Official Grand Staircase Road Report

dieselcruiserhead · 04-02-2012, 08:40 AM

Hi all,

Myself and Cruiseroutfit from www.ExpeditionUtah.com are on the local ranger's road report emails as we are often. They generally come fairly intermittently but as often as daily when the roads are bad and/or constantly changing, like Spring. They also generally err towards the user with their stock Dodge Durango so they are a little conservative, but are usually fairly accurate. As people experiment in local areas feel free to add your own updates. They are compilations of several offices reporting together and are not always 100% accurate or sometimes things are ready before they are reported ready particularly in snowy areas/high elevation. We will generally try to post these updates as soon as we receive them.

Please also post up if you encounter anything different. I will forward these to the ranger who compiles the report.

For more questions typically call the local offices: http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/grand...or_Center.html
For Boulder and east, north to as far as Hanksville please try the Cannonville office. For Escalante area and south try the Escalante visitor center / field office: 435-826-5499. For example: Anyone been up to Left Hand Collet lately? think it would be passable on a dirt bike or is there serious snow buildup? Try giving the Escalante Visitor Center a call - they will have a better idea of road conditions on that side of the Monument. 435-826-5499.

FYI – the Bullfrog Ferry is up and running beginning April 23, 2012. Below are the links to the schedule.

http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/f?p=100:pg:0::::V,T:,2257

http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=9248420887434429

dieselcruiserhead · 04-02-2012, 08:41 AM

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Road Report Monday, April 02, 2012
All road conditions can change due to weather. Please contact the nearest visitor center for the most current conditions.
Roads to the East
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Burr Trail	3/26/2012	2WD	Watch for falling rocks in Long Canyon. 2WD down switchbacks - Per Capitol Reef Road Report as of 3/26/12.
Notom-Bullfrog	3/26/2012	2WD	Per Capitol Reef Road Report as of 3/26/12.
Road to Bullfrog Marina	3/26/2012	2WD	Less than 1" of water. Per Capitol Reef Road Report as of 3/26/12.
Wolverine Loop	3/13/2012	2WD	Road is in good shape.
Cedar Wash	2/28/2012	4WD	A couple of big mud puddles that are deep but passable with 4WD
Hole in the Rock	3/21/2012	2WD	None Recommend HC-4WD for last 7 miles.
Spencer Flat	2/23/2012	2WD	None
Roads to the North
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Hells Backbone	3/19/2012	Impassable	Snow and Mud at higer elevation makes the road impassable
Posey Lake to Loa	3/19/2012	Impassable	Impassable due to snow and mud
Whites Flat (FR #142)	3/19/2012	Impassable	Impassable due to snow.
Griffin Top	3/19/2012	Impassable	Impassable due to snow
North Creek (FR #149)	3/19/2012	Impassable	Impassable at higher elevation due to snow and mud
Main Canyon	3/19/2012	Impassable	Impassable at higher elevations due to snow and mud
Roads to the Central Areas
Name	Date	Condition	Comments
Smoky Mountain - Alvey Wash	3/30/2012	2WD High Clearance	HC2WD all the way through - rough high clearance areas
Left Hand Collet	12/22/2011	4WD High Clearance, Impassable	Snowcovered - not recommended
Croton	3/8/2012	Impassable	2WD south of the Grand Bench junction, impassable north of that.
Smoky Hollow	11/23/2011	2WD High Clearance	A few sandy spots.
Roads to the West
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Cottonwood	3/31/2012	Impassable	HC2WD to Cottonwood Narrows from the north. Impassable 15 miles south of Kodachrome and 19.7 miles north of Hwy 89.
Skutumpah	3/31/2012	2WD	Rough, rutted between Lick Wash and Willis Creek
Glendale Bench	3/28/2012	2WD	None
Paria Movie Set	3/24/2012	2WD	Road dry and in good shape
House Rock Valley	3/24/2012	2WD	Rough, rutted areas
White House	3/25/2012	2WD	Dry, passable, a little washboard

dieselcruiserhead · 04-02-2012, 08:45 AM

FWD: Visitor Center Hours

Hello Everyone, Currently the Visitor Center hours are as follows;

Escalante – Open 7 days a week, 8 am – 4:30 pm
Cannonville – Open Thursday – Monday, 8am – 4:30 pm (closed Tuesday and Wednesday)
Kanab – Open Monday – Friday, 8 am – 4:30 pm
Big Water – Open Thursday – Monday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm (closed Tuesday and Wednesday)

I will send out an update as soon as I am able to extend the days that we are open.

Thank you, Jeanie

dieselcruiserhead · 04-02-2012, 08:46 AM

Here is last Friday's report, note discussion of the mud hole on Cottonwood Road and may provide some additional insight...

