La Sal Mountain Loop Scenic Drive

Take a break from the hiking and biking and off road adventures around Moab to enjoy a scenic drive through the 13,000 foot La Sal Mountains on this easy to follow loop

Enjoy a scenic 60-mile loop drive from Moab along the Colorado River, through Castle Valley. Climb high for viewpoints over Bull Canyon where you can see dinosaur footprints, and detour onto the Salt Flats Road to Porcupine Rim Overlook with views out over the Castle Valley.

You will double back into the Manti-La Sal National Forest to experience whispering pines and quaking aspens just a short distance from the desert landscape below in Moab. Visit Warner Lake before continuing along the loop before heading back to Moab.

Distance

60 miles

Route

Drive north from Moab on U.S. Highway 191 and turn right onto Scenic Byway 128 just before the bridge over the Colorado River.
At Castle Valley road, turn right and follow the main loop tour. The La Sal Mountain Loop Road turnoff is 11 miles from Scenic Byway 128.
Turn right. As you enter the National Forest, notice how the vegetation changes as you gain elevation. Pinyon and juniper trees give way to oak, then to larger pines and aspen. The highest timbered areas are covered with spruce and fir.
Be sure to stop at the overlooks along the road.
A 5-mile-long graded dirt side road leads to a Forest Service campground at Warner Lake. The campground has toilets, picnic tables, and fire grills.
After the Warner Lake turnoff, the Loop Road descends into Mill Creek Canyon and then climbs again before starting its descent to Moab. The tour route rejoins U.S. Highway 191 south of Moab.

Option

Another option is taking the Sand Flats Road back to Moab instead of following the La Sal Mountain Loop Road back to highway 191.

Porcupine Rim Campground Overlook Option

38.574422, -109.346965

From the La Sal Mountain Loop Road take the turn at ( 38.522655, -109.338504 ) onto the Sand Flats Road, it’s unpaved, follow it 8 miles to the turnoff on 4632 a short distance to the Porcupine Rim Campground and to the overlook over Castle Valley. It takes 45 minutes to an hour after sunrise for the sun to rise enough to light up the valley.

Bull Canyon Overlook Option

From the La Sal Mountain Loop Road take the turn at ( 38.595389, -109.290071 ) onto the Dolores Triangle Safari Route for the 5-mile paved road leading out to the overlook and dinosaur tracks.

There are two sets of dinosaur tracks one near the entrance with the overlook of the cliffs and a second a short distance away down a gravel trail. There are also primitive paths you can follow that lead to other views over the valley

Warner Lake Option

From the La Sal Mountain Loop Road take the turn off at ( 38.497607, -109.327879 ) for the Warner Lake Road, which is a 5-mile graded dirt road. The campground has toilets, picnic tables, and fire grills.

Credit – pondandpines

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