Dewey Bridge has the distinction of being both the longest suspension bridge and the longest clear span bridge in the state of Utah, Built in 1916, it allowed commerce to flow between Utah and western Colorado. It is slowly being restored through various donations but now sits beside the new concrete bridge built in the 1980s.
We packed the side by side and headed out.
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| View from our camp site |
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| Colorado River |
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| The La Sal mountains in the background |
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| Dome Plateau |
Squaw Park trail is less that 9 miles long and has a difficulty rating of 5 out of 10 so there should really be no horrible challenges on this trail. It consisted of ungraded sand and rocks and had plenty of rock ledges and stair steps. There was only one area on this trail that required John to get out and actually survey the descent as to which was the less hazardous way down!! Of course this was a great time for me to exit the vehicle and get some video!! Yes, I am the biggest coward you will ever see when it comes to the possibility of tipping over!! As it turned out, it really was nothing to worry about as I am sure the video will show!!
It was a rather bumpy trail and I did feel like I was getting the crap shook out of me AND since we now had cell service, I was able to do a bit of texting. One can not be missing out on the opportunity to reach out and nag, or gloat......Ha, Ha, my view is better than your view!!
Near the end of Squaw Park Trail, there is a naturally formed "arch" in one of the many sandstone cliffs so we had to take a side trail to get a better view of it and of course, there is always time for a "Kodak" moment.
Once that was done, we accessed another trail which eventually lead us to the Dome Plateau Trail head. We had a bit of trouble finding the trail as the signage out here in the back country is virtually non existent and that is the one and only flaw that I find whenever we ride these trails. For a place that is supposed to be the off road/mountain bike Mecca......it leaves much to be desired for trail markers. One truly is "on their own" when they are out here so you better have some sort of clue as to your direction!!
We eventually did find the trail head and headed towards Dome Plateau. This trail is about 15 miles long and has a difficulty rating on only 2 out of 10 but a scenic rating of 8 out of 10. It was an easy trail that crossed the undulating terrain known as "the highlands". It had lots of sandy areas and a few spots of loose rock. It took us to elevation between 4700 feet and 5800 feet. The views from the Plateau were awesome with Arches National park to the North and the snow covered La Sal Mountains to the south, It truly was something to see.
It was soon time to head for home and we decided to take the trail back. John wanted to see some of the caves on the other side of the valley and found an awesome sand trail running along the valley floor. It quickly took us to the caves where wind erosion is taking its toll on the delicate sandstone. There were some petroglyphs on some of the walls and of course a sign asking people to not touch them or in any way alter or disturb. Unfortunately that was not case and there were so many names scrawled in amongst the ancient writings that it almost made you sick. God.....what is wrong with people?? Talk about total disregard for the past.
Now that we had seen the sights, it was time for us to find a trail back to the main one and continue our journey home. This did not prove to be so easy and we ended up on some obscure trail going God only knows with the sun setting and darkness coming on!! Holy God, I may have to call on the powers to get us back to camp!! I was Sooooo not looking forward to spending the night in the Utah Desert.....been there, done that and so not doing that again!!
John was able to find a trail that eventually (after a few hours) spit us out onto the highway just 4 miles from camp. From here, it was a quick trip home and we got there in time for the Monday Night Football game. Life is soooo very good and I get to sleep in my own bed tonight!!
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