Wood Hollow
When we were exploring the San Rafael Swell in 2013, we had a blast doing the loop of Fix It Pass and Devil's Racetrack. We knew there were other trails in the immediate area, and 2015 brought us back to check out the rest. It was our last day in Utah for the trip, and we were going to make the most of it.
We had a lazy morning, stopping at two rest areas to check out the scenery on the way to the trailhead. We even checked out a spur on the Moore Cutoff and aired down at the top of a hill with some big scenery. It was a nice way to start the day, and we soon found ourselves at the trailhead with the help of the GPS coordinates.
We didn't know what to expect, but the trail seemed a bit easier than we were hoping for. It was pretty, with big views of the Manti-La Sal range yet to be explored as well as the desert around us.
Then we were following the relatively tiny portion of Eagle Canyon, along its edge. We had been in the bigger part of the canyon two days earlier, and we had a blast. How were we getting around it this time?
The trail suddenly went downhill, and it was pretty steep at the end. A bigger vehicles without much clearance would have a tough time here. The hill ended with the other side of the canyon about 20 feet on the other side, so you had to make a sharp turn while pointing down. The Jeeps didn't have any issues, though, and soon we were in the canyon wash.
It was rocky in spots, and we had fun. We were definitely surprised to find out this was the way we were getting across to the other side. We hoped to travel in the canyon for a while because it was fun, but soon the trail went up a hill on the other side and we were out. There was a spur on that side, and Monica took it to see if it connected back to the other side of the canyon. It didn't -- it was just an overlook of where we'd been. She took some pictures and we headed north.
We knew there was something called a Dirt Bridge coming up on the trail, but we had no idea what it was. Was it a bridge over dirt or made of dirt? Or was it just a dirty bridge? We were looking forward to finding out.
We came to the gate and opened it, and then realized we had just passed the Dirt Bridge. There was a spur there, so Monica took it to see if that was it. It wasn't, but she saw another spur. She came back to the others at the gate, and then took the second spur. That was it! This spur went up a small hill and then over the Dirt Bridge itself. She radioed back to the others who joined her at the bridge.
Each of us drove over the bridge to park on the other side, and there didn't seem to be any issues with that decision. Most of the group walked down to stand under the bridge. It was made out of dirt, and it was very thick. There was a big hole in the hill under it. How did it stay put, and when was it discovered? It's also known as the Wood Hollow Bridge, but we don't have any other information. It looks like it will last for a long time.
After the Dirt Bridge, we passed through the gate, closed it, and kept going. The trail was pretty mellow, so we made good time. We were soon at the intersection with Coal Wash, the next trail on our list. Wood Hollow was definitely an interesting trail.
