Trip Details

Forest Service campground is located at 8,200' about 5 miles west of Monticello, UT.

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This is the first CMC trip in many years to the fabulous and highly scenic Bears Ears National Monument, established by President Obama (yes, we are aware of the misguided attempt by the current president to downsize the Monument).

We drive over on Thursday and select our campsites for three nights of car-camping at a Forest Service campground. Last minute grocery shopping is available in Moab. The campsite has potable water and pit toilets. Each car will share the $10 per night campsite fee for their site.

On Friday, we'll walk a back road followed by a trail to the top of Abajo Mountain (11,381'), the highest peak in the "island range" also known as the Blue Mountains. The bulk of our vertical for the trip occurs this day. If the group wants, we can go a bit further south and do South Peak (11,118'). 

On Saturday, we'll leave camp early and return to Monticello. We'll drive south from Monticello about 26 miles, through Blanding, to the junction of US 191 & Utah State 95. We'll drive west for 40 miles on UT 95, through incredibly spectacular country, to Natural Bridges National Monument, a smaller Monument contained within Bears Ears. We'll park within the Monument and descend to the primitve trail that circles the Monument. We'll view all three bridges from the bottom: Owachomo, Kachina, Sipapu. We'll have sack lunch here and then return to our camp.

Sunday, we'll break camp early for the long drive back to Denver.

Participants need tents, sleeping bags, pads. Food is individual. There will be places to hang solar showers. When we're gone from our camp, we'll take all vauables with us.