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Road Report Friday, March 30, 2012
All road conditions can change due to weather. Please contact the nearest visitor center for the most current conditions.
Roads to the East
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Burr Trail	3/26/2012	2WD	Watch for falling rocks in Long Canyon. 2WD down switchbacks - Per Capitol Reef Road Report as of 3/26/12.
Notom-Bullfrog	3/26/2012	2WD	Per Capitol Reef Road Report as of 3/26/12.
Road to Bullfrog Marina	3/26/2012	2WD	Less than 1" of water. Per Capitol Reef Road Report as of 3/26/12.
Wolverine Loop	3/13/2012	2WD	Road is in good shape.
Cedar Wash	2/28/2012	4WD	A couple of big mud puddles that are deep but passable with 4WD
Hole in the Rock	3/21/2012	2WD	None Recommend HC-4WD for last 7 miles.
Spencer Flat	2/23/2012	2WD	None
Roads to the North
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Hells Backbone	3/19/2012	Impassable	Snow and Mud at higer elevation makes the road impassable
Posey Lake to Loa	3/19/2012	Impassable	Impassable due to snow and mud
Whites Flat (FR #142)	3/19/2012	Impassable	Impassable due to snow.
Griffin Top	3/19/2012	Impassable	Impassable due to snow
North Creek (FR #149)	3/19/2012	Impassable	Impassable at higher elevation due to snow and mud
Main Canyon	3/19/2012	Impassable	Impassable at higher elevations due to snow and mud
Roads to the Central Areas
Name	Date	Condition	Comments
Smoky Mountain - Alvey Wash	3/26/2012	2WD High Clearance	None
Left Hand Collet	12/22/2011	4WD High Clearance, Impassable	Snowcovered - not recommended
Croton	3/8/2012	Impassable	2WD south of the Grand Bench junction, impassable north of that.
Smoky Hollow	11/23/2011	2WD High Clearance	A few sandy spots.
Roads to the West
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Cottonwood	3/25/2012	Impassable	Impassable deep extensive mudhole 19.7 miles north of Hwy 89
Skutumpah	3/28/2012	2WD	None
Glendale Bench	3/28/2012	2WD	None
Paria Movie Set	3/24/2012	2WD	Road dry and in good shape
House Rock Valley	3/24/2012	2WD	Rough, rutted areas
White House	3/25/2012	2WD	Dry, passable, a little washboard

NewMexico505 · 04-02-2012, 08:52 AM

Cool! Thanks for posting!

Erik

RideFreak · 04-02-2012, 06:24 PM

The roads & trails above should be linked together into a Utah Grand Staircase Adventure Route

cruiseroutfit · 04-02-2012, 09:08 PM

Good call Andre, I find these reports very helpful for planning and I'm sure others will too! :cool:

dieselcruiserhead · 04-16-2012, 05:08 PM

Sorry - already - I haven't been good at posting these..

Looking a lot better..

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Road Report Monday, April 16, 2012
All road conditions can change due to weather. Please contact the nearest visitor center for the most current conditions.
Roads to the East
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Burr Trail	4/8/2012	2WD	Watch for falling rocks in Long Canyon. 2WD down switchbacks - Per Capitol Reef Road Report as of 4/8/12.
Notom-Bullfrog	4/8/2012	2WD	Per Capitol Reef Road Report as of 4/8/12.
Road to Bullfrog Marina	4/8/2012	2WD	Less than 1" of water. Per Capitol Reef Road Report as of 4/8/12.
Wolverine Loop	3/13/2012	2WD	Road is in good shape.
Cedar Wash	3/29/2012	2WD	Good condition recently graded.
Hole in the Rock	3/30/2012	2WD	Dry and dusty in spots starting to get washboards. Recommend HC-4WD for last 7 miles.
Spencer Flat	2/23/2012	2WD	None
Roads to the North
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Hells Backbone	4/5/2012	2WD	Few muddy patches should be completely dry in a few days.
Posey Lake to Loa	4/6/2012	Impassable	2WD up to Posey Lake; Impassable beyond.
Whites Flat (FR #142)	4/5/2012	2WD	None
Griffin Top	3/19/2012	Impassable	Impassable due to snow
North Creek (FR #149)	4/5/2012	2WD	Open to island in the sky turnoff.
Main Canyon	4/13/2012	4WD	snow over summit, 2wd to corn creek.
Roads to the Central Areas
Name	Date	Condition	Comments
Smoky Mountain - Alvey Wash	4/6/2012	2WD High Clearance
Left Hand Collet	4/11/2012	4WD High Clearance	Rough but passable watch for soft spots in the creek still wet.
Croton	3/8/2012	Impassable	2WD south of the Grand Bench junction, impassable north of that.
Smoky Hollow	3/30/2012	2WD High Clearance	A few sandy areas
Roads to the West
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Cottonwood	4/12/2012	Impassable	HC2WD to Cottonwood Narrows from the north. Impassable 15 miles south of Kodachrome and 19.7 miles north of Hwy 89
Skutumpah	4/7/2012	2WD	Rough, rutted
Glendale Bench	4/1/2012	2WD	Road was dry, good condition
Paria Movie Set	4/6/2012	2WD	Road in good shape - 2WD
House Rock Valley	3/24/2012	2WD	Rough, rutted areas
White House	4/6/2012	2WD	2WD

