Cloudy Sunset: The afternoon clouds and colors at sunset gifted us a beautiful view at the Wedge Overlook in the San Rafael Swell in Southern Utah. This area is known as the little Grand Canyon. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Distant Sunlight: Sunlight illuminates the distant landscape while the canyon in the foreground remains darkened by cloud cover. The scene continually changes as clouds move in and out. This photo is taken from the viewpoint known as the Wedge Overlook, which gives viewers a magnificent view in several directions. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
Southern Utah is a paradise for landscape photographers. That pretty much sums up our travels for the past couple of weeks as we have roamed all across the southern portion of this beautiful state.
Southern Utah is a part of the Colorado Plateau. The rugged, rocky, colorful, high desert region displays of geological magnificence that cannot be missed as you travel through the various parts of the state. There are jaw-dropping views around every bend in the road.
Much of the arid landscape bares little or no vegetation while higher elevations that get more moisture can be heavily forested with pine, fir, spruce, aspen and other trees found in the Rocky Mountain region of the U.S.
It is the barren, rocky landscape that is so breath taking. The dominant color of the rocky soil is red but depending on mineral content and other factors, the landscape can be gray, white, yellow, orange, and even some blueish, purple can show up in the soil and rock formations.
The portion of the Colorado Plateau that I am featuring in this post is part of the San Rafael Swell region of Utah. This portion of Utah has been explored but never any permanent settlement is known due to the extreme, rugged landscape and living conditions. The construction of Interstate 70 through the San Rafael Swell was considered an engineering marvel when it was constructed as it passes through the area in an east/west direction twisting and turning and continually changing elevation.
A very popular area to visit in the San Rafael Swell is The Wedge Overlook. While located within some of the most rugged country anywhere, the Wedge is fairly easy to visit. The area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and is free to visitors. This area is known as the little Grand Canyon because of its resemblance to the Grand Canyon.
The Wedge Overlook is located a few miles east of Castle Dale, Utah and is about a 20 mile drive off of Utah Highway 10 on a well maintained dirt and gravel road. The drive from Castle Dale is fairly flat with a few elevation changes and twists around geologic formations on the way but can be traveled by car or even RVs. We made the drive in our small RV with no issues at all. There were several shorter camping trailers and fifth wheel campers at the Wedge.
As you approach the area of The Wedge Overlook, the terrain becomes hillier but, again, can be navigated with almost any vehicle. As you approach the Wedge, it is like driving up to the Grand Canyon; you don’t expect the magnificent view into which you have literally driven. The colorful canyon walls and the San Rafael River more than 1,200 feet below at the bottom of the canyon are breath taking.
There is one area known as the Wedge Overlook, which is an outstanding viewpoint, but the entire canyon features fabulous views. The views along the canyon rim are spectacular wherever you stand. The early morning and late afternoon light around sunset are most amazing as the colors of the rocky landscape really come alive with the light during those times of day.
We camped along the rim of the canyon in one of many designated camp sites provided by the BLM. The camp sites are all dry camping with no services and visitors are required to “pack it in and pack it out” including trash, etc. The cost to camp in this prime area for up to 14 days: Free!
Anyone who is a camper or explorer should put The Wedge Overlook on their list of places to see when visiting Utah. It can be seen in a day if one does not mind the drive out and back, but it would be a long day. Other than camping, there is nothing closer than Castle Dale, Utah and a couple of other small towns. The only towns of any size are Price, Utah and Green River, Utah but it is several miles farther to either. The Wedge Overlook really is the “Middle of Nowhere” but once you get there, you don’t want to leave!
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Room With A View: A fifth wheel camper is parked in a spectacular location along the rim of the canyon at the Wedge. There are numerous BLM designated campsites along the rim as well as other areas near the rim of this beautiful canyon. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Swirls of Color: Shades of red, orange and yellow paint a colorful canyon view at the Wedge Overlook in Utah. The area is on the northern portion of the San Rafael Swell. The San Rafael River is seen more than 1,200 feet lower in the green area at the bottom of the canyon. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Early Light: This was the view just out of our RV during the sunrise each morning. It was a treat to watch the morning light skim the surface of the land before illuminating the canyon walls as the morning progressed. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Layers: This view from the Wedge Overlook reveals the many layers in the formations, which make up the canyon walls. This landscape was formed over millions of years creating this colorful vista. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
