Utah deserts are hot in the summer so Jim seeks cooler high country. His drone flys 3 amazing slot canyons! Unfortunately the France Canyon wildfire west of Bryce Canyon National Park closed forest roads and limited the available routes but Jim discovered a route high enough to avoid most of the heat. Explore from Zion National Park east to Boulder Mountain including Devil’s Backbone and Death Hallow!

Gaia Maps link – Zion to Navajo Lake.

Gaia Maps link – Navajo Lake to Cannonville.

Gaia Maps link – Escalante and Boulder Mountain

Join us was we explore the very remote Smokey Mountain Road in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. It is land of deep high desert canyons, vast rugged terrain, few other vehicles, smoldering coal seams, and the hugely scenic Kelly Grade switchbacks.

Gaia Maps link.

The once Lake Powell marina at Hite on the Colorado River is near the west side of Bears Ears National Monument. We needed to see what is out there! We left UT 95 near Hite and headed east across prairie and high country to eventually return to UT 95 near Natural Bridges National Monument. It is a great drive and at least when we did it in October 2024 the roads were mostly graded and any vehicle with 6 inches or more clearance could do them.

Gaia Maps link.

Join us for another leg of exploring the huge Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. In Part 3 we explore south of SR 95. This trip can be done by almost any vehicle with 7″ of minimum clearance – BUT, conditions and road quality can change during and after storms. Call the BLM and also be prepared to retreat to a different route. SR 261 is paved and a good alternative to Comb Wash and Snow Flat Roads.

Gaia Maps link.

Bears Ears National Monument is huge, remote, amazing views and disbursed camping, has native American artifacts and structures to discover, and some trails are easy, as are the routes in this video. Ride along with us as we traverse this amazing terrain south of Moab, Utah.

Gaia Maps link.

Wow! While we’ve visited many areas around Moab over the past 20+ years we haven’t drove the Lockhart Basin Road because the whole trail is rated has highly technical. Well, BS. Only the northern third is highly technical and the rest is an amazing place to explore! Join our adventure in this video.

Gaia Maps link.

It got a bit scary at times, but we had a great 4 day adventure exploring remote snowy trails west of Capitol Reef National Park and the strange terrain west of Hanksville, Utah in search of the Mars Desert Research Station. Katya cooks an amazing Thanksgiving dinner on two wood fires, her Solo Stove and a campground fire ring. Fantastic scenery of course and big views!

Gaia Maps link – North of Torrey route.

Gaia Maps link – West of Hanksville routes.

While the challenges on this leg of the journey were few, the diverse scenery from the Onion Creek canyon up into the lush green of the La Sal Mountains then the plunge down to the finish in Moab, Utah is fantastic! Along the way we hit 125F in Fisher Valley, dinosaur footprints, hordes of wildflowers, and huge views everywhere. We celebrated the end of this journey at Moab Brewery, a tradition for us for over 20 years.

Gaia Maps link for all 3 legs.