Hole in the Rock trail - March

[sixstringsteve]

Hole in the Rock trail - March 22-25

March 22-25

I've always wanted to do the Hole in the Rock Trail, but situations never worked out. I've never done the trail before, but I promise to do all the research necessary and pick a good route.


official plan

We will be on CB channel 17

Thursday

3:00 PM - Meet @ cabelas in Lehi (point A on the map). Meet in the south-east parking lot. Please come with enough gas to get to Price.
3:15 PM - Leave Cabelas, headed towards price.
5:30 PM - Arrive in Price (point B on the map). Gas up, last-minute groceries/food.
5:45 PM - Leave Price, headed towards Green River
6:45 PM - Arrive in Green River (point C on the map). Gas up.
7:00 PM - Leave Green River headed towards our camping spot for the evening. I've never camped down here before, so I have a back-up camp site in case the first one doesn't work out. The first choice is Fry Canyon Ruins Rd (point D on the map). Back-up camp site is point E on the map.
9:15 PM - Arrive at Fry Canyon Ruins Rd. (Point D on map). If Fry Canyon road has a "no camping" sign posted, or if it isn't big enough to accomodate our group, we'll need to move on to the back-up campsite.

If Fry Canyon doesn't work out...

10:00 PM - Arrive at Point E to camp.


[map]http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=2502+West+Grand+Terrace+Parkway,+Lehi,+UT+84043+(Cabela's)&daddr=W+100+N%2FW+1st+N+St+to:W+Main+St+to:Fry+Canyon+Ruins+Road,+San+Juan,+UT+to:37.474858,-110.12764+to:Unknown+road&hl=en&ll=38.967951,-111.401367&spn=7.173524,16.907959&sll=38.955145,-110.954355&sspn=3.588021,8.453979&geocode=FZUFaQId1LNU-SEfzQM9mrfFXimx3fG0O4BShzFfePRfxdGT2g%3BFf5CXAIdl_dk-Q%3BFQ4DUwIdl7hu-Q%3BFRRxPgIdUAxv-SnLpfgPSK83hzFUOlvkv3s_Fg%3BFSrSOwId6JVv-Q%3BFcXMOwIdFJpv-Q&t=h&mra=ls&z=7[/map]




Friday

7:00 AM - Wake up, have breakfast
8:00 AM - Break camp and head out to the airport to gas up.
9:00 AM - Arrive at the airport. Gas up.
9:30 AM - Leave the airport and head on on the trail.
1:00 PM - Lunch time with some short hikes for lunch
3:00 PM - Hit the trail again, heading towards camp
4:00 PM - check out Big Alcove Camp. If we're making good time, we'll continue on to coors camp. If not, we'll camp here for the night.
6:00 PM - camp at Coors Camp

[map]http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Fry+Canyon+Ruins+Road,+San+Juan,+UT&daddr=UT-276+W+to:UT-276+W+to:37.34123,-110.547009+to:Nokai+Dome+Rd&hl=en&ll=37.451967,-110.22583&spn=0.955015,2.113495&sll=37.355968,-110.475941&sspn=0.119531,0.264187&geocode=FRRxPgIdUAxv-SnLpfgPSK83hzFUOlvkv3s_Fg%3BFY31PAIdFfpw-Q%3BFcZgOwId4P5o-Q%3BFS7IOQIdvy9p-Q%3BFUHBOQIdHi5p-Q&oq=Fry+Canyon+Ruins+Rd&t=h&gl=us&mra=pr&z=10[/map]



Saturday

7:00 AM - Wake up, have breakfast
7:30 AM - Head out on the trail
12:00 PM - have lunch at the end of the trail. Hike around a bit.
2:00 PM - head back to Big Alcove camp
7:00 PM - arrive at Big Alcove Camp


Sunday
8:00 AM - Wake up, have breakfast
8:30 AM - Head back out to the airport
4:00 PM - arrive at the airport, head home.



Purpose of the trip:
- enjoy nature and see some new sights
- go camping with new and old friends
- get some fun wheeling in
- enjoy what Utah and its heritage has to offer us


Vehicle Requirements:
- 33" tires
- rear locker
- sliders (unless you don't care about denting your rocker panels)
- rear bumper
- reliable vehicle


Personal Requirements:
- good attitude
- tread lightly
- have fun

If your rig is close to meeting the requirements, let me know and we'll see what we can do.




A few of us will be reading the book "The Undaunted" by Gerald Lund prior to the trip. I hear it's a great read to get a perspective of the pioneers who traveled through here.


Committed

2 sixstringsteve & wife
2-4 4biker + wife (and maybe 2 scouts)
2 Westernhunter + wife
1 radred92 (tentative, pending death-wobble fix)
2 thefirstzukman + wife
2 frieed + daugher
2 tacoman99 + wife
1 TJDukit
1 FatTony
1 Allterrain82 (steve's friend from work)
2 wheelin4me
2 Duane
1 trd270



12 total rigs
23-25 people

 

[Greg]

I would stick with your minimum of 33's and one locker as well, most of the trail isn't too crazy, but there are places where 33's and a rear locker will keep you moving, where smaller tires and opened diffs will cause trouble.

Wish I could make it, I've wanted to get back to HITR for awhile. I won't have a vehicle ready for it by next month.

 

[sixstringsteve]

If anyone would like to join me, I'm going to try to read "the undaunted" by Gerald Lund prior to this trip. It's historical fiction about the pioneers that traveled the trail. I've been told that it's a fascinating book, and although it has religious themes, it isn't too preachy. If anyone would like to join me in trying to read the book before then, feel free. Kind of a book club/exploration thing to give more meaning to the trip. I know there are several RME members who would be willing to loan the book out.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I'm leaning towards March 22-25, since the next week is so close to EJS. I'd rather not run the trial when there are a million people on it.

