TrailDamage.com

Photos, videos and information about 4x4 trails in Colorado and Utah

  • Trails
    • Colorado
    • Utah
  • Reports
    • Featured Photos
    • Featured Videos
    • Reports Calendar
  • Members
  • Search
  • Trail Damage Winners
  • FAQ
  • Community
  • Upcoming Events
  • Membership
  • Log In
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Union Canyon 130927

September 27, 2013 by Monica

Union Canyon

Trail Run on September 27, 2013
Report and photos by Monica I., Trail Leader
View trail information for Union Canyon

Monica I.
Red 2010 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Roger R.
White 2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon
Julie M.
Green 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon
Walt S.
Gray 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon

After consulting maps, we decided Union Canyon could be a cool way to get to the reservoir from Carbonate Hill. The canyon was tight but the trail followed the river, so it would probably be an easy and short way out. We ended up being happily wrong about the difficulty of the trail.

We got to the Union Park Cow Camp and the gates were open. There were no cows or people, but the mud had lots and lots of cow prints in it. We must have just missed them, or they were left over from the last time the place was muddy. We passed through and found ourselves at the trailhead.

The trail was definitely narrower and less maintained, but it was marked with a sign and it seemed to get some use. We headed in on the loose rocks, appreciating the scenery around us. The canyon was gorgeous. There were yellow and green aspen trees in the pines, and a thin layer of snow covered the higher portions. It was lightly snowing, but it wasn't sticking on the trail. It was just making everything wet and muddy.

It was a really nice trip, and we kept expecting the trail to dead end even though we hoped it would go through. We got to the first creek crossing, and it looked like the trail had actually been washed out. Plenty of tracks from ATVs and 4x4 vehicles went through to the other side, so we followed. The mud wasn't very slick, so getting out of the water was pretty easy and no one had an issue.

The second creek crossing was even easier as the sides where we crossed were sloped. It was very pretty and fun to be crossing the water.

The walls of the canyon got closer and closer, and soon we found ourselves on a narrow trail with the river on one side, only yards away, and a rock wall on the other side. Then the bumpy trail got rockier and rockier the farther we went.

Eventually, we had to get out to check out an especially rough part of the Rock Garden. There were two big rocks on the right and a huge rock on the left, and we almost needed to weave around them. They were pretty close together, though, so there was some scraping. Both Julie and Monica scraped up the same rear passenger wheel rim in exactly the same way. Monica even sheared off the top part of a lug nut, and you could see the bolt. Fun!

We were grinning and talking about how cool the trail was after that. It was difficult to stand on the muddy rocks in the Rock Garden, though, so we didn't hang out for long. The trail then opened up and we saw a nice sign for a hiking trail. It was obvious that a lot of vehicles had been to this point, but they probably turn around at the hiking trail.

We got out to the kiosk to hang out and have snacks, but then we saw a group of cows hurrying our way. They must have thought we had food for them. Roger tried to slowly drive through the group of cows, but they wouldn't move. He got out of his Jeep and they immediately left. Roger is scarier than his Jeep.

We popped out into the Lottis Creek Campground and it was deserted. It was really nice, though. We aired up there, thinking Cottonwood Creek and the rest of the trip would be mellow. Out on the pavement, we turned right to head up to Taylor Park Reservoir. What a fun trail and a great find!

