April 13, 1996, Pass Patrol camped at the Fort near Halls Crossing. Our mission was simple. We would drive in to Hole In the Rock from the east, hike to the lake, and pick up the trail where we left off last year, following it all the way to Bluff. It would take us six days. This trip was a little different than most. It involved hiking. Lots and lots of hiking.

As always, the day’s drive from the fort to Hole In The Rock was long and very exhausting.

We camped at the top of Cottonwood Hill within view of Hole In The Rock five (crow) miles away. When morning came, Happy Jack decided to stay at camp, while Trapdoor and Slowpoke joined me for the hiking trip down Cottonwood Hill. We passed through “Little Hole”, across Sand Hill, and came to the waterfall at the point where the trail reaches the floor of the canyon. Trapdoor decided to take advantage of the cool water in the deep pool while Slowpoke and I continued toward Register Rock at the shore of Lake Powell.  At about two (foot) miles in, we reached the water’s edge where Lake Powell backs up into Cottonwood Canyon. Slowpoke decided the remaining three (foot) miles were too rocky for his dog to get over, so I continued alone. I reached Register Rock at just past noon.

From register rock to the top of Hole In The Rock across the lake is about 1.8 (crow) miles. On this same date, exactly one year ago, I hiked to the bottom of Hole In the Rock and stared at Register Rock from the other side. It was easy to imagine that I had just crossed the lake on a raft and was now on my way to Bluff.

On about January 30 of 1880, the pioneers moved their last wagon off the raft and past Register Rock. They set up a camp in Cottonwood Canyon to use while building the road ahead.

I was unable to find the signatures on Register Rock. It is likely they are under the surface of the water or have been erased by abusive lapping of lake water.

The original wagon road from Register Rock to the point where Cottonwood Canyon narrows is also under water so the hike involves skirting the shoreline which winds in and out of side canyons for about three miles.

At the point where Cottonwood Canyon narrows, posts mark the trail back to Cottonwood Hill.

From the top of Cottonwood Hill, the 4wheeling begins. Trapdoor thought it would be a really neat idea to bring someone across the lake from the other side on a boat, then put them in a waiting 4X4 and taking them back to the fort over the existing road. He figured most of them would rather walk.

The road consists of continuous obstacles, one after the other, where the only flat section is across Grey Mesa. The driving distance is only twenty miles and the average speed, including seven miles across the level section of Grey Mesa is only two miles per hour.

The current road off Grey Mesa was put in by miners many years after the pioneers had stopped using it. The original wagon road still exists off Grey Mesa but is best tackled by mountain goats and determined hikers. Pieces of an old wagon lie beside the road where it was abandoned either by the original pioneers or others that followed. You can reach that point by turning right off the current road where the grass ends and rock begins at the edge of Grey Mesa. Follow the 4X4 path to the end and begin the hike by following the carins. The wagon road reconnects to the current road where the interpretive sign has been placed.

We continued along the road to the site where Lake Pagahrit once existed, then set out to find the location of the dam where the pioneers crossed the lake.

Slowpoke set the way-point in on his Magellan Trailblazer and I did the same on my Trimble Scoutmaster. Both units confirmed the location when we arrived. It is located about a mile west if the interpretive sign for the lake. There is still enough left of the sand dam to determine exactly where it was. It was extremely huge.

From the lake, we continued beyond the Fort. Once again, setting the way-points into our GPS units, we found the exact location where the wagon road crossed the current road. A fading road branched off to the west and we followed it to another interpretive sign in the middle of nowhere. The remains of another abandoned wagon marked the crossroads where the original Halls Crossing Road and the pioneer wagon road intersected.

I hiked back to the Lake Pagahrit dam, using 7.5 minute topo maps and the Trimble Navigation ScoutMaster to find the exact trail.

The paved Halls Crossing road and the original wagon road follow the same path for several miles past Castle Ruins, over Clay Hills Pass, and toward Cow Tank. Just before reaching Cow Tank, the two roads separate. Once again, the GPS systems were required to find the exact road but it is still there. Signs along the road warn that the area is part of the Wilderness Study area that will soon be closed to Motorized travel when the Wilderness bill is passed. If we are going to have an affect on that bill, we need to do it now!

