# San Rafael Swell, Fullers Bottom Petroglyphs, N Salt Wash, Saddle Horse Canyon Hoodoo



## huntfishnride (Jan 25, 2012)

Went down and did a ride in the Swell over the weekend. I was ponying a colt so I didn't get many pictures, but we saw a lot of country. We rode down the Fuller's Bottom Trail and then turned up North Salt Wash. We rode up the Wash until just a bit past McCarty Canyon with a side trip up Saddle Horse Canyon to the Hoodoo for lunch. Rough weather, but it was less windy down in the canyons. Pretty wild country.


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Super cool! Thanks for sharing!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

I love visiting that area, although I've only been there with a car or truck. This is a great overlook:


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

You need to ride up McCarty, About half way up turn left and go up Still Canyon. About half way up that canyon, You scramble up the side and onto the shelf that climbs to the Mesa top. Cross the narrow neck of land and descend down Mesquite Wash and back down Salt wash to the your truck. Great ride.

We were south of you this week. We rode into Robbers Roost east of Hanksville on Friday. Got rained out on Saturday and headed home early.

Heading into the Horseshoe Canyon


You drop down off some pretty nasty ledges getting into the canyon




Once you have started to descend, It's not too bad to follow the ledge down


And once in the bottom, It's an easy ride


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## huntfishnride (Jan 25, 2012)

PH - I scouted your McCarty ride from your previous posts. We were planning on doing that ride, but when the weather report looked nasty I decided I would be more comfortable riding an area I knew a little better in case it really started to rain hard. From your pics of the McCarty ride it looked like some of the ride was in a pretty narrow slot and I didn't want to be in it during a flash flood. In the end we probably could have done it as it blew and rained a little bit but never enough that we ever used our rain gear. Better safe than sorry I guess.

In my maps and on Google Earth I couldn't see where you climb out of McCarty? Still Canyon isn't marked on my map. I hoped to ride up the canyon far enough to check it out so I would be familiar for next time but by the time we did our side track up Saddle Horse and checked out the drop in to the wash all we saw really of McCarty was the mouth of the canyon before we had to head back.

I'd also like to do the Chute and Wild Horse Canyon loop you have shared here before. 

Sorry to hear you got rained out. Thats a long drive to come home early from.




`


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## DanisMom (Jan 26, 2014)

Awesome pics. I think I'd be too much of a chicken to take my horse down those ledges though.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

It's probably the first canyon you see turning off on the left side of McCarty.

Here we are entering McCarty



It's a pretty good size branch off McCarty.



Once you are in it, It turns into a narrow canyon that has a slick rock floor.


There are several 2-3 foot tall steps in the floor. You can see one of these steps right behind the 2nd horse and in front of the 3rd


Just past these steps, the canyon walls will ease off a bit. Still kinda steep, But something you can scramble up with your horse. You will see horse tracks in the soft soil on your right side. Once you scramble up the bank, You will come out on a shelf. Follow the shelf up toward the mesa top. There are a myrid of cow trails that head in that direction.


You will ride past the head of McCarty canyon where you can look back down into that canyon


Once on top, You have to ride across thenarrow neck of land between the two mesa tops

From the Mesa Tops you can look back in McCarty or over into SaddleHorse canyon


Cow graze on the Mesa top and water down in Mesquite Wash. So just find a good cow path and follow it down off the mountain. Mesquite dumps into North salt Wash which will get you back to where you started.


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## The Equestrian vagabond (Mar 14, 2014)

OMG, I love that country. We did an endurance ride near the Moab area in October, and I just got back from a week of hiking/camping (no horse) down around that way. I must have lived there in a former life.  
thanks for sharing the pix!


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## Shui Long (Apr 12, 2014)

Wow!! Stunning country!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

I so want to go to Utah and ride. Love the picts.


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## Herosbud (Dec 14, 2013)

Painted and Huntnfish, Great Pictures! I have never ridden in that part of the country so I am going to put it on my bucket list. I have a retired cowboy friend that winters in Utah near Blanding. Would that part of the country be similar?


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Comb Wash near Blanding is very similar to these photos.
My first photos ( Of Robbers Roost) are only 80 miles NW of Blanding.
So lots of slick rock canyons in that part of the state.


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