Castle
Valley GPS: 38.38N, 109.24; Elevation: 4685 ft
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Getting Oriented
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Castle Valley is a small tiny community just
south of Hwy. 128. Turn off at Mountain Loop Rd.
Practicalities
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Restrooms
Castle Valley Library, 2 Castle Valley Drive,
435-259-9998, limited hours
Activities
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Rock Climbing is a popular pastime in this area.
For routes and information go to http://www.mountainproject.com/v/castle-valley/105716784
Eating
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The River Grill, in the Sorrel River Ranch
Resort and Spa, Hwy. 128, 435-259-4642, www.sorrelriver.com, deck dining, full
bar, 7am-9pm, reservations recommended for the Grill Restaurant.
Using produce from the onsite garden, this farm-to-plate
restaurant featuring local flavors is worth the drive. Views from the
restaurant provide panoramas of the red rock formations. Picnic lunches to go.
Lodging
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Sorrel River Ranch Resort and Spa, mile 17 Hwy.
128, 20 miles from Moab, 435-259-4642, sorrelriver.com, 55 suites, tennis
courts, massage, fitness center, hiking, horseback riding, seasonal pool, wifi
The River Grill on-site restaurant, $400-800
This full service spa and resort is a lush,
green oasis in this red rock dessert bordered by the Colorado River. Off
season, the services are limited, and take note, 18% is added to ALL bills
automatically for service.
Rooms feature unique, comfortable furnishings
with bright nature colors and wood accents. Sizes vary from 400 to 1000 square
feet, with large windows, private decks and incredible views combining the
green of the lawns, the red of the rock formations and the blue of the river
and sky. Family suites sleep 6. A separate home and apartment are also
available.
Reviews: Zagat 26; Trip Advisor 4*; yelp 2.5*
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Castle Valley Inn, 424 Amber Lane, Moab 17.5m
from Moab, 435-259-6012, www.castlevalleyinn.com, facebook page, full
breakfast, hot tub, wifi, room rates range from $105-220.
Lovely lawns, orchards and red rock background make
the five acre setting particularly attractive. Cabins and rooms are
individually decorated emphasizing a southwest, rustic theme with colorful
quilts, ceiling fans, and antique and pine furnishings. Rooms range from cabins
to inn rooms. Make sure to look at the website so you are not surprised by your
room. Enjoy coffee, tea, fruit and fresh juice with a main dish like pancakes,
banana bread, eggs, or a frittata. Not a
traditional bed and breakfast, however. Guests are pretty much limited to
rooms, grounds and breakfast room. The hot tub is a great place for some star
gazing, particularly this far from major development. Rooms sleep 2-4 people.
For cost, comfort and setting, these lodgings are
difficult to beat. A heads up though, there is a rooster on site and he does
what roosters do, which means if you are a light sleeper you might not
appreciate the early morning wake-up.
Reviews: TA: 5*, yelp 4.5*
Hwy 313 takes you 15m from US191 to the Canyonlands turnoff,
but if you stay on 313 after seven miles you'll end up at some great views at
Dead Horse Point state park, one of the most photographed places in the world.
Despite this designation, the many times we've been out here, it has never been
crowded. There are multiple viewpoints along the road where you can pull out
and take pictures.
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Lone Mesa Group Sites, vault toilets, picnic
tables, fire grills, five group sites at this wide open camping area with not a
tree in site, literally. There are wood shade shelters for each camp area.
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Jewel Tibbetts Arch Hiking trail, 10m from Hwy.
191, turn right just before the cattle guard and go 1.3m on a dirt road that
can be difficult to pass in a regular vehicle.
Take the trail through the fence on a dirt road then
look for the trail to leave the road about .1m. It goes down into the wash
until it hits another road for a short distance and then it leaves this road,
following rock cairns to the edge of the Hell Roaring Canyon. Past the canyon there is a short spur that
leads to views of the arch and the canyon. The trail returns to the parking
lot.
Tips: no motorized vehicles allowed. Very hot in
summer. Some high, unprotected views that can make this hike dangerous for
small children.