The wagon road across Cow Tank is a fun drive. It is not extreme, but is difficult enough to demand constant attention. It crosses rolling hills and shallow canyons until it comes out on a graded dirt road that soon connects with the highway. Using our GPS systems, we found the point where the wagon road left Highway 95 and goes cross country to Highway 261. Most of that road is completely gone except for stakes that mark the way. Even while hiking, it is nearly impossible to find it without a GPS to guide the way.

After the wagon road and Highway 261 connect, they follow the same general path until the wagon road branches off and heads for Comb Ridge. Once again, signs warn that this area will soon be closed when the Wilderness bill is passed. That’s when a really weird thing happened. When I began the trail, usual warning signs existed about staying on it, but when I reached the end of it, there was a BLM road closed post in the middle of it for traffic coming the other way. It appears, the BLM is planning to close some part of that section using the Wilderness Study status as an excuse even before the Wilderness bill is passed.

From that point on, the road is graded to Comb Ridge until it crosses Highway 163. After that crossing, the wagon road follows a well marked wash, going in and out of it, until it reaches San Juan Hill. One look at the road up San Juan Hill is enough to understand why it is for hiking only. I climbed to the top of San Juan Hill and could see the City of Bluff in the distance. Although Bluff was not the original destination of the pioneers, they apparently decided it was close enough. Who could blame them after six months of malnutrition and grueling labor.

Adventure of a Lifetime

Now that I have covered the entire San Juan Mission, I have an idea for an adventure of a lifetime. It is only for the most hardy or is that fool hardy. Just to be nice, we’ll call us G-One (Group one). Three more groups are required to make it work. Here’s how it would go.

Day (0) Just as the pioneers did, G-One and G-Two gather at 40 Mile Spring east of Escalante. G-Three takes watercraft from Halls Crossing and camps at Register Rock. G-Four takes 4X4s in the east side of Hole in the Rock and camps at the top of Cottonwood Hill.

Day (1) G-Two takes G-One to the top of Hole In The Rock, then drives back out. G-One meets G-Three at the bottom of Hole in the Rock and rides across the lake just as the pioneers crossed the river in 1880. G-One begins the hike to meet G-Four at the top of Cottonwood Hill where they spend the first night. G-Three heads back to Halls Crossing to meet with G-Two and they go to the Fort to camp.

Day (2) G-One rides with G-Four to the point where the pioneers went down Grey Mesa. G-One hikes down the original road while G-Four drives the vehicles to the interpretive sign.

G-One then rides with G-Four to Lake Canyon to meet the other two groups for the night.

G-Two & G-Three drive from the Fort to Lake Canyon to meet with G-One and G- Four.

Day (3) G-One rides with others back to the point where the pioneers left the current road and crossed the dam. While G-One hikes to the site of the dam and across to the other side, the other groups drive around to the other side and picks up G-One at the site of the abandoned wagon.

All four groups head over Clay Hills Pass, then take the wagon route past Cow Tank and set up camp.

Day (4) G-One hikes the portion that connects Highway 95 to Highway 261 and meets the other groups on Highway 261. From Highway 261, all four groups take the wagon road to Comb Ridge and set up camp.

Day (5) All four groups drive to San Juan Hill. G-One goes hiking while the others drive back to Highway 163 and picks them up where the wagon road crosses the highway. From there, they all go to Bluff for dinner.  Anyone interested?

Navigation: GPS Position

Odometer reading were taken with a Chevy Blazer.

GPS readings were taken with a Trimble Navigation ScoutMaster.

Hole in the Rock

Hole in the Rock - Cottonwood Hill to Halls Crossing

To get to Cottonwood Hill from Halls Crossing, follow this section in reverse. 
 
	
                        

Hiking trail follows original wagon trail

 The hiking trail connects to the road at the Interpretive sign.

Hiking trail follows original wagon trail to the dam

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 The road continues.

Hiking trail to north end of where the dam once was.

Back to the car and on the road again.

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Hole in the Rock - Halls Crossing to Bluff

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