Hatchcanyon
02-12-2015, 05:57 AM
Our plan was to travel to Hanksville but a lot of rain on UT 24 stopped us. We decidet to turn around, heading back to Moab for a lazy afternoon. East of Green River on I 70 we saw the Book Cliffs in a quite different manner than usual. Grey was replaced by a much darker color, black in places. Interesting and no rain there.
We decided to leave the interstate at exit 175 - Floy - going onto old US 6 in a western direction. After one third of a mile a good gravel road branches off to the right crossing the railroad track. This is Floy Wash Road.
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00349_12.jpg
Crossing the railroad - Hatch Mesa
The topomaps show a ranch up in Floy Canyon about nine miles north of the railroad.
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00350_12.jpg
More of Hatch mesa
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00352_12.jpg
Details of ledges and cliffs
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00353_12.jpg
The road is good enough for any car
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/PICT3369_12.jpg
Christmas Ridge to the east
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00355_12.jpg
This is Green River Gap between Hatch and Horse Mesa
There is a fork in the road at 12S 0594700 4312920. We use the right branch following Floy Wash farther north to the ranch.
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00356_12.jpg
Trough Spring Ridge
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00357_12.jpg
Floy Wash Road
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00358_12.jpg
Another part of Christmas Ridge
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00360_12.jpg
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/PICT3370_12.jpg
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00359_12.jpg
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00361_12.jpg
Pictures of Trough Spring Ridge
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00362_12.jpg
Is this coal?
The canyon becomes narrower, the road a bit less good but never really bad. Reaching some kind of a basin we saw a building, a fence and a sign "Private Property". We did not enter even if the maps promised a road going north for a short distance.
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00364_12.jpg
View from the basin bottom
Turning around we went back to the fork mentioned above, trying the left fork. The road leads to Trough Spring and into "The Basin" as it is named on the maps. (Not that Basin with the building.)
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00371_12.jpg
"The Basin"
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00370_12.jpg
Grey and tan
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00375_12.jpg
Road in "The Basin"
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00376_12.jpg
Is that coal?
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/PICT3376_12.jpg
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/PICT3378_12.jpg
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/PICT3379_12.jpg
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/PICT3374_12.jpg
Several stages of a blooming thistle
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00382_12.jpg
Book Cliffs north of "The Basin"
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00366_12.jpg
After a while the road lead us to the Private Property sign again at 12S 0599830 4319260 (nearly!). Again we are heading south.
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00384_12.jpg
Christmas Ridge again
At 12S 0598330 4316440 a spur is heading southeast to Crescent Junction. The pass north of Christmas Ridge has only a hight of approximately 250 feet over Floy Wash. It is called Thompson Pass.
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00385_12.jpg
Thompson Pass
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00387_12.jpg
Crescent Canyon (there is another road)
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/PICT3385_12.jpg
Crescent Butte
A nice trip by chance. From Crescent Junction we went home to Moab.
We decided to leave the interstate at exit 175 - Floy - going onto old US 6 in a western direction. After one third of a mile a good gravel road branches off to the right crossing the railroad track. This is Floy Wash Road.
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00349_12.jpg
Crossing the railroad - Hatch Mesa
The topomaps show a ranch up in Floy Canyon about nine miles north of the railroad.
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00350_12.jpg
More of Hatch mesa
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00352_12.jpg
Details of ledges and cliffs
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00353_12.jpg
The road is good enough for any car
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/PICT3369_12.jpg
Christmas Ridge to the east
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00355_12.jpg
This is Green River Gap between Hatch and Horse Mesa
There is a fork in the road at 12S 0594700 4312920. We use the right branch following Floy Wash farther north to the ranch.
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00356_12.jpg
Trough Spring Ridge
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00357_12.jpg
Floy Wash Road
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00358_12.jpg
Another part of Christmas Ridge
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00360_12.jpg
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/PICT3370_12.jpg
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00359_12.jpg
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00361_12.jpg
Pictures of Trough Spring Ridge
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00362_12.jpg
Is this coal?
The canyon becomes narrower, the road a bit less good but never really bad. Reaching some kind of a basin we saw a building, a fence and a sign "Private Property". We did not enter even if the maps promised a road going north for a short distance.
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00364_12.jpg
View from the basin bottom
Turning around we went back to the fork mentioned above, trying the left fork. The road leads to Trough Spring and into "The Basin" as it is named on the maps. (Not that Basin with the building.)
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00371_12.jpg
"The Basin"
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00370_12.jpg
Grey and tan
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00375_12.jpg
Road in "The Basin"
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00376_12.jpg
Is that coal?
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/PICT3376_12.jpg
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/PICT3378_12.jpg
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/PICT3379_12.jpg
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/PICT3374_12.jpg
Several stages of a blooming thistle
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00382_12.jpg
Book Cliffs north of "The Basin"
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00366_12.jpg
After a while the road lead us to the Private Property sign again at 12S 0599830 4319260 (nearly!). Again we are heading south.
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00384_12.jpg
Christmas Ridge again
At 12S 0598330 4316440 a spur is heading southeast to Crescent Junction. The pass north of Christmas Ridge has only a hight of approximately 250 feet over Floy Wash. It is called Thompson Pass.
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00385_12.jpg
Thompson Pass
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/DSC00387_12.jpg
Crescent Canyon (there is another road)
http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Green_River/Trough_Spring_Ridge/PICT3385_12.jpg
Crescent Butte
A nice trip by chance. From Crescent Junction we went home to Moab.