 

[Caleb]

As Greg said, 33's, a locker and be prepared to drag your bumper and you'll have no problems. When I went, I wished I had done more research on the trail. While I knew about the trail, had an understanding about the history, I wasn't super familiar with it. I was told (after the fact) that The Undaunted is a fantastic book to read before going on that trail (that is if you want to know the history of the trail you're running). My one additional recommendation is to take someone that has ran it before. I don't think anyone in my group had ran it prior to our trip and 90% of the trail is pretty easy to follow, you can spend a long time poking around trying to find the trail in parts if you aren't familiar with it though. Also, if you are interested, I should still have my Garmin tracks from my trip that will get you to within a couple miles from the end (it's where we setup camp the first night).

Every year, this time of year, I get the urge to go back...on my bike I will someday get my revenge on this trail.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Also, if you are interested, I should still have my Garmin tracks from my trip that will get you to within a couple miles from the end (it's where we setup camp the first night).

Yes, I'm very interested in this. PM sent. Thanks for the offer Caleb.

 

[Caleb]

Yes, I'm very interested in this. PM sent. Thanks for the offer Caleb.

I'll start digging

 

[TRD270]

I'm so in, pending it falls on my days off, which at this time I don't have for the march time frame. I'll know within the next two weeks

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I'm not sure if you've seen it Steve but there is a fabulous HITR trail planning resource here:
www.expeditionutah.com/featured-trails/hole-in-the-rock-4x4-trail/
(literally dozens of other planning aides and threads on ExpeditionUtah about the HITR)

March is a great time of year to be down there but the swimming is a little on the cold side (a few of us from RME did a January swim a few years ago, I still get shivers thinking for that day). Undaunted is a great read to get you motivated and in tune with the historical aspect of the trail. Plan on 4 days total for the trip, anything less is rushed when dealing with a larger group.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Thanks Kurt. I'd seen that before when I was thinking about planning a trip there in the past. I'll definitely be using expedition utah as a resource. Seeing those pics just makes me even more excited to get out there.


We also have the option of having a dirt bike group, but I don't want to organize it. Greg, Caleb, you're welcome to put something together and join us at the camp sites/hikes. I'm sure we could get a few 4x4's to carry an extra fuel can so you can gas up halfway through.

 

[Cascadia]

This sounds like fun. I've been wanting to do it for a while now. But again, it all depends on the baby and if we can get away or not. How many miles is the trail?

 

[Rot Box]

Oh man... I've been wanting to hit HITR for years upon years. I'll kick it around and let you know

 

[cruiseroutfit]

...How many miles is the trail?

http://www.expeditionutah.com/featured-trails/hole-in-the-rock-4x4-trail/

It will literally answer every question you have on planning a HITR other than 'when do we leave'

 

[JL Rockies]

[video=youtube;e7ZuDeXDKRs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7ZuDeXDKRs[/video]

[video=youtube;jlgP5B7rsms]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlgP5B7rsms[/video]

[video=youtube;CAIFiHbMcSo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAIFiHbMcSo&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL[/video]

Mad Skillz in a mad cool rig. I can't hang with the Thurs - Sat scene so I'm out. Friday - Sunday I can do pretty much anytime.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I'm thinking it'll be a thurs-sun this time.

 

[JL Rockies]

unless there's a 2nd group going Friday afternoon like the last trip, I can't hang. The problem is I need to conserve vacation days fro visiting friend and family visits throughout May - July. A big chunk of my days have been committed to the Kelly Point theory in April. One year a trip will line up for me... oh yes.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Hmmm, those are the dates we are heading to Moab, I will ponder the possibility of this exploration into history. How much fuel should one plan to pack for it?

 

[Caleb]

Hmmm, those are the dates we are heading to Moab, I will ponder the possibility of this exploration into history. How much fuel should one plan to pack for it?

A tank on pretty much any vehicle should be fine. You can fill up at the Airport (just a few miles away from the trailhead) and the trail itself (with no extra exploring) is something like 36 miles each way.

 

[4biker]

I did this with my brother last year, but we kind of chickened out when things got dicey (right before the famous sign that talks about the child being born on the trail). I just needed a good spotter, and we didn't have the confidence at that point. We rushed and tried to do it in two days, and that didn't work too well. The passengers were REALLY tired of being bumped around constantly. I'd love to come this trip, but I may have to leave late on Thurs night after 6pm. If anyone else has the same scheduling, maybe we could burn through the first portion in the a.m. on Friday and catch up. We can just run the Hall's Crossing side of Powell so we don't have to wait for the ferry. I want to make it to the end of this thing bad... I'll have my tall skinnys on this week, and need to use them for something ASAP! Just the portion I did was fun, exciting (to me) and very worthwhile. My wife also got a picture of a Sego Lily that ended up on Mike Lee's website! Thanks for planning this trip, Steve - I'm going to make it work.

 

[DAA]

One of my favorite trails ever. Wish I could make this one, but I've got too much already penciled in right around these dates, prolly not going to be able to squeeze this in. Steve, that link Kurt posted has everything you need to plan this trip, including .gpx files of the entire route, I'm pretty sure. And I've got some tracks with side trips to explore the old route up to the washout in Lake canyon (from both directions).

Since I know you like to stop and do some walking (as do I), one short side trip/hike I HIGHLY recommend is the pouroff at Iceburg canyon. The arrow in this pic is pointing to the pouroff.

And a couple pics at the pouroff

About 700 feet under my feet

Throwing rocks never gets old .


- DAA