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(Beyond) Poison Spring Road '01
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In the midst of a weeklong exploring binge in June of '99, I stumbled onto Poison Spring Road. What
I found blew me away. The scenery was simply amazing. I knew I needed to come back and explore this
remote area and created this web page in anticipation. For almost two years the need to finish this
road has been haunting me. Over Easter weekend I decided I was more interested in some backcountry exploring
and solitude instead of fighting the crowds over in Moab. We drove out Poison Spring Road in the dark,
arriving at the banks of the Dirty Devil River just before midnight.
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We made our camp on the banks of the Dirty Devil, preferring to make the cross in the morning. The
sound of the river during the night was very peaceful. In the morning we received a wake up call from
a couple of ATVers. I needed to get up anyway and was somewhat relieved when they successfully crossed
the river. I knew if they could make it I shouldn't have any problems. Before crossing I waded across
to see how deep it was and also to see how soft the riverbed was. It was about knee deep in the deepest
place and had plenty of rocks. We made the crossing without any complications.
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After crossing we were treated to spectacular views of the Dirty Devil River as the road twisted and
climbed. The snow capped peaks of the Henry's were visible to the west. As we entered North Hatch Canyon
we passed a few intersections that led to old mines.
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We came upon what must have been an old camp. The remains of an old car that had been modified into
some sort of a camper trailer and some other junk were scattered around. Not far from the camp I recognized
the intersection of the road that I camped on in '99. This road is much more primitive and unmaintained.
A map I saw showed the road climbs to the top of the bench in the background of the picture. Someday
I'll have to go back and explore it, perhaps on motorcycle.
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After a few miles of scenic driving we came to the park boundary. The sign was clear to me that ATVs
were not allowed in the park but the ATV tracks continued on.
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We came to a four-way intersection signaling the end of Poison Spring Road and Hatch Canyon. My planned
route was to head north on the Flint Trail but I know I'll be back to explore the other directions at
a later date.
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The road climbed the edge of a bench allowing us to take in some great views of the area, inspite of
a strange haze. It was little disorienting not being able to see the LaSals or the Abajos in the distance.
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Just past the intersection for the Golden Stairs and Maze Overlook the road turned to the west. Soon
I could make out the Flint Trail switchbacks ahead and began realizing we would be climbing them. I
marveled at the road construction. At the first switchback I locked in the hubs and dropped into 4-lo.
The switchbacks were tight enough to require a 2 or 3 point turn and a fair amount of attention.
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We met the renegade ATVers coming down the upper switchback. They were loaded up with extra gas and
gear. I was disapointed that they would disregard the rules of the park. I'm sure this is a common
problem since patrolling an area as remote as this would be next to impossible and they knew it. We
only saw one other vehicle on this entire loop and it belonged to a commercial touring company.
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The low gears took us confidently up the switchbacks. At the top we enjoyed the view for a while before
continuing on. Up on Hans Flat the road was in great condition. We began to see passenger cars which
was a sign that the worst was over. At the Ranger Station I briefly looked around for a Ranger but did
not see any vehicles parked near by. Outside the boundary the road appeared to have been graded recently
allowing us to travel quite rapidly. This had been an excellent trip, one I couldn't believe I had waited
so long to do. The permits required and restrictions set by Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and
Canyonlands National Park make this area difficult to explore without a lot of preplanning, something
I seldom do. However this preview will inspire me to come back soon and explore the roads and hike the
trails in the park.
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