Geyser Pass
The group had been fairly large when started our trip on White Rim, and the numbers slowly dwindled as time went on. By the time we hit Geyser Pass the group was down to only two of us. We were looking forward to the trip back through the La Sal Mountains and how it would compare to La Sal Pass.
Geyser Pass is much, much easier. It is well maintained, and naturally much busier. On the way up, we passed through many curves and large switchbacks.
We looked forward to checking out Dark Canyon Lake, simply because of the name. We saw a sign to the lake so we followed the little-used track to a circle around a fire ring. The views were high above the lake and the site was muddy so we continued on, hoping for a better view. The next road took us to a gate and private property, so the muddy site over the lake was as close as we'd get. Oh well. It looked like Blue Lake was more accessible but we decided to save that spur for another time.
At the pass we decided to head up the spur that took us higher in elevation. We were so glad we took it. It was a short spur up a steep and eroded climb, so it added a bit of challenge to the day. In addition, it offered fantastic views. You could see the valleys on either side of the mountain range all while sitting in the same place. We decided to break there for lunch, and the sun came out. It was a really nice spot.
We soon headed down the other side, briefly leaving the trail to do Gold Basin. It probably wasn't worth the trip, but it didn't take long.
When we came to the first switchback on the way down we pulled over to pick our jaws up off the floor. The view was insanely beautiful. We took many pictures and stood outside for quite a while admiring the view. We could see Moab and lots of the area around it, and it was hard to take it all in. Even if we didn't do all of Geyser Pass it would be worth it to come up to that spot to take in the views. We'd definitely recommend it to first-timers so they can see the whole area.
When we got to the pavement at the end we used the parking area to air up our tires. We talked about heading back to town, but then decided to take Sand Flats Road on the way out. It was another good choice. This was a really good loop through the mountains.
