 Among the many dioramas and...  Among the many dioramas and artifact displays you'll find in the John Wesley Powell River History Museum in Green River, Utah, are some fullsize replicas of the boats used by the Powell Expedition. You won't believe what those intrepid pioneers used to challenge the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. |
 Other streams were not equipped...  Other streams were not equipped with bridges and had to be forded. This was also Muddy Creek, but it was upstream from Lonetree Crossing in a location called Fuller Bottom. |
 This campground at Goblin...  This campground at Goblin Valley State Park is typical of the unimproved campgrounds found in the area. |
South of the gate, take some time to study the BLM map. You need to know how the BLM marks the roads/trails on the map, so that you can plan your routes. Each trail is marked by mileage boxes between each intersection, and the box colors tell you the amount of difficulty you can expect on the trail. Just remember that any bad weather can throw these indicators out the window! Green mileage boxes indicate the easiest trails, meaning you probably won't need four-wheel drive but should have a high-clearance vehicle. Blue means more difficult trails and stock 4WD is required. Black tells you that it's the most difficult, which mostly comes in short sections of the trail, and Low range and a lift are highly recommended. Red indicates extreme and that Low gears, Low range, traction enhancements, and tall tires are recommended, and you shouldn't come alone. I didn't see any red trails, since I was not only traveling alone but towing a trailer too, but I did try some black trails. The stock '07 JK Rubicon Unlimited managed them with some care and scratched underpinnings, but I wouldn't recommend them to most stock SUVs or solo travelers. The blue tracks proved to be fun, interesting, and nontechnical enough, so that I could enjoy the scenery.
By following the indicated road (EM1028) south of the highway, you drive through an area called The Squeeze and immediately lose sight of I-70. EM1028 parallels the front face of the Swell as a road and then turns east while another blue trail continues on along the base of the ridge. Approximately 16 miles from I-70, you'll hit a paved road (SR24) after about a mile or so of deep, tire-sucking sand wash (N 3846'/W 11026'). Watch out for this wash, and make sure you're either aired down or traveling fast enough to stay on top of the sand. We very nearly didn't make it through this section with highway pressure in the tires, and I didn't want to stop and let it down. The scenery along EM1028 is as colorful as you'll find in Utah's high desert, plus it's a fun four-wheeling trail.