Riding the Buckhorn Rim Trail
On the trail with the ATV near the rim of the Buckhorn Wash. Lynn Blamires
On the trail in the rugged San Rafael Swell: The Buckhorn Rim Trail. Lynn Blamires
Some of my favorite trails to ride are in the San Rafael Swell. With October upon us, it is prime time to ride the Swell. Utah has some spectacular and unique landscapes and the Swell showcases some of the best of them. Don’t expect a lot of trees to provide shade. While there are some trees, the shade you will find will come from towering rock monoliths and sheer rock walls. You will also find fascinating pioneer and Indian history written on the canyon walls. Quiet long-unused structures hint of scraping things together to scratch out a living. I-70 runs through the middle of the San Rafael Swell and it is a pretty drive, but you will never know what you are missing unless you get into the back country.
What I call the Buckhorn Rim Trail is also known as the Poker Run Trail. The Southeastern OHV Club does a charity poker run on this trail in the spring. I call it the Buckhorn Rim Trail because it follows the rim of the Buckhorn Wash with some amazing views of some very rugged country.
The trailhead is located about 13 miles east of Castle Dale. Instead of turning right into the Buckhorn Wash, go straight. The road will eventually connect with Highway 24, but turn off when you see the corrals on the left. This is the best place to stage for this ride.
Turn right on the road you just came in on and go west until you see a small hill right next to the road on the right. The trail takes off to the left and soon drops down off a ridge right onto the MK Tunnels – an interesting piece of San Rafael history.
During the 1950’s the government conducted some top secret experiments looking for suitable places to store munitions. They drilled hundreds of feet into the fissured sandstone and set off large amounts of dynamite above the tunnels to see if the project could withstand the impact of an atomic bomb. The explosions caved in the ceilings and the idea was scrapped. While these gaping holes are sealed with grids of rebar, their very existence creates an aura of mystery in the Swell. There is more than one of these tunnels in the area.
The trail goes northeast from the tunnels and skirts a small catch pond. It then climbs a ridge and follows the rim of one of the finger canyons of the Buckhorn Wash. This particular canyon features some fascinating hoodoos that are fun to see.
Leaving the rim, the trail moves cross-country to a view of the main Buckhorn Wash. You can see the main Buckhorn Wash road and trails in the wash far below along with the rugged beauty of the Swell.
From this point the trail gets fun. It goes east winding through the trees at a fast pace to a view of the Buckhorn Wash at the mouth of Calf Canyon. Now Buckhorn Wash is kind of fun to say because it is a good cowboy name. While Calf Canyon is admittedly a cowboy name, it lacks creativity, in my opinion, but it is what it is and being in the San Rafael Swell, it is pretty.
The trail follows Calf Canyon north where it turns into Cow Canyon — who would have thought? Through this section, the trail turns onto a winding road that heads back to the main road. It is fast and fun to ride. A left turn will take you back to the corrals.
I have been on this trail many times. I like it because you don’t have to be an advanced rider to enjoy it. The scenery is amazing and the trail is just very enjoyable. It is suitable for side-by-sides and ATVs and it is less than 30 miles long. The best time to ride in the Swell is March and April in the spring and October and November in the fall. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down, and enjoy Utah’s unique back country in the San Rafael Swell.
Lynn R. Blamires can be reached at quadmanone@gmail.com.
