June's Bottom lies inside the Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness south
of the town of Green River. The ATV track has been "grandfathered
in" as a narrow corridor within the wilderness. The vast slickrock
areas that formerly made this riding area attractive are not legal to
ride. What remains is a 10-mile out-and-back on ATV track that I cannot,
in good conscience, recommend.
Looking north from the cliffs above
the Green River on the old slickrock route. This area is now wilderness.
Original photos and ride description November 15, 2011 by Bruce.
Update with video and some new photos March 20, 2018. Page updated for
wilderness designation in 2020.
NOTE 2020! The BLM land on the west side of the
Green River is now part of the Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness. My
understanding is that the Junes Bottom Road was
"grandfathered in" as an ATV corridor. If you go, follow the signs,
if any exist. The road is legal only until you reach the north slickrock area.
The one-mile descent down the slickrock to the river is now out-of-bounds, as
is the continuing ATV route that contours around the butte. None of the slickrock
areas are legal to ride. Most riders will find little reason to venture to this remote area. I
can no longer recommend riding here.
This biking area is
very remote. Come prepared. On two separate rides, I passed no vehicles
going either way, and the dirt areas showed no bike tire tracks since the
last rain.
June's Bottom is located about seven miles south of Bull
Bottom, an area of slickrock along the Green River on the edge of the
wilderness where some of the slickrock lies outside the wilderness area.
The dirt road used to be a hateful but necessary
thing, tolerated so you could arrive at the slickrock. Now it's all that's
legal.
The Legal ATV track:
The doubletrack is around 5 miles in length. It's a narrow corridor that
lies within the wilderness area. As I interpret the BLM map, you start on
the sandy dirt road for around a mile, then veer left to the west side of
the mesa. (This connection is NOT shown on my map.) The legal route ends
around the spot where the ATV track turns to the right and southbound for
what used to be the return trip.
Handlebar view as we follow the
doubletrack north. You can see a glimmer of the slickrock, with the Book
Cliffs in the distance.
The classic ride information has been deleted from this
page. If you decide to hit June's Bottom, you're on your own to navigate
legally. I have not gone back to the area since the wilderness
designation. I'll leave the video here in memory of what Utah's riders
have lost.
Loop ride at June's...
If the above video does not appear on your
browser/device, you can watch it on YouTube by clicking
here.
Getting there: From US-6, get eastbound on
I-70. Three miles from the on-ramp, exit at the first Green River
off-ramp. Go left under the freeway and continue into Green River. At
Airport Road 1.4 miles from the off-ramp stop sign, turn right (just look
for the "Airport" sign). The road will veer left along the
railroad tracks. Stay along the tracks until another Airport sign turns
you right at mile 1.9, across the tracks. Go under I-70 and drive the
paved road about 2 miles. At the "San Rafael Desert / Horseshoe
Bend" sign 4.2 miles from the off-ramp, turn left onto graded gravel
road. Zero your odometer. Stay on the main gravel road for 20 miles, then
cross the new bridge over the San Rafael River. Note that spot! At 7.3
miles past the river, 26.9 miles since leaving the paved Airport Road,
keep left at the road fork to stay southbound. 1.2 miles later, turn left off the main road on a smaller dirt road. Drive 1 mile on that dirt road.
When you see a short log fence on the top of the rise with nothing around
it, you're almost there. 0.2 miles later a road forks at 90 degrees
northbound to your left. That's where to start.
Campgrounds: Green River State Park 30 miles away
Water: None
Bathrooms: None
