UTAH

Dave

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This section is focused on documenting the following:
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In the spirit of this field guide I thought I post a bit about the Parashant National Monument, part of the Arizona Strip with access from Southern Utah.
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The layers of the canyon plunge the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras, eroded by tributaries from the mighty Colorado. When lava flowed through the Grand Canyon it dammed the Colorado at the Toroweap and Whitmore sites, diverting its flow and carving out the canyons. It’s cinder cones and evidence of violent subduction contrast its geology to the plains of the Colorado Plateau, the two separated by the impassable fault of the Hurricane Cliffs.
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Dispersed, primitive camping. Trail rated at a 4.
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Interesting, never heard of such a thing.
Thanks for the reply.

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Guess you never saw the build thread on my old 4runner, nor Richard310's, he's now sporting my old Oasis II. It was a great tent that I bought new in 2007, and it's still going strong. Good thing too, as ImNoSaint mentioned, there is no option to get them in the US anymore, and that includes any spare parts. Thankfully, they're very simple tents, and don't require much maintenance.
 
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Pleasant Creek Rd to South Draw Rd. Capitol Reef NP Utah. It eventually becomes Dixie NF 168 through the Tantalus Flats. This is on western side of the Waterpocket Fold. The section from Pleasant Creek Ranch to Lower Bowns Reservoir CG is a rough unmaintained Jeep trail not made for full size trucks but is possible. Much of it was white knuckle driving through boulder strewn creek washes and washed out roads along cliff edges.
I'm gonna have to rate this trail a 6.5-7 according to the trail rating system:
https://americanadventurist.com/forum/threads/trail-rating-system.4753/
 
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Guess you never saw the build thread on my old 4runner, nor Richard310's, he's now sporting my old Oasis II. It was a great tent that I bought new in 2007, and it's still going strong. Good thing too, as ImNoSaint mentioned, there is no option to get them in the US anymore, and that includes any spare parts. Thankfully, they're very simple tents, and don't require much maintenance.

Ok. I KNEW that looked familiar!
 
Pleasant Creek Rd to South Draw Rd. Capitol Reef NP Utah. It eventually becomes Dixie NF 168 through the Tantalus Flats. This is on western side of the Waterpocket Fold. The section from Pleasant Creek Ranch to Lower Bowns Reservoir CG is a rough unmaintained Jeep trail not made for full size trucks but is possible. Much of it was white knuckle driving through boulder strewn creek washes and washed out roads along cliff edges.

We drove that same road in 2012! It was nail biting for two noobs in a Trailblazer by themselves. I don't have to many photos from that trail. The trail was pretty heavily washed out in Aug 2012. We tried to access it again in 2015 when we visited Capitol Reef again, but because of flooding we couldn't take the main road back to it. They where all closed.

It's really interesting how you go from all that red rock on the back side of Capitol Reef there and then suddenly into a forest at the close.

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We drove that same road in 2012! It was nail biting for two noobs in a Trailblazer by themselves. I don't have to many photos from that trail. The trail was pretty heavily washed out in Aug 2012. We tried to access it again in 2015 when we visited Capitol Reef again, but because of flooding we couldn't take the main road back to it. They where all closed.

It's really interesting how you go from all that red rock on the back side of Capitol Reef there and then suddenly into a forest at the close.

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That road scared the Carp out of me. It was one of my first experiences with terrain like that. At the time, I came in from Lower Bowns and into Capitol Reef. Plus we were being chased by a heavy rain storm. This was in my F-150 pulling my loaded trailer. The local ranger told me that the road was a jeep trail and it hadn't been maintained in over 3 years and that most folks go out from the NP side and turn around and come back. I prayed a lot that day!
 
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Oh, I love pleasant creek trail!! Definitely NOT made for fullsize rigs and the midsize can barely squeeze thru a few spots.
2014 was the worst we'd ever seen for washed out from the fall monsoon for a couple weeks straight.
Part of the sidehill was so washed out above the creek, I was really wondering if we weren't going to roll over while on two wheel flex.

Dave
 
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That road scared the Carp out of me. It was one of my first experiences with terrain like that. At the time, I came in from Lower Bowns and into Capitol Reef. Plus we were being chased by a heavy rain storm. This was in my F-150 pulling my loaded trailer. The local ranger told me that the road was a jeep trail and it hadn't been maintained in over 3 years and that most folks go out from the NP side and turn around and come back. I prayed a lot that day!

I did that road (bottom to top) in October of 2015 in my F-150. I have never been so frightened on a trail in my life! I went with my buddy Brian and he was clueless at spotting. One small lapse in concentration and it would have been all over with almost zero chance that someone else would come along in days. Death on that road is a very real possibility! Pleasant Creek Road is off my list!!! (It's beautiful up there though)

Cam
 
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We almost rolled our Trailblazer on it. It fools you at first thinking it's mostly a wash, until it's a cliff that's washed out. I'd like to do it again, but maybe not in the Power Wagon. I can only imagine that it changes each year since it isn't really maintained.
 
We almost rolled our Trailblazer on it. It fools you at first thinking it's mostly a wash, until it's a cliff that's washed out. I'd like to do it again, but maybe not in the Power Wagon. I can only imagine that it changes each year since it isn't really maintained.

Yeah, and once you start up the cliff, you are committed - there is no turning around. And once you make it through the first cliff to a turn-around spot you don't want to risk going back down so you take your chances on the next 15 miles of the unknown and hope for the best. We didn't see a single person or vehicle from Capitol Reef all the way to Hwy 168.
 
Yeah, and once you start up the cliff, you are committed - there is no turning around. And once you make it through the first cliff to a turn-around spot you don't want to risk going back down so you take your chances on the next 15 miles of the unknown and hope for the best. We didn't see a single person or vehicle from Capitol Reef all the way to Hwy 168.
Try coming in from the other direction. There was one point where you had to choose which way at the Y in the road. I chose left because it was more well worn. It was the correct direction but, It was also more insane than anything I had ever experienced up to that point. After making that left and up a scary leaning to the left over a cliff with overhung precipices, there was no turning around! I was worried my trailer was gonna spin and tumble pulling me after it. Luck and the Lord was with me. I also had a heavily medicated useles spotter named The Brian with me on that trip. He ended up being left at an airport.
 
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I guess we shouldn't use anyone named Brian for spotting! I seriously don't know how you made it through dragging a trailer especially with a full size!

Cam
 
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