| OCR Text |
Show To Grand Canyon of Arizona by Auto j s The Route and the Road Described SOME ROAD SCENES ON WAY TO GRAND CANYON. CteMP jG.2vx Oajvj By J. CECIL ALTER. 1WANT to say a few words of encouragement en-couragement to those drivers of automobiles who would liko to get the crowning experience of their automobile careers and push tho front wheels to the very .edgo of the Graud canyon of Arizona from the north side. No. I have not done it; uo one has ever had an auto on tho immediate rim there, though Edwin G. Woolloy of Salt Lake City had a couple of cars at Bright Angel Spring, within three miles of the rim a few years ago, before the roads became cood, .and once since then an auto has reached the Pctosltcy mining min-ing region at tho northwest edge of tho Kaibab plateau (called locally tho "Bnckslcin "'). Petoskpy is some forty miles from the chasm.' Pioneering by auto, therefore, in those regions is yet to be done, though what I want to say is that most of the hardships have been removed by the good roads builders. On a rocont trip to tho can3ron from this sido by a well loaded team, we made caroful uoio of tho route and the roads with especial reference to automobile auto-mobile traffic, all along tho way, and 1 am now convinced that any car that can go to Brighton rosort or to Fish lake, can go to the north rim of the Grand canyon from Salt Lake City iv three days in good weather. The driver can force the radiator right out into that quivering blue space between his eyes and the bottom of tho canyon in two widely separated places today at Greenland, opposite the mouth of the Little Colorado and TTii lower end of tho Marble canyon, and again at the head of Bright Angel creek, which is the head of the Woolley trail, to the bottom at tho cablo crossing. cross-ing. These views combined give a ranee of the porco -noanv a lnindrnd miles in length from the seat behind the steering wheel. Moreover, by a few minutes walk through the magnificent Kaibab forest he can reach Bright Angel An-gel point, which commands as good a single view of the canyon as there is on either rim. Only Light Equipment. Light campiug equipment and sup- Klies should be taken, with plenty of edding, for whilo there is a small building at Camp Woolley, at Catalo i Spring, a mile east of tho Bright Angel Spring and Bangor station, it is itil-ized itil-ized largely at presont as a storehouse. The nights are cold on the mountain aud warm bedding will be appreciated. Tn addition to camping outfits it is also advisable to take a miner's pick, a shovel and an a.- along. It Is also quite important that a supply of gasoline gaso-line be ordered delivered, in advance to Hatch, Alton, Kanab and Big Park Ranger station on the mountain. And if a number of autos go at onco, additional ad-ditional supplies of easolino should be shipped to MarysvaTe and Panguitch, for while in these latter da-s of glaring glar-ing gas lamps in all these towns, whon much gasoline is always kept on hand it would be too much to expect enough to supply a number of autos in any one town this side of Hatch. Ordinary blacksmiths are located in Marysvale, Junction, Circlcvillo, Panguitch, Pan-guitch, Hatch and Kanab, but tho last machinist and aarago is-in Richfield on this routo. Road Maps Needed. The autoist should ho provided with a road map of Utah, and the United States ecological Survoy roconnaissance maps of tho routo tho Beaver and Kanab sheets bciue sufficient as these maps show not only all the older roads, but show elevation contours as well. Ho must also have the mans showing the trails, roads, water holes aud houses in Arizona beyond Kanab. These are issued frco by James L. Polton, the forest supervisor at Kanab, and ca,n be obtained by mail or when reaching Kanab. There are nlways now roads hero and th ore that aro apt to mislead the occa-1 slonal travoler, nnd inquiry should be made of overy person met with beyond Hatch. Thore will not be very many folks in this region, for thero' are no settlements botweon Hatch and Johnson, John-son, which is within fourteen miles of Kanab. But anyone that can read a map can make tho trip to tho canvon without a guide. The Familiar Roads. The route nnd the roads to Eichficld, about 175 miles by auto, aro no doubt familiar to every Utah autoist, for thev are much used by all kinds of machines. ma-chines. Tho first day of moderato driving driv-ing will .probably be to Salina, about J(30 miles from Salt Lake, prom here it is ten or twelve miles to Itichfield, and about forty-five miles to Marys-vale, Marys-vale, part of tho rond just out of Marysvalo a few miles boinir a little steep, but safe. IProm MarysvaJ to Junction is a fast sixteen miles of excellent ex-cellent