Lathrop Canyon

USE OF THIS ROAD REQUIRES A PERMIT FROM CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK

Rating: 3
In dry conditions, this is rated a 3. You need 4-wheel drive and low range due to a loose hill at the beginning that you have to come back up.

Location
This is in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. This is a spur off of the White Rim Trail.

Trailhead
To get to Lathrop Canyon you start from the Shafer Trail. The Shafer Trail starts 0.2 miles after the fee booth when you enter the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands. It is on your left as you enter the park. GPS coordinates are 38°28'17.4"N 109°48'41.3"W (38.471514, -109.811468).

After you go down the switchbacks you continue straight at the intersection at the bottom. Left takes you to the Potash Road and back to Moab. Straight is the beginning of the White Rim Trail.

You follow the White Rim Trail for about 11.3 miles from the Potash Road intersection. Lathrop Canyon is a left turn. The GPS coordinates of this turn are 38°24'01.5"N 109°47'39.6"W (38.400408, -109.794330).

Description
This is a fun trip that can give you an idea of what the White Rim Trail has to offer. This is a great way to see the scenery that the Island in the Sky has to offer.

The Shafer Trail switchbacks are well maintained and not difficult at all. The only reason I switched into low range was for gearing, but then it was a little too slow.

Once you get onto the White Rim Trail the road slowly becomes more rough. It isn't difficult, but low range is nice. There are some rough areas and rocky areas, but nothing technical.

About 3.1 miles from the Potash Road there is a short spur to an overlook. This is a great spot for pictures as you can drive your vehicle to the edge of the cliff (if your wife will let you).

0.2 miles after you pass the overlook (3.3 miles from the Potash Road intersection) Musselman Arch is on your left. It is a short hike (about 100 yards) to the arch. It is well worth the stop.

After Musselman Arch the road becomes more rough. There aren't any technical spots, but it does make the road a little more slow going. You continue to follow the rim for another 8 miles to get to Lathrop Canyon.

From here you drop down a steep hill off of the White Rim. You go through Lathrop Canyon all the way to the Colorado River. It is a short trip from the White Rim Trail to the river, about 4 miles. The first decent off of the rim is steep and loose. This isn't technical and any vehicle with 4-wheel drive and low range should be able to make it back up. If you have any concerns about making it back up then don't go down.

Once you reach the bottom of the steep decent there isn't many other difficulties. There are a few rocks you may have to maneuver around and a few small ledges you have to climb. Overall, the rest of the road is fairly easy and is actually a smoother road (and faster) than the White Rim Trail.

There is a pit toilet at the end of the trail, which my wife and sister-in-law greatly appreciated.

Here are the GPX and KML files from our trip. This is the entire trip through Shafer Trail, along part of the White Rim, and down Lathrop Canyon, then out the Potash Road. I appoligize that the route goes into Moab, I forgot to turn off my GPS and I was too lazy today to edit that portion out.

 This is Mesa Arch. It isn't part of the White Rim or Lathrop Canyon, but I included it here because I like the picture. This is a short hike that you can take just past the Visitor's Center in the Island in the Sky. 

This is an overlook from the Island in the Sky paved road.

Same overlook as the previous picture, but this one really shows the White Rim. If you look closely, you can see the White Rim Trail running along the edge.

 This is the overlook just before you get to Mussleman Arch.

 Musselman Arch

Since taking this picture the National Park has

ask that you please do not walk on the arch.

 I found this gem while going through my pictures. I guess my sister-in-law took it while I was walking back from the arch. 

Tower Arch

Rating: 3
This can be done with a stock SUV, but 4-wheel drive and low range are required. We saw a stock, brand new suburban on this road but they did hit their hitch more than once.

Location
This is located on the northwest end of Arches National Park.

Trailhead
The road is on the left from Highway 191, 4.5 miles south of I-70 at Cresent Junction. It is 24.2 miles from Moab measured from the bridge that crosses the Colorado River. GPS coordinates are 38°52'36.6"N 109°48'44.7"W (38.876827, -109.812422).

Follow this road for 1.3 miles. There is a road to the right that you take to get to Arches National Park. GPS coordinates are 38°53'32.7"N 109°48'02.1"W (38.892423, -109.800592). In 2.6 miles the road will intersect with another road and you keep to the right. This is Salt Valley Road. If you stay on this road you will take it all the way into Arches. This way would be rated a 1-2 depending on recent weather.

