designed accomodations and c...
Read more
Christina C.
I don't usually take the time to post reviews, but I feel compelled to do so for this product and the owner Matt. We researched diligently to find just the right camp trailer for a year before we settled on the Boreas...
Read more
Matt B.
Amazing company, customer service, and product! I knew going into this trailer purchase that I was interested in the Boreas XT. After dealing some with Adam and Maggie I was very drawn to the company and product, with...
Read more
Alexandra L.
We’ve had two trips in our new Boreas XT and absolutely love it!! It’s everything we wanted when it comes to size, weight and functionality. We have 4 more big trips planned through the rest of the year and can’t wait...
Read more
Michelle G.
I purchased my 2019 Boreas MXT in March of this year from Adam at B&B RV in Denver. It was a used unit. I brought it up to Alaska in May. I was able to stop by the shop in Arvada and meet Matt and Maggie. While at the...
Read more
Ken W.
I got this trailer earlier in the year before this COVID mess and finally got to take it out. I’m so glad I got the Boreas XT compared to other tear drop trailer competitors. This is a solId, well built trailer that...
Read more
Matt M
Our Boreas camper is awesome!.. It's so easy to tow, we can be set up in camp in a handful of minutes and I sleep better in the Boreas than I do at home!.. we've taken it for week long trips off the grid and it's so a...
Read more
Sarah F.
Excellent quality camper - built locally in Colorado. wonderful community of people who love their campers! Many years of fun and camping made easy.. hot water shower.. WHAT?? So awesome. Never ran out of power.. neve...
Read more
Erin C.
My experience buying an RV was better than I could have expected. Adam communicated to us in a timely manner and answered all of our questions without hesitation. I felt reassured with our buying decision and will def...
Read more
David C.
These guys really build an great Camper! Believe me, the pictures do not do this thing justice. This thing is a beast!!! I traveled over 2000 miles to bring it home. It handles so smoothly, I barely knew I was towing ...
Read more
Gil B.
I’m extremely happy with my XT. The build quality and amenities are tough to beat. All that and it follows my Land Cruiser wherever it goes (most often far, far away from people). It’s nice to be able to camp for e...
Read more
Matt T.
Really enjoying my Boreas Camper XT I picked up last September. It allows extended camping trips to be easy with its amenities: fridge, heater, shower and solar. The pop-up awning on the rear is awesome, up in seconds...
Read more
Joseph S.
The team at Boreas have been great to work with. I typically am a research it and then decide guy. My partner took me to tour at the factory and we put a deposit down immediately. Adam kept us up to date on what was h...
Read more
Santiago A.
Have had a great experience so far. My family and I went on a week-long adventure through Yellowstone National Park and the solar system came in very handy to keep our gadgets powered. Not to mention the great cooking experience in the galley area.
Eric V.
We’re very happy with our recent XT purchase. With COVID-19, we knew there would be a waiting list (and there was), but we received ours a bit ahead of schedule. So happy to have waited on a quality product, made lo...
Read more
forest
HAVE A QUESTION?

We'd love to hear from you. Send us a message and we'll respond as soon as possible. Or call us

720-515-3641
3004 S Prairie Ave Pueblo, CO 81005
Get DirectionsGET IN TOUCH
forest
Explore the XTFind a Dealer
Have a Question?