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Temple Mountain Trail
This trail is an ATV track that loops around Temple Mountain
in the southern San Rafael Swell. There are a lot of nice views, and many
miles of biking in solitude. Great stuff.
View north from the start of the
trail. Temple mountain is pale Wingate sandstone, sitting on skirts of
Chinle and Moenkopi. Photos by Bruce,
December 6, 2002. |
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I describe two routes: a lariat loop
that runs over the ridge between reef and mountain then climbs around the
mountain, and a slightly shorter loop with less climbing that connects
through North Temple Wash. Each is about 10 miles long, and features some
fairly stiff climbing on ATV-track. Difficulty is intermediate due to some
loose rock and occasional wash-outs.
The ride starts on the desert just east of the sharktooth
edge of the San Rafael Reef. After following the road in the gorge through the sandstone cliffs, the ride follows ATV doubletrack up the side
of Temple Mountain.
The Temple Wash (clockwise) loop has less climbing and
is a tad shorter overall, but you'll have some soft stuff under the tires
in North Temple Wash. The Ridge loop misses the spectacular walls of North
Temple Wash, but it lets you see Temple Mountain from all sides. |
| Riding the Temple Wash Loop version, you'll climb about 800 vertical feet.
Most of it comes in a stiff 10% grade during the third mile, along the southwest
side of Temple Mountain.
A mining cabin on the north side of
mountain. |
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The Ridge lariat loop climbs 700 vertical (400 feet of
it in 3/4 mile), then drops back 600, which you regain climbing around the north
end of Temple Mountain, for a total of 1300 feet of climbing.
View from the side of Temple Mountain,
looking south toward the edge of the San Rafael Swell (Reef). The
foreground rocks are Moenkopi formation. The vertical cliffs in the
distance are Wingate sandstone. |
| Whichever way you ride this trail, it can be a navigation
nightmare if you don't know where you're going. In the mining areas, there
are doubletracks branching off every few hundred feet. But here's the
principle: if there's ever any doubt, just go straight! Be sure your
map-reading biker has an odometer for the major trail forks. We've also
provided extra GPS coordinates, just in case.
Bighorn Sheep scamper up the Navajo
Sandstone cliffs in South Temple Wash. |
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The ride starts in the Moenkopi Formation of the early
Triassic, then follows the lower Chinle skirts of the castle-like cliffs. Temple Mountain itself
is pale Wingate sandstone with Kayenta sandstone caprock.
From the sides of the mountain, you'll have seemingly endless views over
the San Rafael Swell's Sinbad area.
View up the southwest side of Temple
Mountain. The foreground rocks are Moenkopi, the banded area is Chinle
(the site of uranium deposits), and the white cliffs are Wingate
sandstone. |
| Temple Mountain is the site of dozens of inactive mines.
Early in the 1900s, radium was mined here. Starting in the 50s, uranium
ore was extracted from scattered veins within the Chinle Formation. |
| During
the Triassic Period (245-205
million years ago) sandy streams flowed from the mountains in the
west (see our
page on the geology of the San
Rafael). Leaves and other vegetation on the stream bottom compacted into dense deposits of organic matter. The streambeds were then buried
deep underground. Hot groundwater picked up tiny amounts of uranium and
radium from nearby volcanic rock, and slowly filtered through these
ancient streambeds. The yellow mineral replaced the carbonaceous deposits
in the streambeds. (In the Moab area, uranium is found in the Morrison Formation
from the late Jurassic, another era of streambeds meandering over
floodplains.) That's why the uranium is found in small scattered deposits.