Shortly after you cross into the park, there is a road to the right. It is immediately after the road to Klondike Bluffs. Make sure you take the second road. I believe there is a sign saying it takes you to tower arch. The GPS coordinates of this turn are 38°47'43.2"N 109°39'29.1"W (38.795323, -109.658095).

Description:
If you want an easy road for a small crossover, stay on the Salt Valley Road which will take you straight into arches. If you want some mild ledges and the need for 4-wheel drive, take the turn to Tower Arch. There are some fun descents down multiple ledges and rocks that will require careful maneuvering unless you have higher clearance.

The best part about this road is that you get to see a few arches (the two main ones are Tower Arch and Eye of Whale arch) which most people don't get to see. We were here during May, which is a busy season in Moab. When we were at Tower Arch there were only 3-4 other vehicles that were there while we took a long lunch break. The rest of Arches was packed. Driving by the entrance on the way out there was a LONG line of cars waiting to pay the entrance fee.

If you feel bad for not paying an entrance fee, you can stop and pay on your way out. We came in on the Salt Valley Road about 10 years ago and payed on our way out. The ranger was very grateful, but was more surprised, that we actually stopped and paid. I didn't pay this time because I have the annual pass.

Here are the GPX and KML files from our trip.

The joys of trying to get ONE good picture with a 2 year old. She wanted to twirl... The picture above was the first try, the rest just didn't work. Click on the picture to enlarge!

Tyng's Grave

Rating: 3
This road has some steep, loose, rocky climbs with a few scattered medium sized rocks that make low-range and decent clearance needed.

Location
This is located up American Fork Canyon.

Trailhead
This is up American Fork Canyon. The dirt road starts at Tibble Fork Reservoir. It is located just past the parking lot at the next turn in the road. The dirt road continues straight right at the hairpin turn on the paved road. GPS coordinates are 40°29'01.1"N 111°38'34.0"W (40.483631, -111.642789).

You follow this main road for about 6 miles until you reach the mine tailing reclamation area (which used to be a fun playground for ATVs but is now closed). You hang a left turn at the tailing reclamation area past the information signs and continue on this road to Tyng's Grave. GPS coordinates are 40°32'34.5"N 111°35'39.6"W (40.542919, -111.594348).

I believe you can get to the Tyng's Grave road from the Forest City (no real buildings left at this area, but it was once a mining town/base camp) which is about 4.5 miles from Tibble Fork. I haven't gone this way since I was a kid, so I don't know if it is still open or accessible.

Description
This is a fun, short dirt road that has great views of American Fork Canyon. It is a dead end road, and ends at the grave of George Tyng and the associated mine. There are a few rocky, loose climbs that keep things interesting but shouldn't be too much difficulty for a stock vehicle with low-range.

George Tyng was an interesting fellow. He was born in 1842 in Massachusetts. He was educated in Hanover, Germany and spent many years in South America and Cuba in various business adventures. He also spent time throughout North America. He became the U.S. Marshall in the Arizona Territory from 1874-1877. He then purchased the Arizona Sentinel newspaper and ran that. Later he moved to Mexico City to help organize and manage the Tehuantepec Inter-Ocean Railroad Company.

He also managed a ranch in the Texas Panhandle. He also laid out the town of Pampa, Texas in the same area. He helped develop farmland and windmills in the area. He later became known as the "father of the Panhandle."

He also had many mining interests. The locations ranged from Honduras, Mexico, Arizona, and Canada. In 1901 he relocated to Utah to explore mining in the region. In 1904 he hit the "motherload" in American Fork Canyon. The mining tunnel became known as the Wyoming Tunnel (which you can visit just past his grave) and made a fortune in gold, silver, lead, and zinc. After Tyng's death, his son continued mining ore worth over $600,000 over a 4 year period.

On January 19, 190 he was working in his office near the mine and an avalanche swept through the area causing his death. The avalanche swept his office down the hill. Shortly after the avalanche some miners tried to rescue Tyng. It took them 2 hours of digging to locate and extract his body. They found him under an eight by eight inch beam. A nail in the beam penetrated his skull.

His body was initially to be transferred to Victoria, Texas (where his wife lived), but they learned that he wished to be buried on Miller Hill in American Fork Canyon, where he was known to sit and admire the beautiful scenery.

