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UT 24, UT 303, and UT 19

Started by Max Rockatansky, November 03, 2018, 12:55:34 PM

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Max Rockatansky

Put together a new blog entry on my 2016 Fall Mountain Trip series which covered; UT 24 from Torrey east to I-70, UT 303 in Goblin Valley State Park, and UT 19 in Green River:

https://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2018/11/2016-fall-mountain-trip-part-13-utah.html

Probably the most interesting thing I've found researching UT 24 was the original alignment through Capitol Gorge and how long it lasted.  Travel in southern Utah really was rugged and akin to wagon routes really until the early 1960s.


US 89

Wow. I drove Capitol Gorge all the way to the trailhead this past summer, and all I can say is that I wouldn't attempt that road in anything smaller than a station wagon, or if it's rained at all in the past week. Travel over 5 mph was impossible. I can't even imagine that as an SR 24 alignment.

What was wrong with simply following the Fremont River through the Reef, as it does today? That canyon didn't seem that narrow, especially compared to some of the other stuff you'll find out west.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: US 89 on November 08, 2018, 12:26:48 AM
Wow. I drove Capitol Gorge all the way to the trailhead this past summer, and all I can say is that I wouldn't attempt that road in anything smaller than a station wagon, or if it's rained at all in the past week. Travel over 5 mph was impossible. I can't even imagine that as an SR 24 alignment.

What was wrong with simply following the Fremont River through the Reef, as it does today? That canyon didn't seem that narrow, especially compared to some of the other stuff you'll find out west.

My assumption is the early alignment was meant to take traffic through Notom.  I can't think of any other reason why a survey team would miss such as an obvious better alignment. 

US 89

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 08, 2018, 01:13:57 AM
My assumption is the early alignment was meant to take traffic through Notom.  I can't think of any other reason why a survey team would miss such as an obvious better alignment.

If the point was to have Notom on the state highway system, what was wrong with just making the Notom-Burr Trail road a short state highway spur? Routes like that were quite common in the enormous pre-1969 state highway system. That road isn't in amazing shape, but it's better than Capitol Gorge.

The other thing I remember about Capitol Gorge is that the park was full of signs that said something to the effect of "do not enter if there's any threat of rain, at all" . That's partially because of the road conditions, and partially because the entire damn thing is a narrow slot canyon, which are especially prone to flash floods. I just don't see how you could expect that to be passable during monsoon season.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: US 89 on November 08, 2018, 08:58:46 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 08, 2018, 01:13:57 AM
My assumption is the early alignment was meant to take traffic through Notom.  I can't think of any other reason why a survey team would miss such as an obvious better alignment.

If the point was to have Notom on the state highway system, what was wrong with just making the Notom-Burr Trail road a short state highway spur? Routes like that were quite common in the enormous pre-1969 state highway system. That road isn't in amazing shape, but it's better than Capitol Gorge.

The other thing I remember about Capitol Gorge is that the park was full of signs that said something to the effect of "do not enter if there's any threat of rain, at all" . That's partially because of the road conditions, and partially because the entire damn thing is a narrow slot canyon, which are especially prone to flash floods. I just don't see how you could expect that to be passable during monsoon season.

I'd speculate it simply wasn't passable in wet weather.  Really the south east corridor of Utah really was a true frontier up until the last couple decades.  Boulder might as well been on the moon and I don't believe Hanksville even had electricity until the 50s or 60s.  That same map shows UT 95 on an ungraded Road, really it seems that most of the road network just followed established trails. 



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