AtomicXRer · 04-16-2012, 07:48 PM

Making plans for Escalante

. Thanks for the updates.

dieselcruiserhead · 04-19-2012, 08:42 AM

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Road Report Thursday, April 19, 2012
All road conditions can change due to weather. Please contact the nearest visitor center for the most current conditions.
Roads to the East
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Burr Trail	4/19/2012	2WD	2WD down switchbacks - Per Capitol Reef Road Report as of 4/19/12.
Notom-Bullfrog	4/19/2012	2WD	Per Capitol Reef Road Report as of 4/19/12.
Road to Bullfrog Marina	4/19/2012	2WD High Clearance	Some water at the bottom. Per Capitol Reef Road Report as of 4/19/12.
Wolverine Loop	3/13/2012	2WD	Road is in good shape.
Cedar Wash	3/29/2012	2WD	Good condition recently graded.
Hole in the Rock	4/12/2012	2WD High Clearance	Dry and dust starting to get washboards. Recommend HC-4WD for last 7 miles.
Spencer Flat	2/23/2012	2WD	None
Roads to the North
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Hells Backbone	4/5/2012	2WD	Few muddy patches should be completely dry in a few days.
Posey Lake to Loa	4/6/2012	Impassable	2WD up to Posey Lake; Impassable beyond.
Whites Flat (FR #142)	4/5/2012	2WD	None
Griffin Top	3/19/2012	Impassable	Impassable due to snow
North Creek (FR #149)	4/5/2012	2WD	Open to island in the sky turnoff.
Main Canyon	4/13/2012	4WD	snow over summit, 2wd to corn creek.
Roads to the Central Areas
Name	Date	Condition	Comments
Smoky Mountain - Alvey Wash	4/11/2012	2WD High Clearance	Rough in a few places watch for rutts and washboards.
Left Hand Collet	4/11/2012	4WD High Clearance	Rough but passable watch for soft spots in the creek still wet.
Croton	3/8/2012	Impassable	2WD south of the Grand Bench junction, impassable north of that.
Smoky Hollow	3/30/2012	2WD High Clearance	A few sandy areas
Roads to the West
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Cottonwood	4/16/2012	Impassable	Kane County has closed the road due to impassable conditions 15 miles south of Kodachrome and 19.7 miles north of Hwy 89. (Road is passable to Cottonwood Narrows trailhead from the north and Lower Hackberry trailhead from the south.)
Skutumpah	4/7/2012	2WD	Rough, rutted
Glendale Bench	4/1/2012	2WD	Road was dry, good condition
Paria Movie Set	4/6/2012	2WD	Road in good shape - 2WD
House Rock Valley	3/24/2012	2WD	Rough, rutted areas
White House	4/6/2012	2WD	2WD

Colorado Uli · 04-19-2012, 09:32 AM

Thanks!

dieselcruiserhead · 04-23-2012, 09:23 AM

Cottonwood looks like it's in bad shape unfortunately....

