San Juan County ATV Safari Trails
Arch Canyon ATV Trail
Blanding Utah is a great starting location to the Arch Canyon Trail staging area. The staging area for the San Juan Safari is near the Falls Area of South Cottonwood Wash about 11 miles south west of Blanding. The trail will traverse the south side of Whiskers Draw, the Comb Ridge escarpment, and up Arch Canyon past several ancient Indian ruins. The trail will begin on old highway 95 which is a dirt road from South Cottonwood Canyon to Arch Canyon. This section of the route will take you on top of Comb Ridge and down the old narrow dugway with spectacular scenic views. Once you arrive at Arch Canyon you will be on a two track jeep, ATV trail. The trail up Arch Canyon is about 8 miles long to Cathedral Arch, and then back track to old Highway 95 and up to the Arch Canyon overlook for a breath taking scenic view of the canyon. This is a very scenic trip and you should plan a full day for this ride. We recommend our “Arch Canyon” map for the full Safari Trail or our “Comb Wash North” map for just the Arch Canyon and Hotel Rock Trail.
Trail Rating: Moderate
Behind The Rocks Trail
Behind the Rocks trailhead is located about 41 miles north of Monticello on Highway 191, and about 10 miles south of Moab. This trail traverses sandstone domes and fins and if you’re looking for a challenging ride this is the one. The Behind the Rocks trail system is complex and even with trail markers can be difficult. We recommend purchasing our “Moab Jeep Trails Southeast” map and “Guide to Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails” by Charles Wells.
Trail Rating: Difficult
Blanding Bulldog Trail
There are several ways to reach the staging area for this trail. The one that I like is staging at the boat dock. This trail traverses Recapture Reservoir, the south side of the Abajo Mountains, Bulldog Canyon, and more. This trail system is complex and the distance can very depending on the route taken. The trail runs from an elevation of about 7000 feet to 8500 feet. The trail traverses though several vegetative types including sagebrush, pinion, juniper, gamble oak, and alpine forests. This trail will be a good family ride. It can begin and end in Blanding. We recommend our “Blanding Bulldog” map.
Trail Rating: Easy to Moderate – Trail Mileage: 33 miles round trip
Bridger Jack
The Bridger Jack trail is in a semi-desert environment in San Juan County spectacular red rock county. The trail will eventually lead to Salt Creek Canyon overlook one of the most spectacular overlooks in the County. The trail is adjacent to Canyonlands National Park. This trail traverses lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. This will be an all day ride. Trail Rating: Moderate
Elk Ridge & South Cottonwood
The Elk Ridge & South Cottonwood trail begins near the falls area of South Cottonwood drainage on a county-graveled road then turns westerly on the Milk Ranch Point road. The trail goes onto the forest and makes a loop that comes back down the South Cottonwood wash to its point of origin. Gooseberry/Horse Flat trail has been added to this ride. Some high points on the trail will be the “Notch” and a view of spectacular Dark Canyon Wilderness Area along with many, many other scenic vistas for the visitor’s enjoyment. This will be a long but an exceptional family ride. There are three maps to choose fro: Elk Ridge & South Cottonwood 100k which covers the entire trail at a 1:100,000 scale. Elk Ridge & South Cottonwood North and Elk Ridge & South Cottonwood South at a more detailed scale of 1:30,750.
Trail Rating: Easy
Falls Missile
The name of the Falls Missile trail is derived because of the falls on lower Indian Creek and a spent booster rocket that was launched from Green River Utah and dropped near Canyonlands National Park. The trail runs over slick rock and sand. The visitor will travel through some unique red rock sandstone formations. The trail is adjacent to Canyonlands National Park on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Trail Rating: Difficult
Jacobs Chair & Piute Pass
The Jacobs Chair & Piute Pass trails originates in White Canyon across Highway 95 from the Piute Pass Trail. This ride will make a scenic loop around Jacobs Chair, a prominent geologic feature of the Windgate Sandstone in Western San Juan County. The trail is surrounded by lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Trail Rating: Moderate
Piute Pass
The trail presents some of the most scenic vistas in the county including Jacobs Chair, White Canyon, the Henry Mountains, Rainbow Canyon and, if Lake Powell is high enough, Good Hope Bay. The trail is surrounded by lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Trail Rating: Easy/Moderate
John’s Canyon
The John’s Canyon Trail is located in a semi-desert environment. The trail begins near Gooseneck State Park which overlooks the San Juan River. The trail then runs along a bench above the San Juan River through Glenn Canyon National Recreation Area for a short distance and then goes up scenic John’s Canyon. You may be able to spot pre-historic Indian ruins and rock art. This ride will be an all day ride. For the most part the route is on a County Class B road, which is regularly maintained.
