banares

Has anyone done 4-wheel drive guided tours of Cottonwood Canyon Road scenic backway and/or Hell's Backbone Road ? I've seen web sites offering tours. One charges about $144 for an 8-hr tour that looks very interesting to me and one i'd like to do; there's 3 of us and that's quite a bit of money. We can't really hike much, although we will do some. Is the drive really worth it ? Suggestions/recommendations are welcome. thanks.

banares

i forgot to mention that these backways are in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

Dayle

Hi Banares,

I've driven both roads. If you have your own 4 wheel drive, you can do Hell's Backbone on your own. It's a graded gravel road, a bit of a long drive, but definitely worth it. One of the most amazing spots I've ever seen in my state which is full of amazing sites.

The Cottonwood Canyon Road is not one I would recommend you do alone. We did the road that goes from Kodachrome Basin and comes out to the highway east of Kanab near the town of Paria. This route goes past Grosvenor Arch, a truly spectacular arch and one very few people see. A large part of the drive is so desolate you will think you're on the moon. The downside is the grey clay hills get boring after a while, and they go on forever! The tricky part about planning to drive this route, whether you do Cottonwood or the eastern branch that I did, is that the both roads become completely impassable during rain - to any kind of vehicle! The clay turns to absolute grease. Do not get stranded out here!

Happy travels!

utahtea

Dayle,

Do you know of any place that rents 4 wheel drive vehicles in the area of Lake Powell, Escalante, or Bryce?

Utahtea

Dayle

Hi Utahtea,

That's a tough one. I've never seen vehicles of any type for rent those towns are SO small (as you know). There are Wrangler Jeeps for rent in Moab, but I believe only for pick up and return to the same little business.

My best guess would be Page, AZ on Lake Powell. I would just check the usual rental agencies & see what's nearest to your destinations. Also, be sure to check out the insurance situation. Your personal auto insurance probably won't cover you for a rental vehicle in off road use.

Have fun!

utahtea

Thanks Dayle,

Our destinations this year are Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Byrce and Zion. We are going with my BIL & SIL and they are towing their boat. My SIL has never been to this area.

I have the phone numbers of the local Page, AZ rental places and I was going to call them.

Two of the roads I have wanted to do in the area are Cottonwood Road and Hell's Backbone. I'm not sure about Cottonwood after your description!

We've rented jeeps in Moab before. They don't want you taking them out of the area! I had wanted to go exploring the San Rafael Swell area and they said that was to far away!

I've found a place in Salt Lake City that has Jeep Wranglers and Liberty's for a good weekly price but we're not going thought Salt Lake this year. Next time

Utahtea

Dayle

Hi again Utahtea,

Didnt mean to discourage you from doing the Cottonwood Rd. As I mentioned, we did the raod that actually goes east of the Cottonwood Rd. because we wanted to see the Grosvenor Arch. The last hour of the drive was pretty boring, but when you come out near Paria it's wonderful. The old Mormon settlement town is a ghost town now, flooded out 30 years after settlement, but the scenery and the canyon is amazing!

The Cottonwood Rd. may actually be more scenic (minus the arch) because I think it follows a creek and is closer to the red cliffs. If you took it, you would come out much closer to Kanab, but west of Paria.

Good luck!

utahtea

I wanted to take a side trip to Grosvenor Arch. If we can find a place in Page, AZ to rent a 4 wheel drive we will do this route.

Thanks for the info.

Utahtea