He was a beloved by his workers, and Theo Nicholes (who worked for Tyng) wrote: "[He is] one of the finest gentlemen I have ever met. You could get a better meal in his boarding house than at the Hotel Utah. He always paid from 75 cents to $1 more than the prevailing scale and got the best miners in the country. There wasn't a one of us, who wouldn't work his head off for the old man."

The love and respect the men had for them was evident shortly after his death. They had transported his body to American Fork, but upon learning about his request to be buried on Miller Hill they took his body back up the canyon to bury him. It was winter, and instead of temporarily burying the body and relocating it in the summer months, it took several dozen men and 8 teams of horses to break a trail up the canyon for Tyng's coffin. They dug through 23 snow slides going up the canyon and many days. The snow was reported to be 18 feet deep that winter so it took quite a bit of time to clear the ground for the burial. It was also reported that 50 people gathered in the deep snow to be present during the burial.

I cant think of a better place to be buried. The view from Miller Hill is breathtaking.

 A picture of George Tyng and his two sons looking down into Mineral Basin.

George Tyng is on the left with a hat on his knee. His two sons are on the right. The photographer is next to Tyng and one of his miners is in the back. 

References:
Adams, Dale. "The Adventures of George Tyng." http://ownerbuilderbook.com/downloadables/f/274.pdf
Victory Regional History Center. http://vrhc.uhv.edu/manuscripts/tyng/home.htm
National Park Service. "George Tyng." http://www.nps.gov/tica/learn/historyculture/george-tyng.htm
Pictures from www.nps.gov

Here is a KMZ of the road. I have switched phones since this time and I couldn't find the GPS track I made. On Google Maps I traced the route and made a KMZ file. It should be pretty close to the actual trail.

 The first part is a nice easy road.

 The second portion is one climb after another. It is loose and rocky. It doesn't look to bad in the pictures, but if you look you can see the dust from our spinning tires. It wasn't difficulty, just loose. 

 No wonder George Tynge wanted to be buried here. It was a spectacular view!

 The white picket fence is George Tyng's grave.

 This is at the mine just above the grave. I assume this was Tyng's mine. 

 It was a beautiful day!

This is at the mine tailing reclamation site where the road starts. It used to be full of orange mine tailings but now it is just rolling hills with some grass growing on them.

Gemini Bridges

Rating: 2
This is a fairly well maintained graded road, however there are a few rough spots, a steep dirt hill, and a few rutted out areas that would make it difficult in a small car. If you want to get to Gemini Bridges in a car, I would recommend starting from the road going into Canyonlands to the Island in the Sky District. If you go out the same way you will bypass the areas that give this road a rating of 2.

Location
Just outside of Moab, UT.

Trailhead
The road begins to the West off of highway 191. It is 7.1 miles north of Moab measured from the bridge crossing the Colorado River. GPS coordinates are 38°39'22.1"N 109°40'36.8"W (38.656145, -109.676901). This road is well marked with a sign pointing to Gemini Bridges.

The other end of the road takes off of highway 313 that takes you into the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands. The road is to the left as you are heading into the park. It is 10.7 miles after you turn off of highway 191. GPS Coordinates are 38°36'09.4"N 109°48'59.1"W (38.602624, -109.816413).

There are many intersections with other roads in this area, but there are good signs directing you to Gemini Bridges.

If you use my GPS file, you may notice that I didn't come out on the Gemini Bridges road that I referenced above. I accidentally took a wrong turn that still took me out to the highway. In the end, if you follow the trail you will still get to Gemini Bridges.

Description
This is an easy drive to get to the top of Gemini Bridges. These are two arches/bridges that have a gap of about 6 feet between them. It is a spectacular view from the top through the bridges down into Bull Canyon. You used to be able to drive right up to the bridges but now it is a short hike (about 300 yards). After you see it from the top, you should consider going down Bull Canyon to see them from the bottom. The view of the bridges is much better, in my opinion, from the bottom because you can see the full span of the bridges.

You might be tempted to jump the gap. People do it frequently and you can find YouTube vidoes of people jumping the gap. There have been a few reported deaths of people trying this, so I wouldn't recommend it!

Here is the GPX and KML files of the trip. I forgot to turn the GPS on for the first few miles, so if you need the beginning you can use this KMZ that I made from google maps to complete the route (the blue route on the map is the part I didn't record).

 Tranvis loves hanging his head over the edge. His wife doesn't. 

If you look closely you can see the gap between the two at the top.