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Horse Thief Campground, 12m from Hwy. 191, 56
sites with RV accommodation, toilets, first come, first served. Views are
spacious reaching out across the plateau and off to the Henry Mountains. Little
shelter from sun or wind but scrub oak, cedar and pinon pine provide some
privacy between the well spaced sites.
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Cowboy Camp Camping Area, 18m from hwy. 191, 7
sites, toilets. Road is rough and not suitable for large vehicles.
Learn More About it: Layer
cake geology is a common site in this part of the country where uplifted
mountains leave exposed rock formations distinctly layered on top of one
another. From Dead Horse Point you get an excellent view of this formation.
Here, 300 million years of rock formation and movement can be viewed in the
8000 feet of exposed rock deposited by a mixture of oceans, wind and geologic
events. While most of the sediments visible here were deposited 300 million
years ago, the uplift exposing the rocks happened about 25 million ago with the
Colorado Plateau was formed. The Colorado River was also formed at this time
and has been busy, ever since, carving out a mosaic through the rock formations
as it winds to the Pacific Ocean. At the top of Dead Horse Point is Kayenta
formation. If you want details about the geology of the area, see the following
brochure, http://www.utahgeology.org/road_logs/uga-29_first_edition/SP_guide/deadhors.pdf
Media Connection: Get the
Book "Dead Horse Point-The Story Behind the Scenery", an oversized
soft-covered book with lots of pictures and explanations of the geology and
natural history. It's more like a casual coffee table book than an academic
thesis.
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Dead Horse Point State Park, 32 Miles from Moab
(good hour drive), 5900 Ft elevation, 435-259-2614, facebook page, park
6am-10pm; visitor center 8am-6pm (summer), 9am-5pm (winter), closed major
holidays, pony express coffee shop offers light snacks and coffee, smoothies,
and tea from Mar-Oct., interpretive programs in season, limited water in the
park, camping ($20, see below), restrooms, picnic areas, $10 entrance fee
Dead Horse point towers above a gooseneck of the
Colorado River, 2000 feet below. Views
spread for miles over an incredible, colorful landscape, including the La Sal
mountains in the distance. Several interpretations of the name are offered but
the most popular is that the area was once used as a corral for wild mustangs
herded by cowboys. Rumor has it that one year, the horses were left in the
corral and starved to death. Hopefully, that's just a rumor with no basis in
fact.
If you look over the canyons, you might notice some
small green lakes. These are actually evaporation ponds for a potash mine
outside the park.
While the views are always worth the drive, when it's
hot it's almost impossible to enjoy the hikes. Spring and fall are better if
you want to get out on the trails. Facebook site is updated regularly and
includes event notices. In winter, there is often snow and it is not unusual to
be the only visitor on a trail.
Kid Alert: The Park is moderately kid friendly. There
are many overlooks that are not fenced and have steep drops so younger kids
need to be watched closely. Biking is great here for skilled young riders.
There are many ranger programs in the season that feature creepy crawly
creatures like insects and lizards and bats. And, you are likely to see a mule
deer. There are also full moon hikes, which some youngsters might find
intriguing.
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Visitor Center: The visitor center is a mixture
of rock and steel overlooking the canyon. It includes interactive displays on
history, geology, plants and animals, short nature trail begins and ends at the
visitor center. Local artists display their art in the Big Horn gallery in the
visitor center. Trail guides are available. In the spring, colorful blooms surround the
visitor center. The deck has some seating and is a good place to sit with a
beverage or sandwich from the little coffee shop. The coffee shop also has
wraps, muffins, bagels, juice and ice cream bars.
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Hiking: All three nested loop trails are mostly
flat slickrock and have no services. Great trails for tweens or teens to do
with the family. Trails are well marked
Big Chief Loop trail, 9 m for bikes and hikers heads
out to dead horse canyon view with lots of views of the LaSal mountains. You
can also see the Potash Industrial Site
Great Pyramid Loop trail, 4.2m for bikes and hikers
also includes an overlook
Intrepid Loop trail, 1.1m for bikes and hikers
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Camping:
Kayenta Campground: 800-322-3770 for reservations, open
April-Oct, 21 site, electrical hookups,
sheltered tables, charcoal grills, $20 fee includes park entry, modern
restrooms but no showers because water is scare up here. Some pinyon and
juniper trees
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