Recapture Pocket

This is a little-known but interesting location, the interestingly named “Recapture Pocket” which is just a few minutes east of Bluff, that is full of goblins and hoodoos slightly reminiscent of Goblin Valley State Park.

There are three main groups of formations relatively close to each other. Half the fun is exploring the area to see what you can find. I asked more than one local what the name referred to, but so far I didn’t have any luck finding anyone who knew.

Note

Approaching sunset the hoodoo areas are in shadow early because of the buttes directly to the west of the area that is going to block the sun, get there a couple of hours before sunset. Sunrise shouldn’t have any issues.
Dogs okay

Getting there

From Bluff, take UT-162 east for 4.9 miles and turn left on an unmarked gravel road ( 37.298293, -109.465708 ).
Drive 1 mile and make a left (west) at the junction with (Trading post road) Country Road 217 ( 37.311256, -109.461199 ).
Continue 0.5 miles and take the next right (north) onto unmarked Bluff Bench Road for 0.8 miles and continue left at the fork, continuing 0.3 miles to reach the first group of formations.
The second group is located another 0.3 miles further.
To reach the third group, return to the fork and take it left (north) for 0.9 miles and turn right just past the slickrock patch and storage tanks for another 0.3 miles.

Explore Nearby...

Hikes...

The Five Kiva Ruins under the large alcove underhang

Five Kiva Ruins and arch

These ruins and are the closest ruins to see from Blanding. They are quite large and easy to access.

Arch Canyon and Walnut Knob

Arch Canyon has ruins and three arches, explore Walnut Knob to see amazing petroglyphs of hunting parties and game

House on Fire Ruins in Mule Canyon South Fork

There are many ruins in the canyon, but House on Fire ruin is the most famous of them, getting its name from the effects that the sunlight has on the sandstone cliff of the overhang that it is built under

Fallen Roof Ruin in Road Canyon

Road Canyon contains many ruins, granaries, and kivas. “Fallen Roof Ruin” derives its name from the elaborate pattern created by the missing sandstone slabs of rock that fell out of the roof of the alcove in front of it.

Butler Wash Ruins

Choose to view the ruins from an overlook or hike up the wash and explore the ruins close up

Lower Butler Wash Road - Hikes

Lower Butler Wash Road is a unique area of Comb Ridge, home to a dozen unmarked trailheads not published by the BLM or marked with signs. All are short hikes (1-3 miles round trip) that lead to amazing ancestral sites, caves and alcoves with 800-year-old ruins, petroglyphs, pottery shards and more.

Big Crane Petroglyph

A petroglyph panel with a graphic representation of a large crane and sun symbol

Multi-colored hand prints on the back wall

Double Stack Ruin

See a higher and lower set of ruins with painted handprints, metates, rockart and impressive mud mortared rock walled structures still standing

Pedestal Rock Ruins

A large intact ruin on top of a 400-foot rock pedestal with views out over Comb Ridge

Monarch Cave

Hidden up a side canyon of Comb Ridge is an impressive ruin complex with petroglyphs, pottery sherds, corn cobs, sharpening grooves, and grinding metates.

Wolfman Panel

Hike to see multiple rock art panels with one with a unique wolfman like figure, across the canyon are ruins you can continue to

Butler Wash Dinosaur Tracksite

See two sets of Allosaurus dinosaur tracks from 160 million years ago

Fishmouth Cave

A short easy hike to a large cave with handprints and metates, there are a number of smaller ruins to see along the trail.

Split Level Ruin

The hike to a ruin split over two ledges is filled with hundreds of pictographs, large rocks covered in metates, sharpening marks, pottery shards, and painted handprints

Goosenecks State Park ...

How to photograph the San Juan River’s double Goosenecks at Utah’s Goosenecks State Park

The park’s viewpoint overlooks the meander of two giant bends (goosenecks) of the San Juan River. Geologists consider this part of the river to be one of the finest examples of “entrenched meanders” anywhere in the world.

Scenic Drives...

Arch Canyon Overlook

Sit 400 feet above Arch Canyon and enjoy a great sunset