What to know about the Third Annual Ticaboo Fall Rally
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- In the wash on the way to Mount Hiller.
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- Rockhounding on Mount Hiller.
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- Squeezing through the Narrows at Ticaboo.
Some might think that the jamboree season is over for 2021 with September half over. Well, not so fast there pardner! There are two jamborees scheduled at times and in parts of Utah that don’t see snow and cold weather quite so early. The first one is the subject of this article. Stay tuned for the next one.
I am talking about the Ticaboo Trail System in Bull Frog Valley. The Third Annual Ticaboo Fall Rally is scheduled for Nov. 5-6 in the red rock canyons near Lake Powell and the Henry Mountains.
Deluxe rooms are available at the lodge for the rally. If you would rather rough it, tent camping is available on location. If you want to bring an RV, you can get a site with full hookups. Special rates are being offered for this event, so book ASAP.
Registration is only $30 and includes two days of guided rides and a neck gator with a map of the Ticaboo Trails printed on it. You might want to have a paper map in addition to the gator; it could be awkward to stop frequently and take it off to find out where you are. A small donation is included in the registration to the Prehistoric Museum in Price.
Why the donation? Because the rides will be through Utah’s own Jurassic Park. Josh Lively, curator and paleontologist for the Prehistoric Museum, will be on the guided rides both days. Lively will give interpretive discussions about the area’s geology and dinosaur history and answer any questions you may have. With his expertise and knowledge of the area, you will be successful in finding your own fossils during the fossil hunts to be conducted on the trails.
The schedule for the rally starts on Thursday, Nov. 4. Arrival and check in will occur throughout the day. The trip from Layton is over five hours if you take time for lunch, which I do.
Meal tickets are available for purchase online when you register. The meals are all catered, but you can plan on bringing your own lunches for the trail or buy a box lunch for the rides. At 5 p.m., a spaghetti dinner will open the jamboree.
Friday starts with a catered breakfast at 7 a.m., with guided rides beginning at 9. The Hiller Mountain Loop is on tap for the first ride. I have been on this ride and it is packed with adventure. The trail follows Shitamaring Creek. (Can I say that? If it gets bleeped out, I guess I could call it something else.) Anyway, at the base of Mount Hiller is the Historic Star Ranch. You will learn about its interesting era.
Mount Hiller is the third highest of five peaks that make up the Henry Mountains. It was named after John Karl Hiller, chief expedition photographer for John Wesley Powell on his exploration of the West.
The rock hounding opportunities on this ride are fun. You can find colorful specimens of coprolite. For those of you who ain’t cultured, it is also known as dinosaur dung. You can also find gastroliths — dinosaur stomach stones. You will know these by their greasy, smooth feel. There are also fields of petrified wood to discover. You won’t be disappointed in this ride and in the evening after the ride, you will be served a barbecue dinner.
After dinner, take your UTV out away from the lodge for a treat that is not available in the city. Ticaboo is near a dark sky location. You will have the opportunity to see the night sky in its entire splendor.
One event planned as a part of the rally should spark some creativity. Participants are to dress up their machines to look like dinosaurs. Judges will determine a winner. The award will be free lodging at the Ticaboo Resort and the chance to be featured on an AYL broadcast.
Saturday, the schedule starts all over again. The ride on this day is one that I have not taken before, so I am looking forward to it. A hamburger and hot dog meal will close out the jamboree at 5 p.m.
If you have been on Lake Powell in the water, this will be an event that you can call an out-of-water experience. You will see what you can’t see from the surface of Lake Powell. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down and ride through the red rock canyons of Ticaboo without getting wet.
Lynn R. Blamires can be reached at quadmanone@gmail.com.