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View Full Version : Trip Report TR: Fuller Bottom, Coal Wash, Devil's Racetrack


Udink
12-05-2008, 03:24 PM
I was in the mood for something new this week, so I planned an ATV ride so I could find some geocaches that I'd been wanting to find for a long time. It's such a long drive to Ferron and then east into the Swell to the normal staging area for Coal Wash (60 miles from my house), so instead I decided to only drive 35 miles and park the truck at Buckhorn Well. From there, I rode my ATV south to Fuller Bottom and crossed the San Rafael River. The crossing wasn't too bad, but getting up the far bank was a bit tough--I felt like I was going to tip over backwards. I continued south following the road along the bottom of the Red Ledges and eventually dropped into Coal Wash. From that point on was all new to me, and the scenery was awesome. It gets even better once you hit the north fork of Coal Wash. I saw a lot of interesting side-canyons through there, so I'm planning on returning next year for an overnighter ATVing/hiking trip. I didn't get a chance to ride all of Devil's Racetrack because I would have run out of daylight. As it was, I didn't get back to the truck until after the sun had gone down and it was getting pretty dark. Anywho, below is a link to my GPS tracklog (Google Earth KML format) and a couple of videos and some pictures from my ride.

http://castlecountry.org/geo/FullerBottomCoalWashDevilsRacetrack.kml

Fuller Bottom and Coal Wash:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE_cGB19Co0

Devil's Racetrack:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAaVBL56DF4

Fuller Bottom Crossing (from the north)
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/STmK3FtbqQI/AAAAAAAAC3s/iJLJND9ndbU/s800/IMG_6092.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/y9ynMzZGTF0libutv_sRKg)

Fuller Bottom Crossing (from the south)
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/STmK4mKA3eI/AAAAAAAAC30/KTh18o7NvKg/s800/IMG_6100.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RWQjvYusF_sFds5BB5KnUA)

The Drips
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/STmK6Cf5-iI/AAAAAAAAC38/k2yu3Th8mN4/s800/IMG_6111.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eZz05cLM_daayLcbUJuntQ)

Sid's Mountain WSA Boundary
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/STmK72lg9QI/AAAAAAAAC4E/6928QhlA9ZY/s800/IMG_6119.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/THnQsGAU95Xx9EZ6qacINQ)

North Fork of Coal Wash
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/STmK9DnrJEI/AAAAAAAAC4M/xA-I7hD0kAs/s800/IMG_6131.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nd5ipxYoL-tDimcF-FuAjg)

Scenery in Coal Wash
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/STmK-I68PGI/AAAAAAAAC4U/Of1TW4VD4Lo/s800/IMG_6136.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/F9JzrMvr8Yvv4GD1C3IdPQ)

Joe and his Dog
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/STmK_BnkZBI/AAAAAAAAC4c/vSFAnG1ICRo/s800/IMG_6145.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ngLv54z_88rD8s5GzwZ_iw)

Devil's Racetrack
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/STmLAuTFfbI/AAAAAAAAC4k/6X361tKwyXo/s800/IMG_6149.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/H8mjaRdXpUKV5bVq-01G4Q)

This looks like a balanced rock that became unbalanced
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/STmLBW7ZiBI/AAAAAAAAC4s/9Uft057EL58/s800/IMG_6153.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4ovoGETJMLMICwZoZwm3sQ)

Devil's Racetrack
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/STmLCiwF-vI/AAAAAAAAC40/9s6QE4kAC0Q/s800/IMG_6160.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JTXLIA3fhzGucIvFm475Mg)

Devil's Racetrack - The Twin Priests
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/STmLDrHrAZI/AAAAAAAAC48/T4HgUFvUJIs/s800/IMG_6164.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fT8JN91ZR5m4cKy5sebpfA)

View from my turnaround point
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/STmLF6_iXGI/AAAAAAAAC5M/OBgat9ZiZM0/s800/IMG_6177.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kHLB5CmKG_2OKbi5IcrAFQ)

Slipper Arch
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/STmLHKPENfI/AAAAAAAAC5U/ArlBaGWCC-o/s800/IMG_6191.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ib4FslJFxgvbzt_s4LYFYg)

North Fork of Coal Wash
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/STmLINNnTSI/AAAAAAAAC5c/XVK2VQVn2dI/s800/IMG_6202.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LGG0Vcb7Gqf_hN1gtZT0Gw)

North Fork of Coal Wash
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/STmLJWMPk_I/AAAAAAAAC5k/whgRb04Z2iU/s800/IMG_6205.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yrRVoR891dpHzQqr0zHhTg)
RedMan
12-05-2008, 03:35 PM
Very nice! Thanks.

