Blue/Abajo Mountains?

[R]

My son and I will be staying in Monticello next week and will be
hiking as much as we can in the area. I need an opinion: is it worth
our time to hike the trails in the Blue Mountains? My Manti-La Sal map
shows a network of trails up there, and since we are staying quite
close, I though it might be worth a day. Also, how are the roads up
there? Suitable for passenger cars? It might be nice and cool at 11k.

Other items I want to show him are:
-Ring Arch and Tower Arch in Arches.
(He saw Delicate Arch and Devils Garden on the wedding trip...
http://richardbarron.net/wedding/)
-Ding-Dang Canyons in the Swell, which I wanted to hike in March but was rained out.
-Corona Arch
-Fisher Towers
-Mule Canyon @ Cedar Mesa
-Butler Wash @ Cedar Mesa
-The Needles in Canyonlands (some fraction of it)

Any other ideas?

-Richard

[fourtycal]

I think the Blue mountains are incredible. I just spent three nights there myself. The Monticello side is thick and beautiful with some amazing hiking trails. I am almost positive you can drive your car over the top all the way to Blanding (depending on a couple of spots that may still be wet from snow drifts). I prefer the views and scenery on the Blanding side. If you are exploring, the Elk ridge (west of the Blues) are amazing with deep scenic canyons and high meadows. I almost always see deer, turkey and elk. If you are lucky or spend some time with a spotting scope you may even see a Black bear. It is a great area that I would highly recommend. :nod:

[Sombeech]

http://richardbarron.net/wedding/

Very cool wedding spot, and congrats! :2thumbs:

[accadacca]

Where the hell is rockgremlin......he lives in Monticello now. Oh yeah he is probably lighting dynamite somewhere......freakin' mining engineers. :lol8:

[BrokenHorn]

The closest I have ever been to getting on the mountain.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/BrokenHorn/Portfolio/P1030839.jpg

[Iceaxe]

Where the hell is rockgremlin......he lives in Monticello now. Oh yeah he is probably lighting dynamite somewhere......freakin' mining engineers.

Hey rock Gremlin..... this picture is for you :roflol:

[rockgremlin]

Unfortunately I read this just a tad too late! :frustrated:

Ya, I'm really getting to know this area well. I recommend driving out to Canyonlands (the southern entrance), as the views through the Dugout Ranch area are AMAZING! If you are into black and white photography, there are some really cool old homestead cabins out in Lisbon Valley, scattered about here and there. They date back to early 1900's and most people don't know about them, so they are still intact, with many cool little trinkets and artifacts to be found. Another great photo-op is looking off Three Step Hill east toward Colorado at about 7:00 am, when the sun is just rising. I get this treat every morning as I drive to work. The topography slopes down, and you see different layers of blue and purple as the mountains and valleys are backlit by the sun.