The Geologic Story of Canyonlands National ParkLohman, Stanley William
Science
The Geologic Story of Canyonlands National Park
Lohman, Stanley William
Canyonlands National Park (Utah) -- Guidebooks; Geology -- Utah -- Canyonlands National Park -- Guidebooks
Let us begin our tour of Salt and Horse Canyons by driving a
four-wheel-drive vehicle eastward from the fine campground at Squaw
Flat. After about a mile we pass the Wooden Shoe (fig. 41) capping a
ridge south of the highway; it contains one of the smallest arches we
will encounter. Three quarters of a mile east of the temporary ranger
station we come to Cave Spring, an old restored cowboy line camp
pictured in figure 6. This and an adjacent cave containing a spring are
part of the interesting well-marked Environmental Trail, well worth the
half hour or so it requires.
[Illustration: WOODEN SHOE, near temporary ranger headquarters, the
Needles district. Carved in Cedar Mesa Sandstone. (Fig. 41)]
The jeep trail up Salt Canyon lies mostly in the sandy bed of Salt Creek
but includes a few shortcuts across goosenecks and some rough rocky
stretches around rapids or waterfalls. It is best traveled when the
canyon bottom is moist but not soaked. When the sand is soft and dry, a
shift into four-wheel drive is generally necessary. Signs warn of
quicksand, which occurs when the sand is fully saturated; hence, summer
thundershowers sometimes require delaying or postponing the trip. When
in doubt, consult a park ranger for expected weather and trail
conditions. Thundershowers sometimes occur so suddenly and violently as
to cause serious floods, and the “road” is closed when heavy rain is
expected. However, if an unexpected storm occurs while you are up in the
canyon, try to reach high ground and wait until the flood subsides. If
you do not have time to get your vehicle out of the flood’s path, at
least get yourself and passengers to a safe spot.
[Illustration: PAUL BUNYANS POTTY, on east wall of Horse Canyon.
(Fig. 42)]
Two and a half miles south of Cave Spring we reach the confluence with
Horse Canyon, marked by a sign at the Y giving distances to points of
interest up each canyon. Let us try Horse Canyon first. After about a
mile we pass Paul Bunyans Potty on the left—one of the most aptly titled
features of the park (fig. 42). Two miles south of the Y is Keyhole
Ruin, nestled in a cleft high on the cliff to our left—a granary built
by the Anasazi. Here we face another Y. The left fork leads half a mile
east to Tower Ruin (fig. 4), one of the largest and best preserved
Anasazi granaries in the park. The right fork takes us on up Horse
Canyon, and in about 2 miles we pass Gothic Arch on the right. In 2 more
miles, 4 miles from Salt Canyon, a short hike up the tributary to the
right leads to Castle Arch and Thirteen Faces. Assuming we have taken
photographs of the important features along the way, it probably is
about time to return to camp at Squaw Flat, unless we choose to spend
the night at Peek-a-boo Spring and primitive campground in Salt Canyon,
about 1.2 miles above the confluence with Horse Canyon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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