San Rafael Swell

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East of the Fishlake Mountains, I-70 cuts across one of the emptiest and least developed regions of Utah - a wide plateau crossed by two entrenched river systems and surrounded by a ring of upturned strata. This is the San Rafael Swell - arid, little vegetated yet often very scenic, with mesas, cliffs, buttes, springs and especially canyons; these are sometimes wide with stepped sides but often narrow and slot-like. Most is owned by the BLM and could well be a future national monument; for now though the land is open and access is unrestricted. The Swell is an oval shaped uplifted area of layered rocks - geologically termed an anticline - about 75 x 40 miles in extent, most of which has been eroded away forming the mostly flat central plateau, while the strata at the edges are left exposed and angled near vertically (the San Rafael Reef); here are found most of the spectacular canyons, especially in the southeast section.
 

Just at the base of the San Rafael Swell, highway U-24 turns south of I-70 east of Green River, Utah.

I-70 would continue on through the Swell. This is looking east toward Green River.

The ledges on the west side or the swell or 3000 to 5000 feet high.

You could take pictures all days.

There are several stand alone rock formations between Green River and Hanksville.

Between Green River and Hanksville there is a turn off to Goblin Valley. The San Rafael Swell is in the foreground.

This turn off will also take you to Temple Mountain. This mountain produced uranium mining and was owned by the Ekker family.

The old homestead rock cabin is still there.

Ten miles outside of Hanksville are standing sandstone rock formations.

These rock formations pepper the valley in every direction.

Perry spent many years as a kid investigating the rock formations and canyons.

View of Castle Butte.

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Just at the base of the San Rafael Swell, highway U-24 turns south of I-70 east of Green River, Utah.

 

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