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Road Report Monday, April 23, 2012
All road conditions can change due to weather. Please contact the nearest visitor center for the most current conditions.
Roads to the East
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Burr Trail	4/19/2012	2WD	2WD down switchbacks - Per Capitol Reef Road Report as of 4/19/12.
Notom-Bullfrog	4/19/2012	2WD	Per Capitol Reef Road Report as of 4/19/12.
Road to Bullfrog Marina	4/19/2012	2WD High Clearance	Some water at the bottom. Per Capitol Reef Road Report as of 4/19/12.
Wolverine Loop	3/13/2012	2WD	Road is in good shape.
Cedar Wash	3/29/2012	2WD	Good condition recently graded.
Hole in the Rock	4/12/2012	2WD High Clearance	Dry and dust starting to get washboards. Recommend HC-4WD for last 7 miles.
Spencer Flat	2/23/2012	2WD	None
Roads to the North
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Hells Backbone	4/21/2012	2WD	None
Posey Lake to Loa	4/6/2012	Impassable	2WD up to Posey Lake; Impassable beyond.
Whites Flat (FR #142)	4/5/2012	2WD	None
Griffin Top	3/19/2012	Impassable	Impassable due to snow
North Creek (FR #149)	4/5/2012	2WD	Open to island in the sky turnoff.
Main Canyon	4/13/2012	4WD	snow over summit, 2wd to corn creek.
Roads to the Central Areas
Name	Date	Condition	Comments
Smoky Mountain - Alvey Wash	4/11/2012	2WD High Clearance	Rough in a few places watch for rutts and washboards.
Left Hand Collet	4/11/2012	4WD High Clearance	Rough but passable watch for soft spots in the creek still wet.
Croton	3/8/2012	Impassable	2WD south of the Grand Bench junction, impassable north of that.
Smoky Hollow	3/30/2012	2WD High Clearance	A few sandy areas
Roads to the West
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Cottonwood	4/22/2012	Impassable	Kane County has closed the road due to impassable conditions 15 miles south of Kodachrome and 19.7 miles north of Hwy 89. (Road is passable to Cottonwood Narrows trailhead from the north and Lower Hackberry trailhead from the south.)
Skutumpah	4/21/2012	2WD	Rough, rutted
Glendale Bench	4/1/2012	2WD	Road was dry, good condition
Paria Movie Set	4/20/2012	2WD	Road in good shape
House Rock Valley	3/24/2012	2WD	Rough, rutted areas
White House	4/6/2012	2WD	2WD

dieselcruiserhead · 04-23-2012, 09:38 PM

From email today:

FYI – the Bullfrog Ferry is up and running beginning April 23, 2012. Below are the links to the schedule.

http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/f?p=100:pg:0::::V,T:,2257

http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=9248420887434429

byways · 04-24-2012, 09:21 PM

This is a real service. Thanks for doing it!

dieselcruiserhead · 05-04-2012, 09:30 AM

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Road Report Friday, May 04, 2012
All road conditions can change due to weather. Please contact the nearest visitor center for the most current conditions.
Roads to the East
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Burr Trail	4/28/2012	2WD	None
Notom-Bullfrog	4/19/2012	2WD	Per Capitol Reef Road Report as of 4/19/12.
Road to Bullfrog Marina	4/19/2012	2WD High Clearance	Some water at the bottom. Per Capitol Reef Road Report as of 4/19/12.
Wolverine Loop	4/28/2012	2WD	None
Cedar Wash	3/29/2012	2WD	Good condition recently graded.
Hole in the Rock	4/12/2012	2WD High Clearance	Dry and dust starting to get washboards. Recommend HC-4WD for last 7 miles.
Spencer Flat	2/23/2012	2WD	None
Roads to the North
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Hells Backbone	4/21/2012	2WD	None
Posey Lake to Loa	4/6/2012	Impassable	2WD up to Posey Lake; Impassable beyond.
Whites Flat (FR #142)	4/27/2012	2WD	None
Griffin Top	3/19/2012	Impassable	Impassable due to snow
North Creek (FR #149)	4/27/2012	Impassable	Rock slide at lower reservoir. Barker Lakes accessible from Whites Flat, lakes still frozen over.
Main Canyon	4/27/2012	2WD	None
Roads to the Central Areas
Name	Date	Condition	Comments
Smoky Mountain - Alvey Wash	4/28/2012	2WD High Clearance	Extremely rough just south of Drip Tank Wash.
Left Hand Collet	4/11/2012	4WD High Clearance	Rough but passable watch for soft spots in the creek still wet.
Croton	4/28/2012	Impassable	2WD high clearance south of the Grand Bench junction.
Smoky Hollow	3/30/2012	2WD High Clearance	A few sandy areas
Roads to the West
Name	Date	Road	Comments
Cottonwood	5/1/2012	Impassable	Road closed by the county due to a washout 19.4 mile north of Highway 89.
Skutumpah	5/1/2012	2WD High Clearance	None
Glendale Bench	4/1/2012	2WD	Road was dry, good condition
Paria Movie Set	5/2/2012	2WD	High clearance 2WD north of the picnic area.
House Rock Valley	3/24/2012	2WD	Rough, rutted areas
White House	4/6/2012	2WD	2WD

