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Robbers Roost & San Rafael Desert Trip Reports

Trip Reports from around Robbers Roost, the Dirty Devil River, Horseshoe Canyon and the San Rafael Desert.

Keg Point and the Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness

Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness | Friday – Sunday, April 18-20, 2025

After spending last week in Arizona and then driving up to Salt Lake City in the middle of this past week to attend a concert on Wednesday evening I had fully intended to take this weekend off to stay home and relax for the first time this year, but Diane was going to be working nights this weekend and she wanted me out of the house so she could get some rest in between shifts. I quickly threw together a last minute itinerary and left after work on Friday afternoon ...

West of the Green in the Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness

Friday – Sunday, March 7-9, 2025

After backpacking into Chesler Park last weekend, I left from work on Friday afternoon to spend this weekend on the west side of the Green River around the Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness to do a little hiking and to search for a large alcove that contains a Barrier Canyon Style pictograph panel that I’ve been trying to find for a while now. I was initially planning to spend the weekend on my own, but shortly before I left from work on Friday Jared contacted me and was going to be able to join me after ...

Rambling Around Robbers Roost VI

Friday & Saturday, October 11-12, 2024

After spending a very warm week along the Arizona Strip with Jared, it was time for me to get back out exploring parts of the Colorado Plateau that are a little bit closer to home. So even though I needed to be home on Sunday, I still wanted to get outside on Saturday and decided to head over into the Robbers Roost area to get in a little canyon hiking and exploring this weekend. I left from work on Friday afternoon, grabbed dinner in town and then headed west into Utah. After topping off ...

Buck Canyon: Rambling Around Robbers Roost V

East Fork of Buck Canyon | Friday & Saturday, April 28-29, 2023

This weekend I needed to spend some time on Sunday preparing for an upcoming River Trip, so I decided to stay closer to home and do a little more hiking in the Robbers Roost area on Saturday morning. After visiting the mouth of Buck Canyon during our short float on the Dirty Devil River two weeks ago, I thought it might be nice to hike into the canyon from above and visit two large arches that are found there. I left from work on Friday afternoon, topped off ...

Dirty Devil River: Lower Sand Slide to Angel Cove

Dirty Devil Daily | Buck Canyon, Pasture Canyon & Beaver Canyon
Friday – Sunday, April 14-16, 2023 | Average CFS: 210

This weekend I had been hoping to go on a short packrafting loop with Jared on a stretch of the Dirty Devil River so I could get a little taste and feel for that particular river before committing to a longer trip in the future, but during the preceding week I was getting a little disappointed to see the water levels drop below 100cfs, which was my absolute minimum level for attempting this trip. On Thursday afternoon when the ...

Horseshoe Canyon & Burr Point

Rambling Around Robbers Roost IV | Saturday, March 25, 2023

After a rough ending to a backpacking trip earlier in the week, I thought it might be a good idea for me to stay a little closer to home and take it a bit easier this weekend. I left home early on Saturday morning and headed west to Robbers Roost country in Utah so I could hike into another section of upper Horseshoe Canyon that I had not been to before. I parked near an old corral at the end of a short spur road and then followed an old ...

Bluejohn Canyon: Rambling Around Robbers Roost III

Friday & Saturday, January 21-22, 2022

After spending last weekend Around The Needles, I decided to head over to the other side of the Green River this weekend to finally explore Bluejohn Canyon, which is a slot canyon I’ve wanted to get into for years. I actually had plans to hike into Bluejohn Canyon twice last year, but the first time I got snowed out and then the second time there were just too many people camped around the trailheads, so I never made it. I figured my best time to get the canyon to myself would be in the ...

Riding on the Moon: The Wild Horse Trails

Goblin Valley State Park | Friday – Sunday, December 3-5, 2021

Last year we had such a great time riding all of the Intrepid Trails at Dead Horse State Park that this year we thought it was time to do the same thing at Goblin Valley State Park so we could ride all of the Wild Horse Trails. Back in August I booked the same yurt at Goblin Valley that we had stayed in almost two years ago for the first weekend in December and hoped that the weather would cooperate with our plans again this year. Of course, with ...

The Good Gallery & Bowknot Bend Overlook

Friday – Sunday, October 22-24, 2021

This weekend I decided to stay just a little bit closer to home than I have the past couple of weekends, and headed over to the west side of the Green River so I could spend some time in the Horseshoe Canyon and Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness areas. I was hoping to check out a large Barrier Canyon Style pictograph panel that I had not been to yet and then hike to an overlook of the Bowknot Bend Saddle from Keg Point. I left right after work on Friday afternoon and headed west into Utah ...

Rambling Around Robbers Roost II

Friday – Sunday, April 16-18, 2021

What a crazy two weeks it’s been! At the end of last week I got sick and missed two days of work and then for the first time this year I did not get outdoors on a weekend! Then earlier this week I noticed the ball joints on the front drivers-side axle of my Jeep were dangerously loose, so I had to replace those one evening after work this week before I felt safe driving it on the highway again. Plus, I’m currently changing jobs at work, so I’ve been dealing with the details ...