Travel-Curious

Travel Curious

For independent travelers who want to dig deeper

The Wedge Overlook

The Wedge Overlook is called “Utah’s Little Grand Canyon”

Sunsetting over the Wedge Overlook

 

There are multiple overlooks 1000 feet above the San Rafael River and canyons below you, each one gives you a different vista.

 

Getting to the Wedge Overlook

  • From I-70 you can reach the Wedge Overlook coming from the east from Green River (exit 131) or from the west from exit 91. From either exit it’s about 1.5 hours to reach the overlook.

 

Note

  • The road is gravel and is easily passable by cars
  • Buckhorn Wash is nearby and easy to combine with your visit

 

Photo Notes
Early morning light and late afternoon light are best, arrive a couple of hours before sunset to avoid canyon walls below the rim in shadow

 

Overlook 1 ( 39.092979, -110.758803 )
This is the first overlook you will come to, the road coming in takes you right to this spot

The wedge overlook green river utah
The wedge overlook green river utah

 

Overlook 2 ( 39.091091, -110.785186 )
From overlook 1 head west (facing the canyon, west is to your right) along the canyon rim road. This is a slow rocky road of 2.2 miles one way, not suggested for cars

Sunsetting over the Wedge Overlook

 

Overlook 3 ( 39.096005, -110.749306 ) The main overlook
From overlook 1, continue east (facing the canyon, east is to your left) along the road on the canyon rim, this will take you to the main overlook

 

From the main viewpoint, the "wedge" that sticks up from the bottom of the picture is what gives the wedge overlook its name
From the main viewpoint, the “wedge” that sticks up from the bottom of the picture is what gives the location its name

 

Overlook 4 ( 39.103970, -110.740943 )

From the main overlook, continue following the canyon rim road, there are signs for “Good Water”, this will take you to the fourth overlook, you will need to park and walk 5-10 minutes out to the canyon rim.

 

Explore Nearby...

Hikes...

Rochester Rock Art Panel

A short hike leads to a boulder on an overlook with hundreds of petroglyphs chipped into the desert varnish from the Fremont Culture dating back to at least 1300 AD

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.

Goblin Valley State Park Utah

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

Scenic Drives...

Nine Mile Canyon Utah

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 Green River Utah

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.

Everything Else...

Crystal Geyser Green River Utah

Crystal Geyser

Crystal Geyser is a CO2 geyser created accidentally in 1935 by an oil drilling rig.

Temple Mountain Pictograph

Significant because it contains some of the largest prehistoric painted figures in Utah. The largest image in its current condition is about 6 feet tall.

Lone Warrior Panel Green River Utah

Lone Warrior panel

The Lone Warrior is the main feature, but there are some petroglyphs, some signatures with dates and some sharpening grooves carved into the base of the cliff to see also.

Head of Sinbad / Locomotive Point

On the south side of a locomotive-shaped rock formation, are amazing Barrier Canyon Style pictographs so pristine they look like they were painted yesterday

Dutchman Arch

Visit a small but picturesque arch you can walk inside of or climb right on top of

Swasey Cabin Green River Utah

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.

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