San Rafael Swell
Things to Do
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Camping
Camping at the Wedge in designated sites offers some of the best sunrise and sunset views just feet from your tent. These campgrounds are available on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a BLM fee campground with pit toilets, tables and fire rings near the San Rafael Swinging Bridge at the east end of the Little Grand Canyon. Tip: All campgrounds here are dry, so bring plenty of water, especially during the hot summer months.
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Little Grand Canyon
The Little Grand Canyon is a 14-mile path cut from the Earth’s crust by the San Rafael River. Due to minimal elevation changes, the Little Grand Canyon Trail is one of the most popular San Rafael Swell hikes. Create your own adventure with an out-and-back day hike, or backpack the full 18 miles over 2 or 3 days.
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Slot Canyons
Little Wild Horse and Bell Canyons feature a maze of winding sandstone walls interspersed with small caves and rock formations. A combined loop — about eight miles — allows for the rare experience of navigating these lengthy, narrow canyons. No specialized climbing gear or expertise required.
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Wedge Overlook
The Wedge Overlook is an excellent place to begin exploring. It’s offers a bird’s eye perspective of the Little Grand Canyon. This 1,000-foot-deep gorge reveals towering sandstone cliffs that overlook the canyon’s bottom, lined with cottonwoods, rabbit brush and greasewood. The overlook also offers great views of Sids Mountain, Assembly Hall Peak and the highest point in the Swell, Window Blind Peak.
Photo: Dean Krakel
Photo: Marc Piscotty
More Things to Do
Bikepacking
Take a multi-day bikepacking adventure and learn the art of preparation, resilience and self-reliance while surrounded by desert scenery and solitude.
Kayak the San Rafael River
Floating San Rafael River’s class I-II 14-mile length of the Little Grand Canyon in kayaks from Fuller Bottom to the Swinging Bridge is a popular activity for those with a basic boating experience. It is completely dependent on a water flow rate above 200 CFS.
Mountain Bike the Good Water Rim Trail
The Swell is a bikers' paradise. Looking for single-track mountain bike action with minimal climbing? Head to the Wedge Overlook and hit the Good Water Rim Trail. Find rolling slickrock at Saucer Basin, desert vibes at Green River’s Athena trail, and otherworldly views at Goblin Valley State Park. Prefer slick asphalt instead? The Swell’s scenic byways pave the way for road bikers to test their endurance on a combination of steep climbs and rolling hills.
Ride the Arapeen OHV Trail
The San Rafael Swell offers off-highway vehicle (OHV) trails through mountains, canyons, deserts, and forests. Trails range from easy to difficult, accommodating all skill levels, from navigating the challenging Devil's Racetrack to enjoying the scenic South Skyline Drive. Ride responsibly.
Drive the Energy Loop
The Energy Loop includes 138 miles of the Huntington and Eccles Canyons National Scenic Byway that follows the Wasatch Plateau. to find 360-degree views of Mount Nebo to the north and the San Rafael Swell to the east.
Photo: Dean Krakel
Buckhorn Draw Pictograph Panel, Rochester Art Panel, and Little Wild Horse Canyon
Discover the Swell's pictographs and petroglyphs. Human presence in the Swell goes back thousands of years. Evidence of the Barrier Canyon and Fremont Culture is on display at the Buckhorn Draw Pictograph Panel, which can be seen on your drive or ride down to the river from the Wedge.
Additionally, sites like the Rochester Art Panel and Little Wild Horse Canyon further enrich the tapestry of human history within the Swell, offering additional contexts and insights into the ancient hunter-gatherer communities that once thrived in these lands. Together, these sites paint a vivid picture of the cultural and historical significance of the Swell, enhancing its natural beauty with layers of human storytelling.
Basecamps
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Green River
The city of Green River was once a stomping ground for Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch, and is a haven for river runners who raft places such as Desolation and Gray Canyons.
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Price
Price sits close to the northern section of the San Rafael Swell, which is home to vast deserts, yawning canyons, and fascinating rock formations. The area is known for its coal mining, as well as its recreational opportunities.
What's Nearby
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Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands is home to many different types of travel experiences, from sublime solitude in the more remote stretches of the park to moderate hikes through the Needles district to the opportunity to create your own version of one of the West's most photographed landforms, Mesa Arch.
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Capitol Reef National Park
Even considering Utah’s many impressive national parks and monuments, it is difficult to rival Capitol Reef National Park’s sense of expansiveness, of broad, sweeping vistas, of a tortured, twisted, seemingly endless landscape, or of limitless sky and desert rock.
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Fishlake National Forest
This is a paradise known for its beautiful aspen forests, sundry scenic drives, trails, elk hunting, and mackinaw and rainbow trout fishing. Recreational opportunities include scenic drives, mountain biking, snowmobiling, hiking, camping and OHV use.
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Goblin Valley State Park
Goblin Valley State Park could almost be mistaken for a martian landscape with intricate and bizarre geologic formations. Bring the family and experience this amazing place by hiking, camping, mountain biking and exploring the surrounding canyons.
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Green River State Park
Green River State Park is a great place to begin your adventure on the Green River. If you make the journey you’ll be rewarded with easy access to the river, sheltered campgrounds and picnic areas, a nine-hole golf course, and a new eighteen-basket disc golf course.
