Scenic Byway 279

This 45 mile round trip drive from Moab will take approximately 2 hours with stops.

Utah Highway 279, also called Potash Road, follows the Colorado River canyon downstream from Moab.  This 16 mile paved road provides an excellent opportunity to view not only rock art, but also a small Indian granary, several arches and dinosaur tracks.

From Moab head north on 3.5 miles on US 191, then turn left on Utah 279.

The railroad tracks you see on serve the potash mines approximately 15 miles down the road.

Atlas Tailing Plant

The tailing pits of the Atlas Uranium Ore Reduction Plant will be to the right.  Moab's radioactive lake is currently under hot environmental debate.

The Portal (2.7 miles)

The river (and the road) enter the Colorado River gorge at The Portal, an opening in the cliffs on this side of the valley.

The sheer cliff walls are Wingate sandstone, and the base of the walls rest on a variety of Chinle formation shales.

Indian Ruins Viewpoint (3.1 miles)

This signed viewpoint is located about a half mile from the canyon entrance.   There is a sighting tube to help locate the small granary on a ledge on the opposite side of the river.

Binoculars are helpful.

Wall Street (4.5 miles)

Several companies in Moab offer day classes in rock climbing in this area.

Be sure to watch for tourist, bikers and climbers in this sometimes congested area.

Petroglyphs (5.2 and 5.4 miles)

Most of the petroglyphs in the Moab area were done by the Fremont and Ute Indians.   There are several interesting glyphs at both marked pull-outs.

The first large panel of petroglyphs is located .7 mile past mile marker 11 on the red sandstone cliff along the road and approximately 15 to 35 feet above it.

Numerous anthropomorphs are represented, many in the typical Fremont style with broad shoulders, tapered or triangle torsos, headdresses, and short, thin lower extremities; some are holding shields in one hand.

Zoomorphs (including sheep), a foot print (possibly a bear), spiral shields, a chain of lozenges, single ladders, a scorpion (?), and human figures with large, hollow circles for heads are depicted.

The second site, a petroglyph of a huge bear is located .2 mile farther down the highway.  Note how the bear glyph is super-imposed over an older scene in which humans use bows to attack a herd of desert sheep.  The bear has five toes on each foot, and very small ears.

Dinosaur Tracks (6.2 miles)

Dinosaur tracks and more Indian petroglyphs are visible on rocks above and to the right.  There is a sighting tube to help locate the dinosaur tracks which are approximately 100 to 150 feet above the road at the top of a talus slope.

Six Fremont-type anthropomorphs are depicted, and below them is a large sheep. Along the cliff and to the left and at the same level are several figures including seven or eight sheep (?) with chickenlike heads, roundish with small beaks.

This is also the trail head for Poison Spider Mesa; be on the look-out for off-road traffic if you decide to hike up for closer examination.

Jug Handle Arch (13.6 miles)

The configuration of Jug Handle Arch is interesting since it occurs on a vertical plane and is one of the few known arches in this area to have formed in the usually resistant Wingate sandstone.

The opening is 46 feet high and 3 feet wide.

Long Canyon

The east end of the 7 mile Long Canyon Road is located immediately past Jug Handle Arch.

Only attempt to drive the trail in an east to west direction with a four wheel drive vehicle.

Moab Salt Plant

The paved road ends at the potash plant and mines.

The mine injects water underground to dissolve the potash and other chemicals, then pumps the solution to evaporation ponds.  The ponds are then dyed blue to hasten evaporation, which takes about a year.