Trail Rating: Easy
La Sal Pass
This map covers the La Sal Pass trail. This detailed topographic map is waterproof and tear resistant. The La Sal Mountains are located east of Moab, Utah about 15 miles. The La Sal Mountains include the highest peak on the Colorado Plateau, Mt. Peale 12,721 feet, 3877 meters. These maps provide you with the designated trails on and around the magnificent La Sal Mountains. These are late spring, summer, and early fall trails. Be sure to check weather conditions before riding these trails.
Trail Rating: Easy / Moderate
Monticello Bulldog
The Monticello Bulldog trail runs from an elevation of about 7000 feet to 8500 feet. The trail traverses though several vegetative types including sagebrush, pinion and juniper woodlands, gamble oak and alpine forests. This trail is on lands that cross private, Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands. This trail will be a good family ride. It will begin and end in Monticello. This is the same map as the Blanding Bulldog Map.
Trail Rating: Moderate
N
orth Long Point
The North Long Point Trail ride offers some outstanding scenery including many of southern Utah’s slot canyons, and Dark Canyon Plateau. Extra fuel is advised due to length of trail. This trail is on land managed by the Forest Service.
Trail Rating: Moderate
River House Ruins
The River House Ruin trail is packed with historic and prehistoric artifacts. The historic Barton Trading Post, and San Juan Hill and pre-historic River House Ruin are all included in this ride. The ride over the hill has many outstanding vistas including the San Juan River and geologic formations that includes Soda Basin. This trail is on Bureau of Land Management lands.
Trail Rating: Easy
S
hay Ridge
The Shay Ridge trail passes though gamble oak, aspen and alpine forests past Monticello and Foy lakes to an elevation of about 11000 feet. Breath taking views will be experienced throughout the trip, which brings you back over the Camp Jackson, Wagon Wheel and Pipeline trails. This trail is on lands managed by the National Forest Service. This trip will be an all day ride. Trail Rating: Moderate
Tables of the Sun
The Tables of the Sun trail goes through a semi desert environment that is highly scenic with red rock canyons, and towering butte Old uranium and copper mines dot the landscape from mines that operated in the 1950′s 1970′s. This area also has evidence of ancient civilizations with many ruins along the route. The trail system is made up of a number of both improved and unimproved county roads. The trail is on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Trail Rating: Easy
Woodenshoe Trail
The Woodenshoe Trail goes in a southwesterly direction behind the Monument and climbs steadily upon Deer Flat. From Deer Flat majestic views of red rock canyons, mesas the Henry Mountains and slot canyons can be viewed. The trail continues to climb traveling though gamble oak and through Wooden shoe Butte’s and onto National Forest Lands. From here the trail runs through the Bears Ears where views of pinion and juniper forests of Cedar Mesa can be seen. The trail then descends downward across Maverick Point back to the point of origin. This is an all day trip.
Trail Rating: Easy
Southeastern Utah Attractions and San Juan County ATV Trails: This Map Contains: 18 San Juan ATV Safari Trails, National Parks & Monuments, State Parks, Major Highways, and County Roads & Numbers, Points of Interest in Southeastern Utah, Archaeological Sites, and Scenic Areas. This is a must have map if your traveling to Southeastern Utah to see the sites or to enjoy some canyon country ATV riding!
On our website you will have access to downloadable GPS files of the waypoints and tracks that are associated with a majority of our Trail Maps. We offer our customers three options when purchasing our maps:
Option 1 – Purchase a downloadable map in a PDF format,
Option 2 – Order a printed copy of the map, and
Option 3 – Order both the PDF and the printed map.
When adding your selection to the cart you will be able to select one of these options from a drop down list. (Note: Not all GPS files have corresponding maps, and not all printable maps have GPS files).
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DISCLAIMER
These trail descriptions are only intended to give you a quick summary of each trail. If you have questions about the trails we would encourage you to contact OTBPMAPS for more information. The mileage is based on an approximate estimate. When operating in the back-country of Southeastern Utah there is risks of danger, injury, death, and property damage. OHV operators should be as prepared as possible with plenty of personal gear, food, water, gas, first aid gear, and some source of communications before setting out into the back-country. Be sure to let someone know where you are going and when you should be back as a safety precaution. Trail conditions may change depending on environmental conditions. If you take any of these trails you assume all risk.