Pace Lake Trail (part 1)

Pace Lake Trail   (part 1)

Along the Happy Trails

Oct / 2007

By: Jerry Smith

The Pace Lake road was one trip we (Happy Trails – [my Jeep] and I) had been looking forward to trying again since last fall. 

That first attempt at Pace Lake had ended in failure when some very dark clouds came over the mountain right above Pace Lake when we were about one-quarter of the way up the mountain and we retreated as fast as possible.

Sinbad Valley 

Two things you need to know about the lower Pace Lake road are:

•  When it rains in Sinbad Valley, the Pace Lake road becomes incredibly slick.

•  If it rains enough in Sinbad Valley, Salt Creek canyon... the only way in or out of the valley for water or vehicle, can flash flood making access either extremely dangerous or nonexistent.

Just days before we traveled through Salt Creek Canyon toward Sinbad Valley last fall there had been a gully washer rain in Sinbad Valley. 

Another view of Sinbad Valley. Looking over the southeast rim you can see Lone Cone Mountain and some of the San Juan Mountains near Ouray, CO.  On a really clear day, this view will draw your eyes so hard, they hang out on your cheeks.

Salt Creek cuts across the road into Sinbad Valley twice and in both crossings, it was clear that the roaring water had been 3 to 4 feet deep.  That was warning enough.  This day had rain in the forecast too.

Salt Creek shows some of the salty remnants after a storm in Sinbad Valley.

If you Jeep in canyon country or in the desert, you learn to watch the area weather closely... one way or the other!

After entering Sinbad Valley and about halfway to the foot of the mountain toward Pace Lake, the road had signs of what it would be like if real wet. 

One track or the center of the road was cut up to 24" deep with nearly vertical walls snaking back and forth across the road from rain and snow runoff. 

Narrow and off-camber enough to make the view off the lower roadside a dandy for a passenger.

That day, the clay-like surface was just barely damp and it still built up in the tires limiting traction to near nothing.  Being here while it rained would be "really dumb".  



Staying out of the deep channel was a full-time job but soon the elevation changed enough that there was a river rock-like surface that was "slow-going" rough.

This gives you some idea of how deep the washes down the road were.  This was taken years after and erosion has filled the channel considerably.   The ditches were once 3-times as deep and the sides were nearly vertical as they wandered back and forth across the road.

Sinbad Valley is a bowl with 800 - 1400 foot high, near vertical cliffs surrounding all but the Salt Creek canyon.   

Millions of years ago, it was a small salty sea that dried up leaving a salt dome the full width of the valley floor.  It is thought that the weight of dust blown in over many years, of Utah's southern region, eventually collapsed the dome. 

This helps explain that the water going down Salt Creek is about 2/3 as salty as seawater.  The creek bottom turns white with salt as the creek recedes and dries. 




Nearing the bottom of the mountain, the road splits.  As the general direction toward Pace Lake was to the right, we took the right fork.

In about 200 yards, we came to the remnants of an old log cabin.  The current resident (a lizard) ducked for cover as I rummaged around taking pictures.  My original thoughts were that this might be a "rustlers" cabin.  A reader of this post called me and told me his rancher grandfather had built the cabin.  (my story sounded better)

An old rancher's cabin remnants.

Back on the road, we immediately began a steep climb on a loose, rocky shelf road.  Another 100 yards brought us to a bad scene.  The lower side of the road no longer existed.  It was a deep, wide channel at least 3-4 feet deep and about as wide.

After walking up the steep, rocky road nearly a quarter mile, it was determined that this way was not going to be passable without some very serious excavating.  We backed down to the cabin and turned around for a look at the other fork.

The left fork of the road circled the foot of the mountain with another fork along the way.  Staying right, we came to a wash that looked intimidating. 

The close bank was almost 5 feet straight down and then the climb out began exactly at the foot of the mountain.   This was no hill for a climber.
    

After some "shovel work", we crossed the wash, we began climbing the fairly steep shelf road. 

This shows just a little of the off-camber one can expect on the Pace Lake road.

The road narrows as you go with deep V-cuts in the lower side from runoff and many large rocks scattered from the hillside above littered the roadway.

The first mile or so required nearly two hours of work moving rocks over the side and into the V-cuts to slow the erosion and preserve the road for later trips.

Mother Nature had closed the Pace Lake road for at least two years according to the BLM.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but we had a goal in mind that drove us onward.

A little way up the mountainside, an old burn is still evident.  Old burnt trees still stand though many have fallen or are about to. 

Some people don't appreciate a good obstacle when they come to it.  This one once provided a terrific view as you drove to the extreme limits of the lower roadside with the inside of your tires clinging to the very edge of doom.  Oh well!

Coming to a fork where the eroded road from the cabin intersects, the road begins a steep, rocky, and deeply ditched climb up a clay-like surface. 

There was a large burnt fir tree across the road blocking progress just above the intersection.  Even ATVs had not been above this for a very long time.

Getting out to see about removing the tree, I looked up and saw a terribly black storm cloud rolling over the mountain above in the direction of where Pace Lake would be.

It was on this corner where the large fir blocked the road for years.

Having the knowledge of what rain meant to the road and creek below, it seemed like a very good time to get out of there. 

By the time we hit the bottom of the mountain it had begun to rain.  This was not good!

Long before we got to the clay portion of the Pace Lake road, the rain had thoroughly wet it making it exactly slick.  Staying clear of the deep cut washes in the road was very difficult, but we were doing well... until a large rock protruding up from the right side of the road left only inches between the left side tires and the deep ditch.  Add to that the off-camber leaning toward the deep ditch tripled the danger.

After 4 unsuccessful attempts to pass by the rock, we finally slid into the ditch and became high centered with the axles firmly on the ground.  Bummer!  Pace Lake had just become very difficult.

As it was raining hard, I decided to wait for the storm to pass (I hoped).  After a half-hour, it let up enough to get out without becoming too wet and cold.

Doing the "twist" is common on the Pace Lake Road.

After a quick assessment of the situation, out came the winch line to a nearby tree and soon the recovery from this predicament was over. 

Luckily the creek had not swollen much and we left the Pace Lake road for another day.

Note:  To continue this story, read PART-2 here.



One last thought; When you come to a fork in the road, take it!  This is where the adventure begins.



Happy Trails to you.



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Note:  Most of the pictures here are from other trips.