Goosenecks of the San Juan River

Jeep Momma Getaway

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

Quick Tip [Jeep Tip]

Before you hit the road when you are heading out on a trip, any trip, check to see if any roads along your route are closed. I made this mistake before the Hole in the Rock trip in October 2021. 

There was a washout on Utah 95 heading to the trail so we were detoured. We ended up on some sketchy unknown gravel road with steep climbs and turns. It was a little sketchy as we had our Jeeps on the trailers.  

It was even more scarier on the way back home after our 3-day adventure. They 

detoured us to Mexican Hat, Utah. Little did we know we were on Utah’s Scariest Road. HOLY MOLY!!!  It was by far one of the scariest roads I have been on. Especially since we were still pulling my Jeep on a trailer. 

The road is called 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 three-mile long switchback road carved right into the side of the mountain with 11% grade hair pin turns. 

NO GUARDRAILS with sheer cliffs. It you happen to get detoured to this road the views are absolutely spectacular! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeep Momma Challenge

Top 5 Moments That Changed My Life
[#Top5LifeChangeChallenge]Click for more

Kiss in the Coat Closet

December of 1997 - I snuck a kiss in a coat closet with a co-worker, that kiss turned into a date, then eventually a marriage of 20 years, and that marriage gave me the best thing ever - My two sons!

Birth of My Kids

November of 1999 and August of 2005 when my two boys came into my life. Those memories are etched into my mind forever. Now, I cherish every moment with them. Being their mom was the best thing to ever happen to me!

Becoming a Jeep Wrangler Mom

May of 2013 when we traded my soccer mom family vehicle for my first Jeep, I had no idea how that would change the trajectory of my life. 

Read more here My Journey

Starting my blog

Being a stay at home mom is a difficult job because one day you begin to realize your kids don't need you as much. In 2013, I struggled to figure out what was next for my life. A friend and fellow mom blogger suggested I start a blog about my new Jeep life as a mom. That blog turned into off-roading, then into a YouTube channel, and then into a whole new journey in my life.  

Moving to Colorado

Leaving my kids for a new adventure in life in December of 2019 was the hardest decision I ever made. I still have a hard time coming to terms with the decision. However, it turned into the most amazing journey ever. I meet some great new friends and had so many fantastic adventures. I also learned some very hard lessons in life, but I know I will come out of it as a better person. 

3 Day Adventure

Hole in the Rock, A Jeep Badge of Honor Trail 

Southeastern Utah

There are 5 videos of this adventure on my YouTube channel.

Part 1  Part 2   Part 3  Part 4  Part 5 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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.