Swasey Cabin

Visit Joseph Swasey’s 1921 cabin. The Swasey brothers, Joe, Sid, Rod, and Charley were some of the earliest pioneers of the San Rafael Swell and many local landmarks bear their names.

The cabin was built in 1921 by Joseph Swasey, from Douglas fir trees he harvested and hauled from nearby Eagle Canyon, he was 60 years old at the time.

The Swasey brothers, Joe, Sid, Rod, and Charley were some of the earliest pioneers of the San Rafael Swell and many local landmarks bear their names – there is Sid’s Mountain, Rod’s Valley, the rock formation Joe, and His Dog, and the Sid and Charley hoodoos. and most famous for its story, Sid’s Leap. They settled here and became ranchers. The small cabin was used when they were running their livestock operations in the area which involved raising cattle and horses.

Sid’s Leap got its name back in the late 1880s Sid’s brother Charlie bet him some cattle that Sid couldn’t jump his horse over a narrow section of the San Rafael River Canyon. Sid took the bet, made the leap and won the cattle fair and square by jumping the 12-foot gap over a 55-foot fall to the canyon bottom. It is said he took the long way back to meet his astonished brother Charlie waiting at the rim.

Getting there

Reaching the panel is on good dirt roads, with the last 0.4 miles being sandy and rougher.
From I-70 take Exit 131 which is marked with signs for the Temple Mountain and Sinbad Roads.
From the interstate follow the Temple Mountain Road which will double you back parallel to I70 for about 3.9 miles and turn right on the Sinbad Road Rte 3228 ( 38.843685, -110.705305 ) where the signs are also pointing the way to Swasey’s Cabin.
Continue following the Sinbad Road for about 1 mile and turn right onto Swasey Cabin Road at ( 38.836795, -110.722405 )
Keep going on what is the main road for about 6 miles to an intersection at ( 38.839403, -110.795146 ), turn right and follow the dirt road 0.7 miles back to the parking area

Note

Lone Warrior rock art is nearby
If you want to combine a visit with the sites south of I-70 with those on the north side of I-70 (Dutchman arch, Head of Sinbad / Locomotive Point Rock art) there is a culvert underpass at ( 38.867742, -110.778976 ).

Parking ( 38.836186, -110.806834 )

A small dirt lot.

Route

From the parking area head south about 500 feet to the cabin, it is to the left of the “broken cross” rock formation

Old photograph of Swasey Cabin with the broken cross formation in the background

Imagine spending time in these tiny four walls, getting a respite from the heat of the summer and the cold of the winter. The cabin had some bunk beds a wood stove and a table and chairs back then but is empty today.

Joe’s Office and the Icebox

From the parking lot walk or drive less than a quarter-mile down the Eagle Canyon road to another fenced pull-off parking area in front of a giant rock formation. The left side of this large rock holds “Joe’s Office”, a large cave-like hole where the Swasey’s kept gear. Following the unmarked trail further from the office for 2 minutes takes you to an area against the cliff base where a spring feeds a water trough and there was another hole in the cliff face where they kept food called the Ice Box.

Explore Nearby...

Hikes...

Furniture Draw Canyon

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Rochester Rock Art Panel

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Horseshoe Canyon – Hike

Once known as barrier canyon, it contains rock art that gave name to the barrier canyon style of artwork, contained in four galleries including the Great Ghost.

Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon – Hike

A beautiful slot canyon with two long, extremely narrow passages with walls up to 400 feet high.

Wild Horse Window & Wild Horse Canyon rock art

Route finding across slick rock takes you to Wild Horse Window, an unusual grotto with a huge hole or window in the ceiling.

Black Dragon Pictographs, Petroglyph Canyon & Spirit Arch

Three different sites in one compact area, see the controversial Black Dragon rock art, hike two adjacent canyons to see hidden arches in one and more petroglyphs in the other.

Goblin Valley State Park

The park contains thousands of mushroom-shaped (goblins). You can walk amongst the hoo-doos, there are hiking trails and a cave on the back side of the valley called the Goblin’s Lair

Hiking Beautiful Crack Canyon

A slot canyon with manageable drops, three sections of narrows, and walls that look like Swiss Cheese

Scenic Drives...

Nine Mile Canyon – Scenic Drive

A forty-mile long canyon drive with the highest concentration of rock art in the world, with an estimated 10,000 individual artworks from Archaic, Fremont, and Ute Indians

Buckhorn Wash

Rock art on 100 foot panels. See pictographs painted by the Barrier Canyon culture 2000 years ago and petroglyphs pecked into the rock by Fremont Indians 1000 years ago.

Wedge Overlook

Called “Utah’s Little Grand Canyon”. There are multiple overlooks 1000 feet above the San Rafael River and canyons below you, each one gives you a different vista.