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Spring wildflowers on the edge of Eagle Canyon |
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The view from Spotted Wolf |
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Here are some things to look for when you stop
at the viewpoints:
Devils Canyon (mile 116) and Eagle
Canyon -- on the west-bound side, both provide glimpses
into the deep canyons .
Ghost Rock (mile marker 126) -- This megalith
was an important landmark for early explorers and was named
because in stormy weather, the base of the formation often
disappears making it look like is floating on a cloud. North
of I-70 is an area known as Secret Mesa that was home to outlaws
and rustlers. Evidence of their habitation can still be found.
Spotted Wolf and Black Dragon (mile
marker 142) -- Spotted Wolf is my all-time favorite roadside
view. As I-70 snakes its way down Spotted Wolf Canyon and
though the reef, it's possible to see for miles and miles
and miles to the southeast.
As you make your way down this steep descent,
keep one eye on the cliffs. On two occasions I've spotted
mountain lions high up on the cliffs watching the traffic
flow past them.
San Rafael Reef (mile marker 146) -- This
viewpoint is only accessible from the west-bound lanes but
offers an unparalleled view of the sandstone cliffs that were
lifted nearly 70 degrees from vertical. Informational panels
detail the "Uranium Fever" that swept through here
between 1950 and 1956. There is also a memorial to a Utah
Highway Patrol officer who was killed in the line of duty
in 1993.
Just south of the San Rafael Reef viewpoint
is an unmarked gravel road (on the west-bound roadway) that
leads to the Black Dragon Pictograph area. This one-mile road
ends at the mouth of Black Dragon Canyon where extensive pictographs
can be seen, including one panel that may be related to an
ancient calendar system.
Next: Goblin
Valley and Green River>
Mark
Sedenquist
April 16, 2006