aspens
bumpy
chunky
colors_in_snow
cow_camp_part_1
cow_camp_part_2
cow_camp_part_3
deadfall
early_canyon
early_trail
evergreens
first_creek_crossing
hiking_trail_sign
hill
julie_at_the_first_creek_crossing
julie_in_the_rock_garden_part_1
julie_in_the_rock_garden_part_2
julie_in_the_rock_garden_part_3
julie_near_the_start
kiosk_part_1
kiosk_part_2
kiosk_part_3
kiosk_part_4
little_trail
little-used_trail
loose_rock
lottis_creek_campground_sign
lottis_creek_campground
lottis_creek
monica_in_the_rock_garden_part_1
monica_in_the_rock_garden_part_2
monica_in_the_rock_garden_part_3
monica_in_the_rock_garden_part_4
muddy
national_forest_sign
next_to_the_creek
puddles
really_muddy
roger_in_the_rock_garden_part_1
roger_in_the_rock_garden_part_2
roger_in_the_rock_garden_part_3
scenic
second_creek_crossing_part_1
second_creek_crossing_part_2
slippery_climb
tall_trees
to_the_trailhead
trailhead_sign
trailhead
union_park
up_and_over
walt_in_the_rock_garden_part_1
walt_in_the_rock_garden_part_2
walt_in_the_rock_garden_part_3
walt_in_the_rock_garden_part_4
walt_on_the_way_out
waterfall
whitewater
yellow_leaves
Join Us!
If you aren’t a Member or Subscriber, you can’t see all of the content on this site. Get membership information to see why this site is best when you join and log in

Information for Subscribers

When you log in you’ll see more information here:

  • Recent Community Forum posts
  • Recent polls
  • Upcoming Events you can attend
  • Links to online users

© 2000-2021 · TrailDamage.com · Terms and Conditions · About · Contact
Trail information is only accurate on the date posted. Trails may have changed or closed since that date. Use this information for historical purposes only.
Contact the Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management for up-to-date trail information.

/* ----------------------------------------- */ /* View slug: reports-other-reports-for-same-trail-slider - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* place the prev/next controls on the sides */ .td-transition-controls .wpv-filter-next-link, .td-transition-controls .wpv-filter-previous-link { border: none; font-size: 300%; position: absolute; top: 70px; } .td-transition-controls .wpv-filter-previous-link { left: 0; } .td-transition-controls .wpv-filter-next-link { right: 0; } /* center the page selector horizonatally */ .td-transition-controls ul.wpv_pagination_dots { text-align: center; margin-top: 10px; } /* center the page selector horizonatally */ .td-transition-controls ul.wpv_pagination_dots li.wpv_pagination_dots_item, .td-transition-controls .wpv_pagination_dots li a { display: inline-block; float: none; } /* remove the default styles */ .td-transition-controls .wpv_pagination_dots li a { text-decoration: none; border-bottom: none; } .td-slider-container { padding: 0 25px; margin-bottom: 20px; position: relative; width:100%; display:table; } .td-slides { position: relative; } .td-slides-image { float:left; display:table-cell; } .td-slides-image img { border:1px solid #c0c0c0; } .td-slides-content { padding:4px 4px 4px 10px; border-top:1px solid #c0c0c0; border-right:1px solid #c0c0c0; border-bottom:1px solid #c0c0c0; display:table-cell; height:227px; overflow:hidden; } .td-slides-content h3 { margin-top:8px; } .td-slides-leader { font-size:smaller; margin-top:4px; } /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* View slug: reports-other-reports-for-same-trail-slider - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */
/* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Template for a Single Report - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ .entry-header { display:none; } .entry-content h1 { margin-top:16px; padding-top:0; } h1 a { color:#222; } h1 a:hover { color:#666; } p.entry-meta { font-size:small; } #report-body-spacer { clear:both; width:100%; height:20px; } #addtoany-bar { margin-bottom:2em; text-align:center; } .category-reports .post-info .author, .post-info .date { display: none; } .addthis_recommended_horizontal { text-align:center !important; } /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Template for a Single Report - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in REPORTS Runners - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ #runners-container { width:100%; clear:both; } .runner { border:1px solid #c0c0c0; margin:0 6px 6px 0; float:left; width:49%; height:81px; } .runner-image { float: left; } .runner-image img { margin:2px 10px 0 2px; height:75px; width:75px; } .runner-name { text-transform:uppercase; } .runner-name a { color:#222; } .runner-name a:hover { color:#666; } .runner-vehicle { font-size:small; } @media only screen and (max-width: 768px) { .runner { width:100%; } } /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in REPORTS Runners - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */