The weather was nice enough to warrant a day trip to the southwest end of the San Rafael Swell where I wanted to fly my DJI Mavic Pro drone over some canyons that drained south and then east into Salt Wash and then the Muddy River. This is an area southwest of Hidden Splendor with canyons that don’t get looked at much. Flying over them with my drone seemed like a quick way to see what was in there.
I drove down through Moore Utah and south across the I-70 interstate. I could then drive the dirt roads south and east between East Cedar Mountain and West Cedar Mountain.
[West Cedar Mountain]
[East Cedar Mountain]
Then the road took me south to Horse Heaven and the area called Moroni Slopes. I explored a few jeep trails until I was finally in an area that would allow me to fly the canyons and washes I wanted to see.
It was late afternoon by the time I was positioned but there was hardly any breeze so the flights were perfect.
[Horse Heaven Wash — for lack of a better name — with Factory Butte in the background]
The results: Interesting but not that notable. I was glad I didn’t try to hike those areas. Those canyons looked rough!
There are still some canyons to the west that I would like to get a look at but I haven’t figured out how to get close without hiking a few miles first.
Maybe another day.
I decided to take a different dirt road heading back which took me down Carlyle Wash and the west side of West Cedar Mountain. It turned out to be a longer path but I had the time.
