Goosenecks of the San Juan River

Jeep Momma Getaway Idea

Goosenecks State Park Utah

During my many adventures, I have come across some amazing scenic stops. One of those stops is the Goosenecks State Park in Utah with the most spectacular views. 

Jeep Momma at Goosenecks State Park 

This park sits on the edge of a deep canyon, 1000 feet above the San Juan River. The sinuous river meander is known as a gooseneck, officially called entrenched meander. The San Juan river makes a series of tight turns below the state park. 

Goosenecks of the San Juan River

The river has carved out a deep canyon at this location which Geologists say over 300 million years of erosion has uncovered a record amount of rock. There are six miles of the twists of the entrenched meander, the distance of one an a half miles.

Goosenecks State park

There is room for primitive camping at the state park but spots are limited. The views are breathtaking and I highly suggest you add this stop to your bucket list.

Utah's Scariest Road

What's a Moki Dugaway

Moki Dugway

Road Closed

On the way back from the trail Hole in the Rock we were detoured to Mexican Hat, Utah. The road had been washed out earlier due to flash floods. Little did we know what was in store for us up ahead.

Gravel Road

We were on Utah's Scariest Road. Holy Molly!!! This gravel road was by far one of the scariest roads I had been on. Especially since we where pulling a trailer with my Jeep on it. 

 

Moki Dugaway mountain side

The road is called a Moki Dugway. "Dugway" is a term used to describe a roadway carved from a hillside. This Scenic By-way is a stretch of Highway 261 in Utah where the blacktop turns into a dirt road. The gravel road is a 3-mile long switchback carved right into the side of the mountain with an 11% grade with hairpin turns and no guardrails. The views were breathtaking and spectacular.

view from the top of the Moki Dugaway

Before you hit the road for any adventure, check to see if any roads along your route are closed. I made this mistake before our Hole in the Rock trip in October of 2021. However, it turned out to be a cool adventure. I experienced a Moki Dugway and was able to visit the Goosenecks of the San Juans. 

Goosenecks of the San Juans Blog Post 👉 Read More

 

Hole in the Rock Trail

A Jeep Badge of Honor Trail Southeastern Utah

My Adventure 👉 Watch Here

My Jeep on the Hole in the Rock Trail

This trail is listed on the National Register of Historic places. It follows the path the Mormon's carved out in the 1800’s, a silent monument to the faith and tenacity of those first Mormon pioneers. 

My Jeep Flexing on a Rock 

Don’t confuse this trail with Hole in the Rock Road. This trail is rated a 4 to 6 out of 10. It is a long exhausting trail. There were times we were unsure of the path the trail took. It is not well marked, and in some places not at all. You should definitely have a GPS map. 

View on the Hole in the Rock trail

The beauty is unmatched anywhere in the US. We made many stops to soak in the vast beauty. Give yourself plenty of time on the trail. I would say at at least 2 nights on the trail and 3 days at a minimum.

I have heard some folks have pushed hard and done it in 12 hours, but that is during times when the days are longer. Plus, knowing the trail gives you a big advantage. 

The trail is one-way in and one way out. It is a long intense trail. You need to be on your A game. Several times on the trail as we traversed up and down the slick rocks. Many times we got out to scout the terrain to find the right path. 

Obstacle on the hole in the rock trail

Unfortunately, we did not make it all the way to the end. We still had 1.7 miles left and decided to turn around. That 1.7 miles probably would have taken at least 2 hours there then 2 hours back. We were on a time crunch, plus we didn’t want to chance it with the gas. Bring extra gas!!! I am pretty sure we would have made the whole trip with the gas we had since we trailered our Jeeps into the trail, but we didn’t want to chance it as the area is one of the most remote places in the country. 

Campsite 

Our first night we set up camp on the trail head, one night on the trail, and a
second night at the trailhead again. We were there in October so the day light was limited.

Campsite on the Hole in the Rock Trail

There is a really cool camp spot. A place in the rocks that opens up into an amazing cavern. We spent the night in this cavern with a coyote as we heard him drinking water from some pools of water. This is right after poopy pants hill. A very scary obstacle near Grey Mesa that if you are a millimeter off you go careening down a cavern.

Near the end of the trail, where you turn around and head back, are several rock formations to wheel over and vertical rock faces to climb. There is also The Chute which looks kind of like Hells Gate. Getting down into the chute can be tough but the chute is not that bad. It just looks intimidating.

It was an amazing adventure so I can finish the trail one day.