Sheep Creek / Granite Creek
Pre-run
May 10, 2014
By Jerry Smith
Providing the most enjoyable 3-days of Jeeping our “Rock Junction” guests can possibly have is the ultimate goal of the Grand Mesa Jeep Club. That does not include working to make a trail passable or leaving their paint on trees or brush that has overgrown the trails.
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| Steep, narrow, and rocky is the Granite Cr. shelf road |
Those 3-days are spent out on some of western Colorado's and eastern Utah's premier Jeep trails. Those Jeep trails range in difficulty from mild and scenic to extreme and scenic. Your choice.
At the end of each day on the trail, you are treated to a BBQ dinner where we mingle with others who have some "tall tales" you're going to want to hear. Between the trails and the BBQs, this event brings rigs from all over the US and Canada to Grand Junction.
With this in mind, 7 rigs began early Saturday morning for a “working” trip up the Sheep Creek and Granite Creek trails. Granite Creek had been run earlier this year with several hours of brush trimming reopening miles of overgrown trail. (see this link for that story: http://happytrails4wdblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-granite-creek-trail.html
The Sheep Creek trail had not been run, so we did not know what to expect.
Historically, this trail can have “issues” in the early spring after the winter ravages and spring runoff.
Historically, this trail can have “issues” in the early spring after the winter ravages and spring runoff.
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| A less sharp, but still steep hairpin on Sheep Creek |
On the bottom of Sheep Creek, deep wash crossings can have high vertical banks left after high water has abated. Further up the steep, narrow shelf road, rock falls are common and erosion of the road surface can change the “personality” of the trip.
After airing down at the Hwy 141/ 4.2 Road intersection, we ran the 6-miles down along the Delores River to the Sheep Creek trailhead. From here, the trail goes from a fast county road to a bouncy, rough, and slow progress type of trail. Once you climb up on the lower mesa, the trail becomes one of loose round river rock that keeps speed and comfort to a minimum.
Dropping down into the washes that empty the runoff from the higher ground, we discovered that a dozer had been hired to reopen the road not long before this exploration. As usual, the dozer operator went at the trail as if to create a “passing lane” up an otherwise narrow, challenging Jeep road.
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| Pictures don't relate the roughness of Sheep Creek |
While we applaud the BLM for keeping the trail open, we would argue that leaving the trail more “primitive” would be preferable. Repair of impassable or dangerous obstacles is a good thing. Destroying a perfectly good primitive Jeep Road is not!
The good thing is that Mother Nature has a way of “curing” what the BLM and a dozer have done. Historically speaking, one or two years from now, Sheep Creek will return to a very fun, challenging trail.
One year, the first trip up Sheep Creek nearly came to an abrupt end on one hairpin point. The heavy runoff had cut a deep gouge down the side of the mountain and then turned down the road for about 50-yards before diving off the lower side. The deep V-notch cut had left just enough of the narrow shelf road for a Jeep to pass if the driver wasn't squeamish about dropping the passenger side tires into the V-notch.
A wrong decision at this point could result in a long roll to the bottom of the canyon. As it turned out, the two of us made it through without any problems. A call to the BLM ended with the trail temporarily closed for several months.
Other times, rockfalls from the high cliff above the road can drop huge boulders onto the road. More than once, some inventive winching has been required to remove the debris. Once, dynamite was used to "shrink" the rock into a portable size. We like to think that Colorado Jeep trails have their own special needs.
One year, the first trip up Sheep Creek nearly came to an abrupt end on one hairpin point. The heavy runoff had cut a deep gouge down the side of the mountain and then turned down the road for about 50-yards before diving off the lower side. The deep V-notch cut had left just enough of the narrow shelf road for a Jeep to pass if the driver wasn't squeamish about dropping the passenger side tires into the V-notch.
A wrong decision at this point could result in a long roll to the bottom of the canyon. As it turned out, the two of us made it through without any problems. A call to the BLM ended with the trail temporarily closed for several months.
Other times, rockfalls from the high cliff above the road can drop huge boulders onto the road. More than once, some inventive winching has been required to remove the debris. Once, dynamite was used to "shrink" the rock into a portable size. We like to think that Colorado Jeep trails have their own special needs.
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| Climbing the steep Sheep Creek trail |
At the top of the ridge, the Pinon pine and Juniper trees have been encroaching on the trail for years. We stopped several times to do some widening of the trail to make it less abrasive on the vehicle sides.
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| The Delores River Valley from upper Sheep Creek |
After a very light rain-shortened lunch stop, we continued down into Lost Horse Canyon. The trail here becomes fairly mild for quite some distance.
As you approach where Granite Creek intersects, the trail begins to get rough and the brush along the sides gets downright ugly. Even after our first “work trip”, the brush had begun leafing out and reaching for your paint job.
We spent a lot of time further trimming some of the worst areas to make them more “user-friendly”.
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| Mary and Chuck performing trail maintenance |
The Granite Creek canyon is a beautiful and grand place. High, steep, canyon walls are topped by nearly vertical cliffs with jagged looking, weather-beaten crags. The scenic values alone are worth the trip. Along the way, you transition from Colorado to Utah, though you better watch closely on the GPS to notice it.
Once you reach the old “homestead”, most of the scenic qualities pale while ascending the very narrow shelf road up and out of the canyon. The steep, rocky roadway keeps your attention away from the “views” for the most part.
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| Granite Creek |
Your concentration is more limited to; “don’t go over the side” than; “that sure looks pretty”. Depending on what you drive, there are places where your outside tire may protrude slightly over the edge of a very steep, very deep canyon. You may use the word “unnerving” if it’s in your vocabulary.
We left Granite Creek and Sheep Creek in much better condition than we found them… ready for “Rock Junction” on June 4, 5, and 6, 2014.
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| You will have some Off-Camber moments in Granite Creek |
Come enjoy 3-days of Jeeping some of western Colorado and eastern Utah’s premier trails. We have trip leaders who will take you on trips from the mild to the extremely wild… your choice. Then enjoy a hosted evening BBQ each day to reminisce your journeys with others who have just done theirs.
Happy Trails to you.
And remember, when you come to a fork in the road, "Take It!"
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| Winding up the Granite Creek trail |
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| Dodging large rocks on tight turns |
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| Sometimes over is preferable to around |
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| Close to the edge can be "hairy" |
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| "Choice words" were no doubt being exchanged here |
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| Wendy admiring the deep canyon view |
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| Passengers get a better view of the canyon |
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| One of several steep, sharp hairpin turns on Sheep Creek |
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| The inspiring rim of Granite Creek |
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