A mine shaft and ore-cart ramp,
located along the ridge trail. Don't enter the mines! Radioactive gas is
only ONE of the dangers. |
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Riding notes, Temple Wash Loop:
0.0 From parking on the paved road, go west
N 38° 39.194' W 110° 39.260'
alt=5300'
1.8 Just after log fence (on L), turn R
N 38° 39.946' W 110° 40.911'
alt=5400'
Go NE along lowest ridge break
2.1 Keep R (L goes to stone cabins)
2.5 Fork L northwest (R goes to Ridge route)
N 38° 40.416' W 110° 40.794'
alt=5630'
3.7 After stiff climb, keep straight and uphill
N 38° 41.199' W 110° 41.208'
4.3 Peak altitude 6010'. W side of mountain
4.8 Straight (R) downhill
N 38° 41.407' W 110°
40.459' alt=5830'
View north from the ridge, just east
of the spires of Temple Mountain.
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5.4 Straight (L) and E towards cabins
N 38° 41.142' W 110° 40.089'
5.3 Pass cabins, keep L and east downhill
5.9 Orange trail in from L, keep straight
N 38° 41.103' W 110° 39.408'
6.2 Ridge DT in from L, stay E on road
N 38° 40.850' W 110° 39.322'
alt=5400'
Go down bottom of N. Temple Wash
8.1 Ignore sandy DT exiting wash
8.3 Fork R on DT as it crosses wash
N 38° 39.635' W 110° 38.376'
alt=5250'
Stay on main road
9.2 Veer R at fork
9.3 Back at car
Looking down the trail in North Temple
Wash. Most of the trail here is easy to ride, but there are some
"bog" sections of loose sand. |
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Riding notes, Ridge Loop:
0.0 From parking on the paved road, go west
(Alternate: from roadside, backtrack
east.
If starting from the alternate
parking,
subtract 1.6 miles from the milage
below.)
1.7 At first doubletrack on R, turn R
N 38° 39.883' W 110° 40.803'
alt=5400'
Go through wash, climb along edge
of cliffs
2.1 Keep R (L connects to return loop)
2.4 Keep straight (R) at top of climb
N 38° 40.463' W 110° 40.627'
alt=5800'
3.0 Straight (L)
3.4 Ridgetop, trail turns R
N 38° 41.034' W 110° 40.509'
alt=6000'
3.9 Keep straight R (L zigs down hill)
N 38° 40.922' W 110° 40.026'
alt=5700'
4.6 Hard L on road from N Temple Wash
N 38° 40.850' W 110° 39.322'
alt=5400' |
4.9 Straight L (R is Orange Trail)
N 38° 41.103' W 110° 39.408'
5.5 Pass wooden mine cabins, keep R
5.6 Keep straight R
N 38° 41.142' W 110° 40.089'
6.2 Keep straight L (R connects to main road)
N 38° 41.407' W 110°
40.459' alt=5830'
6.7 Fork R (down). Peak altitude
N 38° 41.508' W 110° 40.831'
alt=6010'
7.3 Keep straight (L)
N 38° 41.199' W 110° 41.208'
8.5 Fork R downhill (L connects to outgoing trail)
N 38° 40.416' W 110° 40.794'
alt=5630'
8.9 DT from cabins joins on R
9.2 Main dirt road, turn L
N 38° 39.946' W 110° 40.911'
alt=5400'
11.0 Back at car, alt=5300' |
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Getting there: Heading southeast on US-6 near Green
River, turn right onto I-70. 8.1 miles later, take Exit 149 for Hanksville/Goblin
Valley. Turn left (south) and drive 23.5 miles, then turn right on the
paved road towards Goblin Valley and Temple Mountain. Five miles later,
park on the right side of the road, where the Goblin Valley Road turns
left (south). N 38° 39.194' W 110° 39.260'. Begin riding west on
pavement (the direction you were driving in your car) towards Temple
Mountain.
Alternate parking: Continue in your car through the Reef. About 1/4 mile
after the pavement turns to dirt, spot a doubletrack on the right (near
the sign). That's the "over-the-ridge" route. 0.2 mile later,
there's room to park on the right. To the right across the wash, spot the
doubletrack that follows the BASE of the ledges heading northwest. That's
the clockwise loop outgoing, or the alternate loop return. |
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