Is the north end of the Devils Race Track restricted to 50" vehicles?
BruteForce
12-05-2008, 03:43 PM
Nice pics, UDink. How's the weather down there these days? I'd like to escape this area (SL Valley) and get in some riding along central Utah..
Udink
12-05-2008, 03:49 PM
Is the north end of the Devils Race Track restricted to 50" vehicles?
Nope, in fact the entire trail is open to all vehicles (according to the San Rafael Motorized Route Designations map). I think it mostly sees ATV/UTV/motorcycles, but I know that people also take full-sized vehicles over the trail. Here's a trip report from IntrepidXJ (http://www.myxj.net/blog/?p=381) from when he took his Jeep over it.
Udink
12-05-2008, 03:57 PM
How's the weather down there these days? I'd like to escape this area (SL Valley) and get in some riding along central Utah..
The weather is awesome for this time of year--it sure didn't feel like December. It was relatively warm, and the roads were dry, and the only time I was cold is when it was below freezing in the early morning and I was doing 35 MPH in Fuller Bottom Draw. I had to slow down so that my face didn't freeze completely.
BruteForce
12-05-2008, 04:00 PM
Would you mind providing GPSr coordinates for a good staging area for that location? I've never ridden (or been ) there. If the weather holds, this may be worth a weekend trip w/the motorhome and ATV(s).
Udink
12-05-2008, 04:15 PM
The usual staging area for Coal Wash/Devil's Racetrack is on the Dutch Flat Road coming out of Ferron: N 39
RedMan
12-05-2008, 05:18 PM
There is a great staging area at Justeson Flats, basically at the Moore exit on I-70.

My folks parked their motorhome form hell in there so you should have no problem.
IntrepidXJ
12-05-2008, 07:09 PM
Devils Racetrack track here:

http://www.myxj.net/blog/?p=380

and gpx here: http://www.myxj.net/trailinfo/GPX/Devils_Racetrack.gpx
ExpUt
12-06-2008, 05:45 PM
Is the north end of the Devils Race Track restricted to 50" vehicles?
Nope, in fact the entire trail is open to all vehicles (according to the San Rafael Motorized Route Designations map). I think it mostly sees ATV/UTV/motorcycles, but I know that people also take full-sized vehicles over the trail. Here's a trip report from IntrepidXJ (http://www.myxj.net/blog/?p=381) from when he took his Jeep over it.

I've done it several times this year with full-size groups, in fact in all the times I've run it two things are true. I've never seen any ATV's on the trail... and I've never seen any other 4x4's on the trail :D It would be interesting to see the user numbers in the area.
Udink
12-06-2008, 06:24 PM
I've done it several times this year with full-size groups, in fact in all the times I've run it two things are true. I've never seen any ATV's on the trail... and I've never seen any other 4x4's on the trail :D It would be interesting to see the user numbers in the area.
Wow. :hail2thechief: I've gotta give big props to anyone who takes a full-sized rig over that trail. All I kept thinking during the first few hundred yards of the climb out of Coal Wash is that you've gotta be crazy to take even a built Jeep/Cruiser/whatever over it. This is coming from someone with just a stock F-250, so take that for what it's worth. :lol8:
ExpUt
12-08-2008, 12:06 PM
...Wow. :hail2thechief: I've gotta give big props to anyone who takes a full-sized rig over that trail. All I kept thinking during the first few hundred yards of the climb out of Coal Wash is that you've gotta be crazy to take even a built Jeep/Cruiser/whatever over it. This is coming from someone with just a stock F-250, so take that for what it's worth. :lol8:

Its really not that bad, we've taken pretty much stock SUV's (older LC's and Land Rovers) through it in the past. There are a couple spots where bumpers and sliders are a phenomenal investment but overall, not too bad.

Fix-It Pass is a little harder in a full-size, but still plenty doable in a 4x4 with say 33" tires and some decent clearance.

http://www.expeditionutah.com/images/Swell_Or_Bust_Dec_2007_Medium/Swell_Dec_2007%20073%20(Medium).jpg
JP
12-09-2008, 08:25 PM
That's what I'm talking :2thumbs: :2thumbs: :mrgreen: