Sand Bench - Cat Canyon Overlooks

[Udink]

Last weekend my family and some friends went to the San Rafael Swell for Easter and spent some time on Sand Bench near Hambrick Bottom. While there, I spotted what looked like a great place to hike, so this weekend I returned alone and did just that. First I hiked to an overlook of the San Rafael River nearest to where I'd parked the truck.


View downstream
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E5vT_dVEI/AAAAAAAAJ_0/QYqUBy4niQQ/s800/IMG_2235.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DZIlhcwVsu_KSWfv0pZKzA)

View upstream
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E5wQ_GF6I/AAAAAAAAJ_4/WldTT0xwCsM/s800/IMG_2234.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nCpcK1eMVPKBS1ZegEUG6w)


After that, I hiked away from the river to skirt around a steep canyon, but after crossing the canyon where it was less steep, I headed back to another point overlooking the river. On the way to the point, there was a lot of chert on the ground as I neared the river. At first the terrain was sandy, but after a while it returned to the typical ledgy Curtis Formation sandstone.


View of the truck about 1/4-mile away, Summerville Formation hills in the background
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E5zRSnMmI/AAAAAAAAKAE/3-xRkhcYdv4/s800/IMG_2245.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fjga69nI6DnRJyVxffNU6A)

The canyon I hiked around
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E50FcCBBI/AAAAAAAAKAI/gvQaOzthljQ/s800/IMG_2246.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/IItbKtuWWhj3K36bIkVUug)

Curtis Formation domes
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E53Ba5fWI/AAAAAAAAKAU/1a970uVgzh8/s800/IMG_2255.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CHvAtwESWKy4k16A7drNig)

More Curtis Formation rocks
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E55YgNMkI/AAAAAAAAKAg/aRJt96iN2IA/s800/IMG_2262.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Hi-HF5t19vf--CAtJz6EDQ)

More Curtis Formation rocks
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E57PE-StI/AAAAAAAAKAo/l_Nmx3MjElY/s800/IMG_2266.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/09h0zfWQV3rR04oJmPg-kg)

There were a lot of holes like this in the rocks
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E57ks5uBI/AAAAAAAAKAs/TIWr2mX-nts/s800/IMG_2267.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KeuTqT32i4GbZJa0TOGVGg)

Yet another rock formation
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E5_2qx7gI/AAAAAAAAKBE/3VeXxjOn9fs/s800/IMG_2278.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LNegucJRsrXf-y6Y_rW2UA)

View of the San Rafael River after hiking around the canyon
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E6A3JhxiI/AAAAAAAAKBI/WsprwCSBOV8/s800/IMG_2286.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/s-GaojsSsFHhGJk-7LkVmw)

Cactus
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E6FuFyWOI/AAAAAAAAKBg/Sjwe0WRk23c/s800/IMG_2301.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/J7yoF-3T-nRXmG57z0GWjQ)

Torrey, my Brittany Spaniel
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E6HeviczI/AAAAAAAAKBo/joe0WitfPbc/s800/IMG_2311.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/crbc2X8TQ07NZytBokQ73g)

View from the point
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E6M8_UI_I/AAAAAAAAKCA/rws_NPJmg7c/s800/IMG_2339_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/k4kKPCCAqkx3nzL7Z5lwrQ)


After visiting the second point/overlook, I headed away from the river once again to get around yet another deep canyon. This time I saw some incredible rock formations. This place really is a play land of interesting formations and places to explore. I could easily spend a couple of days just in this small area. Navigating around some of the ledges became more difficult as I approached the third overlook directly above Cat Canyon. The view from that overlook was the best of all three that I'd visited. I could see across Fuller Bottom to the beginning of the San Rafael River gorge where the Little Grand Canyon begins to form, and the view of the Red Ledges to the northeast was great as well.


A very cool little arch
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E6Uh9OC7I/AAAAAAAAKCk/35q6RyzOcxc/s800/IMG_2365.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9RwWkMFN7MME2DYCfpCcKg)

Reverse view of the arch
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E6VzU7nUI/AAAAAAAAKCs/ZBZiT8kwu0g/s800/IMG_2372.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eSZwBxZ8kEk7khtigXHCpQ)

Another hole in another rock
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E6XZzw8vI/AAAAAAAAKC0/b_cJe5Nu1YA/s800/IMG_2378.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_vBbqPTtlkeN11dpBNf2Pg)

View up the drainage I hiked
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E6aw-pV7I/AAAAAAAAKDQ/fg0Sdc6XeDo/s800/IMG_2389.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ya31LyKeyHZDkuru5qySaQ)

Yet another arch
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E6cmdkFII/AAAAAAAAKDY/POC2ZrSfzdY/s800/IMG_2393.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pcvWXKiYsK0wb-XArHIT5Q)

Reverse view of the arch
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E6ey2-3eI/AAAAAAAAKDk/YQs7oqiqAyU/s800/IMG_2397.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9wA6rPS04RAOUw6hD4qwrw)

Approaching the overlook
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E6kiSCLSI/AAAAAAAAKEA/kHdwwpjSJ74/s800/IMG_2415.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/leaXkxjFVU_A9sqQeYU-Bg)

Getting even closer
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E6lr0XRWI/AAAAAAAAKEE/c5A_PIjLZ-0/s800/IMG_2418.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/N6z3xyBpJjumXMaxaoMcAA)

View of the gorgeous green water of the San Rafael River
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E6q9uC5GI/AAAAAAAAKEY/-jXCTkE4gdM/s800/IMG_2431.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/IqtNHh5rw__CXKGlMwBnPA)

Red Wash meeting up with the San Rafael
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E6sGwwUtI/AAAAAAAAKEc/m89UbY75V5Y/s800/IMG_2433.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Fp-V4XjEg-FLFJbj0cX36A)

The Red Ledges
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E6yixduGI/AAAAAAAAKE4/fEeNY1amIiM/s800/IMG_2450_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/z_KKoHMC7xt-8pjTatbAmQ)

A massive Curtis Formation dome
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E6zT0r5VI/AAAAAAAAKE8/CIsSaiWHTg0/s800/IMG_2458.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/D8gFoOH2rmc_arh4sKkkBA)

And a little dome
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E62VJ4b4I/AAAAAAAAKFI/Oe0M9738HW0/s800/IMG_2464.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wxCc-kjh_JBl3ZpIJk6yxA)

Jabba
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E64CeoT4I/AAAAAAAAKFQ/RbO1VNV92Ns/s800/IMG_2467.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Mb582B23xoBRZw2i7S-elA)

It never ends
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8E64_Y5U0I/AAAAAAAAKFU/K7l-pvxBkWM/s800/IMG_2469.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/X2hcqAiBZGE-L8gQnp1q0g)


It was such a cool place, I'm sure I'll be back to explore more.

There are quite a few more photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Dennis.Udink/CatCanyonOverlooks#

[Cirrus2000]

Wow - that Curtis Formation stuff is incredibly cool. Beautiful stuff, great pics. About how long did you spend wandering around, about how much ground did you cover?

:2thumbs:

[DWayne27]

Very awesome stuff - you seem to know your way around the swell! Would love to check this area out.

[accadacca]

Man, way cool. The hits just kept on coming. The swell is really an amazing place. :popcorn:

[americanhero]

Wow and wow again. What a simply awesome place. So beautiful. :2thumbs:
I love these Arches in your pics, but they look really fragile. I would love the see this unique place by myself.

[Udink]

About how long did you spend wandering around, about how much ground did you cover?
I hiked 3.5 miles in about 3 hours, and took almost 300 photos.

The Curtis Formation is pretty awesome. It runs for about 40 miles roughly north to south on the western side of the Swell, and there's more on the east side too. Lots of interesting stuff out there to see. :)

[uintahiker]

Nice pictures!

A few shots of the river make it kindof look like antifreeze.

[Sombeech]

Very cool formations

[Scott Card]

That dome formation is very cool. Thanks for posting.

[Udink]

I returned to Sand Bench again this past weekend, this time south of the San Rafael River (between two and six miles south of the Cat Canyon overlooks). I pretty much just wandered around on my ATV looking for interesting-looking places to hike. On the way in I saw a pair of wild donkeys, which are probably the same ones that I'd seen three years ago in this same area and about this same time of year. I explored some rocks close to the road first, then rode along a rough and sandy trail 'til its end, then hiked about a mile to some more rocks visible in the distance.


Wild donkeys
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p5iY37EHI/AAAAAAAAKjo/_UHfRGj7cXs/s800/IMG_2718.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gVYmRuYhsbqxvgk5pz5CKw)

A smallish arch
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p5jhB1m6I/AAAAAAAAKjs/LhNFuEUXf5o/s800/IMG_2722.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TIcjm_ZOCeZcLyjZmJJHCA)

Small pillars of rock supporting a larger rock
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p5kSFKdvI/AAAAAAAAKjw/ZI-9p1MAsnA/s800/IMG_2728.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iQO6qzzSV3XU9-YEwQW5yA)

Lots of holes in rocks out here
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p5lMtNVjI/AAAAAAAAKj0/PvvDA780isw/s800/IMG_2730.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pW_MGy7sQ00HaNr7EcQyAA)

My son standing among more rocks
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p5xKo-YmI/AAAAAAAAKkw/5gNAihvsC_M/s800/IMG_2778.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RPVIcETlIvoRgYY-6dJGIQ)

My favorite desert plant, Fremont's Mahonia
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p5yMWm6fI/AAAAAAAAKk0/nKldqY5nw-U/s800/IMG_2784.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2x9jHV-0YtBVHom9M4RisQ)

My son in a neat little tunnel
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p50In5IGI/AAAAAAAAKlA/yvtwgJq7tY0/s800/IMG_2789.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ulwYeVQsP3pYD6EIzLY1Dw)

My dog and me in the tunnel
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p51ZOSYoI/AAAAAAAAKlI/jYjSWcKc3os/s800/IMG_2796.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZSJHSmAad8S4k-5-UM7Blw)

Playin' around
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p52KTHcII/AAAAAAAAKlM/8ZGSD8tCPGk/s800/IMG_2805.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LS7UXLePkbetkR6J5WZyXw)

Another very cool arch
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p54tj1HGI/AAAAAAAAKlY/Qct_EYIkScY/s800/IMG_2819.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rYx9ySw_x3u_1pmdVEXtlg)

Playing on more rocks
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p55l-ogWI/AAAAAAAAKlc/9zx5MDQrojQ/s800/IMG_2826.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/z3r2D7xy9La7Z02p35wwzQ)


Later in the afternoon I headed south back toward where the truck was parked, but along the way stopped again for a short hike through a wash that cut through the Curtis Formation. Along the way, the pair of wild donkeys was still near where they'd been in the morning.


Donkeys again
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p6AaWmLxI/AAAAAAAAKl8/2xF4LBpT0RA/s800/IMG_2880.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/w3ANCVWCrdpCA_YUi-7_2w)

Entering the wash
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p6CTS7SAI/AAAAAAAAKmE/3wCcBmUhdZY/s800/IMG_2888.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QoAdUGjZS7k9jYkkz7wicA)

An interesting wash bottom
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p6DeNmQCI/AAAAAAAAKmI/fvnGvlrCNhs/s800/IMG_2890.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Tvf6-nM47ldeHCXsPaYd-g)

A small arch
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p6GrbVNCI/AAAAAAAAKmY/5YQoyatRU0U/s800/IMG_2909.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cy-ZFSS0o17N98osUu8BFw)

Tafoni
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p6IzWqCkI/AAAAAAAAKmg/fBT9m027MqI/s800/IMG_2911.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sCcvr3oK92oZJXCrrF89nA)

A hole with a deep crack at the bottom
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p6KaDmYJI/AAAAAAAAKms/dxtoCqz7x_0/s800/IMG_2915.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vdIClLVmP4zLIcmfgrqx4A)

A lot of wildflowers were starting to bloom
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p6N4OuKzI/AAAAAAAAKm8/s64hSMvP7YY/s800/IMG_2925.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eokeX1f8JZP1yKdV4QcZ6A)

Desert Paintbrush
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S8p58M96D2I/AAAAAAAAKlo/T1sXpPOalhs/s800/IMG_2846.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/y8W3vYh8tUvruKd8fqww9g)


There are a few more photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Dennis.Udink/SandBench#