The trip through Iceberg Canyon and the subsequent climb up Grey Mesa contain some of the stiffest challenges on the Hole-in-the-Rock route. Stock vehicles can make the trip, but modified rigs are better suited, and their pilots are happier.
We encountered absolutely no one else on the entire journey.
The desert can still be difficult and unforgiving, but much of the original pioneer route is still driveable by 4WD. The particular section of the historic trail we were tracing runs east from Lake Powell. It is an "out and back" proposition covering 60 miles through big, empty country. We encountered absolutely no one else on the entire journey. Make sure you are completely self-supporting and capable of extracting yourself from whatever misadventures you find.
Our journey started at the Cal Black Memorial Airport on Highway 276. This made our direction of travel opposite that of the original pioneers. The airport is about 10 miles east of Lake Powell on the highway that branches off of Highway 95 to make the run down to Hall's Crossing on the lake. A dirt road skirts the west side of the airport and heads south into the desert. This first section of road does not follow the original alignment of the pioneer's route. It first crosses the settler's tracks about 2-1/2 miles south of the pavement.
The remains of a wagon from the Hole-in-the-Rock party slowly melts back into the Utah desert 130 years after it was abandoned.
The road turns right at a three-way intersection, and the character of the route quickly changes. The graded dirt road ends on the rim overlooking a shallow, tree-filled drainage known as the Cottonwood Branch of Lake Canyon. The route drops into the canyon, crosses the seasonal stream in the bottom, and then crawls out the other side on the trail's first extended stretch of slickrock. Slickrock is the term for the vast expanses of solid Navajo sandstone common to the Utah desert, and slick it isn't. When dry, the surface is similar to 60-grit sandpaper and offers phenomenal traction. The road here follows a route blasted and bulldozed into the canyons in the 1950s as prospectors probed for oil, gas, and uranium deposits. The road soon approaches the brink of the main branch of Lake Canyon. The descent into the canyon is seat-puckering steep for those new to slickrock. With a bit of experience, one learns to trust the traction.
Once in the bottom of the canyon, the terrain radically changes again. Lake Canyon once held a real lake - Lake Pagahrit - its waters held back by a natural dam of accumulated sand. The Mormon settlers crossed Lake Canyon on this dam and enjoyed the incongruity of the large body of water in the midst of the desert. The dam gave way in 1915 during a deluge. The lake drained, leaving behind its rich load of sediment. Now the canyon bottom is a shady oasis of cottonwood trees, bulrushes, and verdant foliage. We passed under towering, overhanging walls as we headed north down the canyon toward the gentle ramp out of the canyon. We rounded the corner and ... STOP!
Climbing back up The Chute is a lot less intimidating than creeping down its steep grade. In addition to the familiarity of the second pass, the increased control and visibility while going back up reduces the fear factor. | 
Close examination of the pioneer's route off of Grey Mesa reveals the lengths they went to in creating a navigable route. Hand picks were used to carve steps for the horses on the steeper sections across the featureless sandstone. | 
Terry Rust's Scrambler makes short work of the big ledge in Iceberg Canyon. A little extra wheelbase helps, but the traction is usually good enough for most vehicles to make the necessary climbs and descents. |