04-02-2012, 08:45 AM	#3
dieselcruiserhead ^OP Studly Adventurer Joined: Jul 2008 Location: Park City, Utah Oddometer: 929	FWD: Visitor Center Hours Hello Everyone, Currently the Visitor Center hours are as follows; Escalante – Open 7 days a week, 8 am – 4:30 pm Cannonville – Open Thursday – Monday, 8am – 4:30 pm (closed Tuesday and Wednesday) Kanab – Open Monday – Friday, 8 am – 4:30 pm Big Water – Open Thursday – Monday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm (closed Tuesday and Wednesday) I will send out an update as soon as I am able to extend the days that we are open. Thank you, Jeanie __________________ andreshoumatoff.smugmug.com Grand Staircase Escalante (& Utah General) Road Reports Make it happen (all 7 parts)

04-02-2012, 08:52 AM	#5
NewMexico505 Studly Adventurer Joined: Mar 2009 Location: Escaped NM to Mack Colorado Oddometer: 697	Cool! Thanks for posting! Erik __________________ "It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity."

04-02-2012, 06:24 PM	#6
RideFreak Torque Junkie Joined: Apr 2009 Location: County Lockup Oddometer: 3,538	The roads & trails above should be linked together into a Utah Grand Staircase Adventure Route __________________ *Chris* VIDEOS

04-02-2012, 09:08 PM	#7
cruiseroutfit Gnarly Adventurer Joined: May 2011 Location: Utah Oddometer: 119	Good call Andre, I find these reports very helpful for planning and I'm sure others will too! :cool: __________________ Kurt Williams Cruiser Outfitters Join us on Facebook ExpeditionUtah - A lifelong project of exploring Utah kurt@cruiseroutfitters.com

04-16-2012, 07:48 PM	#9
AtomicXRer Wild Feral BRP Joined: Jul 2007 Location: Los Alamos, Northern NM Oddometer: 3,385	Making plans for Escalante . Thanks for the updates. __________________ 2005 XR650R - plated 2003 KDX220 - plated 2003 KX250 - plated

04-02-2012, 08:40 AM	#1
dieselcruiserhead ^OP Studly Adventurer Joined: Jul 2008 Location: Park City, Utah Oddometer: 929	Official Grand Staircase Road Report Hi all, Myself and Cruiseroutfit from www.ExpeditionUtah.com are on the local ranger's road report emails as we are often. They generally come fairly intermittently but as often as daily when the roads are bad and/or constantly changing, like Spring. They also generally err towards the user with their stock Dodge Durango so they are a little conservative, but are usually fairly accurate. As people experiment in local areas feel free to add your own updates. They are compilations of several offices reporting together and are not always 100% accurate or sometimes things are ready before they are reported ready particularly in snowy areas/high elevation. We will generally try to post these updates as soon as we receive them. Please also post up if you encounter anything different. I will forward these to the ranger who compiles the report. For more questions typically call the local offices: http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/grand...or_Center.html For Boulder and east, north to as far as Hanksville please try the Cannonville office. For Escalante area and south try the Escalante visitor center / field office: 435-826-5499. For example: Anyone been up to Left Hand Collet lately? think it would be passable on a dirt bike or is there serious snow buildup? Try giving the Escalante Visitor Center a call - they will have a better idea of road conditions on that side of the Monument. 435-826-5499. FYI – the Bullfrog Ferry is up and running beginning April 23, 2012. Below are the links to the schedule. http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/f?p=100:pg:0::::V,T:,2257 http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=9248420887434429 __________________ andreshoumatoff.smugmug.com Grand Staircase Escalante (& Utah General) Road Reports Make it happen (all 7 parts) dieselcruiserhead screwed with this post 04-23-2012 at 09:38 PM

04-19-2012, 09:32 AM	#11
Colorado Uli Motociclista Non Elegante Joined: Feb 2006 Location: Riding Paradise - Grand Junction Oddometer: 2,208	Thanks! __________________ Something, something, something ... in latin. "Now with more SE then ever!" Das KTM520 2004 KTM 625 SXC - Sick. Getting better

04-23-2012, 09:38 PM	#13
dieselcruiserhead ^OP Studly Adventurer Joined: Jul 2008 Location: Park City, Utah Oddometer: 929	Bullfrog Ferry From email today: FYI – the Bullfrog Ferry is up and running beginning April 23, 2012. Below are the links to the schedule. http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/f?p=100:pg:0::::V,T:,2257 http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=9248420887434429 __________________ andreshoumatoff.smugmug.com Grand Staircase Escalante (& Utah General) Road Reports Make it happen (all 7 parts)

04-24-2012, 09:21 PM	#14
byways byways Joined: Dec 2006 Location: Idaho Oddometer: 1,487	This is a real service. Thanks for doing it! __________________ Tony Huegel Backcountry Byways Journal Leave No Trace Heart of the West Adventure Route (a.k.a. Forever West)

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