Blanding to Glen Canyon, Utah

September 12, 2022

Amazing Utah Landscape

Everyone should take a trip on Utah Route 95!

It was a day of spectacular landscapes to remember for a lifetime. The story for this day could be told with photos but I will add a little commentary to break things up a bit.

As we were preparing to start out that morning, a fellow with an RV had asked about our ride. When I told him where we were going, he said that Route 95 was the most scenic road in the USA. After having ridden it, I would say that there is a very strong argument to be made in support of his statement.

Starting out on a fine morning, from Blanding, Utah.

From our campsite, we headed briefly South on US-191 back to the intersection with Utah Route 95 and the gas station-convenience store where we reconvened on the previous afternoon. A sign said no more services for 122 miles! It was accurate.

While the others went on ahead, I went inside to procure sustenance for down the road. A little serendipity ensued when I saw the store actually sold horse saddles along with the usual conveniences. The lady inside told me a fellow recently came in and found an old saddle that had belonged to his grandfather. He hadn't seen it since he was a kid but confirmed the authenticity by markings that had been placed on the underside. He happily purchased the saddle, thereby getting it back into the family. That was a pretty good story!

This convenience store has everything needed to become a cowboy.

Back on the road, I followed Route 95 out of town when it began a long descent into a canyon. Down there, the first of many surprises of fantastic rocks and unusual geological formations were waiting. The terrain involved a lot of ups and downs but the surrounding landforms and vistas distracted me from the intense effort that was required at times.

UT-95 dropped down into the first of several canyons.

The first canyon had wonders around every bend. As I climbed out of it, the road went through a cut in what may have been a red rock wall. The road could be seen winding ahead in the next canyon. It appeared to be meandering in scenes even more wondrous that the one I had come through. This is a tremendously beautiful and rugged area in Southeastern Utah.

UT-95 passed through this spectacular cut and into another magnificent valley. SR-95 can be seen winding through, far ahead.

The ride down from the cut was fast, exhilarating, and the scenery was as good as it looked from above. Once at the bottom, the climb out was challenging due more to its length than to the grade. There too, the scenery continued to amaze, thereby shifting focus from the effort being expended. After topping out, the terrain plateaued for a bit, allowing for some pleasant spinning while continuing to appreciate the tremendous vistas all around.

View from UT-95 of the surrounding landscape.

The climbing continued, as we knew it would. Eventually we reached the summit at 7110 feet. Utah doesn't make a big deal about its mountain summits like some other states do. All you get is a little sign giving the elevation. No names or grandiose statements about where one might actually be standing. What's the big deal anyway, I could imagine a tax conscious politician saying to a hapless transportation department middle manager.

The high point for this day occurred somewhere out there along UT-95.

We were happy to have reached the top because it meant some downhill coasting, at least for a little while. We got some of that before the road began winding again through the landscape and down into another canyon. At the risk of sounding like an endless loop recording, this pattern was repeated over and over again during the entire 76 miles we rode on this day. The scenes changed but they continued to have us in awe.

There was some road construction but we were allowed to pass through. It seemed to go on for a lot longer than such projects do back east. The new blacktop was certainly black but not completely smooth. Utah uses an aggregate of asphalt mixed with small stones that make for a rougher surface. It was smoother than some of the older and faded road surfaces we had been on and therefore, welcome.

Chuck and John-F cruising along on the newly resurfaced portion of UT-95.

We passed by Fry Canyon, where there had been a hotel and some amenities. The hotel seemed to be under renovation with doors and windows completely missing. There were a couple of workers on the premises but nobody else around and no services available. If you happen to do this ride be sure to carry extra water and supplies because there is nothing available anywhere... not even a house where you could ask for water.

This one was called Cheese Box but it looks more like a fortress to me. Whoever discovered it must have been hungry.

Eventually, we would reach a spot where a sign said it would be a 10% drop. The guys were ahead of me and taking a short break. Upon approach, I said what are we stopping for when there's a 10% drop ahead? The laughed and jumped on their bikes to enjoy the ride down. On the way down, a sign notified us we had entered the Glen Canyon Recreation Area. The scenery rose to the occasion with yet some more spectacular vistas.

Ready for another fast descent on UT-95.

When we reached the Hite Marina and Recreation Area, we convened again. We had heard it was all closed, due to the drought and the drastic reduction in water levels. Later on we learned there were camping and water available but we had already made lodging arrangements in Hanksville. Jack-O would shuttle us there to spend the night. But the ride for the day would not be over until we made it to the Colorado River. It was all downhill from Hite.

Upon crossing the bridge, we entered Garfield County. The county we left behind, San Juan, we had been in since having entered Utah on Sunday morning and 123 miles ago. It is a big county with not very many people living in it. Over the next few days, we would not see very many more counties, towns, or people for that matter.

This is Utah!

Today's ride: 76 miles (122 km)
Total: 200 miles (322 km)

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