Old Spanish Trail Adventure
by BLMUtah
It was the tail end of a marathon week travelling nearly 400 miles across Utah’s Old Spanish National Historic Trail. That evening, we gazed over rolling, shrubby vistas that disappeared into shadowy hints of distant canyons. La Sal’s fabled peaks rode the southeastern horizon as the final reds, oranges, and purples of the desert sun set to the west. The expansiveness and solitude has a way of bringing stories embedded in the land back to life. As dusk set in, we spotted him, the lone cowboy. He rode on the outskirts of Utah’s Green River upon his horse, Dillon, following the remnants of the Old Spanish Trail which was used in the 1800’s as a trade route from Santa Fe to Los Angeles. With a six-shooter on his hip, bed roll on his saddle, and a pug named Bufford upon his shoulder, he looked like the last John Wayne of the West -- riding the trail as it was meant to be traveled, on horseback.
Who are we? I am one of three American Conservation Experience (ACE) interns. Our cadre includes a social media lead and a videographer from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Utah State Office. Our goal was to expose the exciting opportunities along the Old Spanish Trail, and encourage younger generations of public land users (ages 18-35) to explore Utah’s amazing landscape. We left our urban, office lives behind to discover Utah’s big backyard. We hiked, biked, drove, and even rode horseback while observing artifacts and dinosaur tracks. Historians, recreation planners, archaeologists, paleontologists, and local guides met us along the way as we retraced the historic route.
Our journey began in the Hurricane Cliffs in southwestern Utah, where we tackled the rugged Honeymoon Trail on mountain bikes. As we navigated the rocky switchbacks from the Hurricane Cliffs to Warner Valley, we began to realize how difficult the journey must have been for the Armijo Party in 1829, and Mormon pioneers who sought to have their marriages sealed at the temple in St. George. The Warner Valley Dinosaur track site features 400 ancient tracks, including those from Eubrontes and Grallator, which reminded us that this land’s history started long before human habitation.
Driving north along the trail, we found the Mountain Meadows Grave Site Memorial, which was an essential stopping point for Spanish Traders seeking food and water. The site was recently designated as a National Historic Landmark by former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. “You are looking at the highway of the 1800’s” said Old Spanish Trail Association Member Al Matheson, as he pointed out traces of the trail. Cultural substance that had been invisible to us began to appear on the desert landscape.
Near Enterprise, Utah, we discovered an Old Spanish National Historic Trail marker built by trail association members in 1957. Nearby, sprawls of giant dinosaur tracks, rock-like pachyderms and massive conglomerate boulder formations showed evidence of an ever-changing landscape. After the history lessons provided by Mr. Matheson, we headed over to Three Peaks Recreation Area for some action-packed trail riding just outside of Cedar City. We set up camp for the night at Piute State Park. Night temperatures dropped well below freezing after sunset, and the stars dazzled while the rest of the world enveloped us in black. Within the stillness of barren landscape, we shut our eyes hoping for a few hours of sleep.
As dawn broke on our third morning, the frosty November air nipped at our fingers and toes. Grateful for modern day comforts, we happily hopped in our pickup truck and followed the trail corridor to the Kingston Canyon Old Spanish Trail Interpretive Site in central Utah. One of my fellow ACE interns, Gordon “Gordo” Wood took in the moment and remarked, “After traveling along the Historic trails with modern conveniences, I am convinced that the men and women that once travelled and forged these trails are the astronauts of today!” Gordo was a Visual Resource Management intern and our ever-cheerful project lead. We formed a pack-trail caravan and hiked up a stunningly beautiful side-canyon to attempt geocaching, an activity which combines GPS skills with outdoor recreation. BLM’s Richfield Field Office showed us the way. As we manipulated our GPS devices, we reflected on the challenges faced by travelers who, centuries earlier, managed to successfully traverse an unforgiving landscape without the modern technology that we take for granted. In most cases they were lucky to have a decent map. Our group wound along the corridor east to the Fish Lake Cutoff, where Forest Service Archaeologist, Bob Leonard, described the trail as the “longest, crookedest, toughest pack trail in North America”. Hundreds of trail blazes (tree markings) marked the route, providing further evidence of human passage 160 years ago. A mysterious primitive rock structure stood erect in this landscape, marking the trail in contrast to the natural ecosystem surrounding it. Bob explained his theory that is was an ancient landmark or shrine.
The next leg of our adventure took us across the magnificent San Rafael Swell, where we took a detour to The Wedge Recreation Area along the Green River cutoff. Nicknamed the “Little Grand Canyon,” the views were awe-inspiring. Surrounding us were myriads of colorful canyon walls lining the deepest part of the San Rafael River canyon. It was clear that our recreational opportunities were endless.
Our travels through the Swell led to countless discoveries, including a nineteenth century railroad grade, washed out by years of flash flooding. Nearby axle grease inscriptions along the side of the wash attested to the fortitude of railroad workers at that time. A hike down a canyon led to rock art panels carved high into the cliff walls, remnants of an ancient culture—Ute Native Americans. As we meandered back through the desert, we stumbled upon a green glass bottle, dated it to the early 1920’s, along with a heavily rusted container that may have been used for medicine. Exhausted from our long day, we were glad to see the pickup truck waiting for us. We drove on to the small town of Green River, where we were greeted by Jo Anne Chandler from the John Wesley Powell Museum. Ms. Chandler described the Gunnison expedition and told us about when the Spanish caravan crossed the Green River. Her stories were better than anything I’d seen in a history book. As we prepared to bed down for the night, we watched the sunset light up the historic Green River Launch Complex, an annex of the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range. We were eager to see what the next and final day would bring.
Our last day of adventure along the Old Spanish Trail led us southeast to Moab, the mountain biking capital of the world. Joined by Mike Adler from Magpie Cycling Adventures, we weaved our bikes through the BLM’s Bar M Trail Series -- jumping over small shrubs, and dodging large boulders. One trail called Sidewinder led us directly down the Old Spanish Trail through a series of rocky switchbacks and climbs.
Excited that we had all survived the challenging trail, we were ready to head to Ken’s Lake, 10 miles south of Moab, to try our hand at a different kind of riding. The Moab section of the Old Spanish Trail is well known for its horseback riding opportunities, and highlights the region’s mythical “Old West” history.
We were greeted by Sheri Griffith and Gina Giffin, from the Grand Country Trail Mix Group, who generously provided horses for us to ride. We bravely swung up onto the backs of our trusty steeds and began clopping along the dusty trail. With the majestic La Sal Mountain range ahead of us, the swaying saddles beneath us, and the rhythmic beat of the horses’ hooves below, we became cowboys and cowgirls surveying this harsh yet beautiful landscape.
It was during this time, our experiences over the past week sunk in and we fully appreciated the trials and tribulations of those who travelled the trail before us.
To culminate our journey, we met BLM Moab Paleontologist, Rebecca Hunt-Foster at the Poison Spider Trailhead: the home of Moab’s famous theropod (meat-eating dinosaurs) track way. We spent the remainder of the evening learning about Utah’s unique paleontology and geology. Deepening shadows signaled the close of a long day, and with heavy hearts we said our goodbyes and prepared for our journey home to Salt Lake City. That night, we returned to the bright lights and noise of the city, sad to leave our companions behind, yet overjoyed and enriched by memories of our incredible Old Spanish Trail Adventure.
