We have been to Arches and Canyonlands while here in Moab so we elected to take a spin to an alternate. There are many places to go around here but we were mostly going to ride so we chose to take a road called the La Sal Mountain Loop. We had no information, other than the name, before we left our trailer today.
The Loop started right where we are staying so we drove south on US-191 for about 5 miles before turning off on the well-marked road taking us east. We passed through terrain very similar to that near Moab (high desert) before starting a climb up to around 8300 feet. While climbing, the vegetation turned from desert plants like sage and juniper to juniper and pinyon pines and finally to pines and aspens as we passed through the higher elevations. There were abundant flowers alongside the road above 7000 feet. We also spotted some wildlife like birds and deer but we mostly saw cattle grazing along the road edges, unfettered by pesky barbed wire. They were very cooperative – we didn’t hit any of them.
The terrain along this drive is pretty spectacular. Desert at the bottom and treeless rock mountains jutting up to around 13,000 feet at the top. Above about 6500 feet, the vegetation along the road is very lush. There are wildflowers in abundance and they were open for business today. Walking between flowers, bushes and trees up there would be difficult because the emerald green brush appears to be impenetrable. Little waterfalls drop their contents along the road in the higher elevations.
Near the summit, you can look west and see the Colorado River basin, Canyonlands National Park, Arches National Park, Moab and Castle Valley all far below. Once we passed over the summit, there is an absolutely fantastic view of the mountains descending to gorgeous sandstone formations surrounding Castle Valley. Once we dropped to the road in Castle Valley, we got to drive between the towering sandstone cliffs and knobs and see the same scene from the bottom perspective.
Soon after passing through Castle Valley, we hit UT-128 for a 20 mile trip alongside the Colorado River as it continues to saw through the canyons bordered by enormous dark red bluffs. The River is very brown due to the amount of silt it carries and it must be carrying a lot. Some places along the River are narrow and the water is rocketing through and in other spots the water spreads out wider and appears almost placid. Either way, it is a great drive down this slot in the landscape. There are many BLM campsites on this stretch of road, most cozied up right along the River. At the west end of 128 we drove back into Moab, fueled the truck and returned to our camping spot at Moab Rim Campark.
The La Sal Mountain Loop is another one of America’s roads offering absolutely stunning scenery along the way. To prove it, we took some pix along the way which you can see if you click here