state road. Just out of Junction is a short stretch of east and west road on which a branch turns south passing cometery hill. If tho road at tho turn is dry, go south here and cross to Cir-cloville, Cir-cloville, eight miles on a "ood dirt road; if tho road near cemetery hill is vqry muddy, go straight on east, four miles out of the "waj', through Kingston, Kings-ton, and ovor somo rough roads, reaching reach-ing Circlcvillo around the foot of the mountain. Circle valley in a terrible clay mudholc thrco miles long and almost al-most as deep in wot weather, but in dry weather it is a boulovaTd. Circloville is soventy-five miles from Salina and a good place for luncheon. From hcrc to Spry, twenty-three miles up Circle canyon, is now a fine fast state road nenrly all tho way; thence to Panguitch is mostly over an old trail road, but it is fairly cood all tho way, twelve miles. An automobile hauls express ex-press and passengers daily between Panguitch and Marysvalo. To Hatch, eighteen miles from Pan-puilch, Pan-puilch, tho road is newer and rougher, though quite travolablo and easily followed, fol-lowed, thero being fow eido-tTailB. BTow- over, drivers must noto on tho map that tho road goes east from Panguitch across the river, thonce southward to Hillsdale olght miles, thence southwest to Hatch ten miles, rocrossing to the west side of the river a fow miles out of Hillsdalo. Tho main road from Tropic and Escalante comes in from tho east between Panguitch and Hillsdale. A short stretch of state road will be found again just across the rivor from Hillsdale, extending around the foot of a rough Java lodge and then the rest ol tho way to town is flat and easy, also. This is probably tho ond of" tho second sec-ond day's trip, unless there is plenty of gas and daylight, and ono desires to camp. The next town is Johnson, thirty-two miles ahead, and even wator is scarce much of the way hereafter, even m muddy weather, 'Water supplies sup-plies should bo replenished at every opportunity. op-portunity. Just put of Hatch at tho old town-site town-site below the dam is a fork, the road leading to the richt up tho winding dugway is preforablo as it leads across tho magnificent Mammoth reservoir dam. Another mile or so is a drop over a' hill thai; reeemblea tho drop from a balloon, though there is plenty of room to alight at the bottom. Tho car that can come back up this hill need fear uo other hills "between here and the lanyou. Few Improvements. Very fow improvements have been made in here, as a rule, though from near Asays. an abandoned settlement at a ford in tho river, a very shallow ono, which is reached by a short run nearly due west (just bbforo coming to an occupied ranch), somo grading has been done by the state. This grading, however, how-ever, is in many cases so new that it will bo avoided by side trails in, wet weather, and probably in dry, for sev-oral sev-oral miles, nearly to tho top of the divide, di-vide, beyond the ranch. Just over the divide about a milo or so the road forks by low dugways on each side of a gravelly ravino, in which is a fenced field a few rod3 down from the forks in tho "bottom. The right road loads to Long Valley settlements, and the left road here is the ono to take to Kanab via the town of Johnson. Keep to the left and soon reach Johnson's place, a horse changing station only, located lo-cated just beyond old Alton or Upper Kanab. From horo to Kanab through Johnson's John-son's canyon no mistake can do mado nowadays, for thero is but ono woll traveled road, though if it is very -wot the autoist can do little but pray whon he roaches Sink valley, for this few miles of clay makes Circle valley look like a pavement by comparison. After a good rain this mud actually clogs up on the brakes and wheels of a wagon or buggj' and prevents the turning of the wheel until laboriously removed; it is truly the most picturesque mud hole on earth whon at its best, and there is no way around it, Howover, this is the dry soason in that cotmtry and only ten days ago it was dry and fine. From Johnson to Kanab is n fast fourteen miles, mostly by a stato road. From Kanab to Fredonia southward in Arizona is seven miles, and from thero tho next stretch of tho road for autoists is absolutely new and runs nearly due east fifteen or eighteen miles to La Fevre ridge, or Pelton's highway. Many other roads lead over onto tfic Kaibab plateau, to the north and the south of this routo, and are now being used by teams, but this new routo crosses Nine-Mile valley, whero its stream, Johnson's Run, has but ono gutter gut-ter to cross and the material was at the site for a new bridgo there two weeks ago, and work was to begin at once, and it should be completed by now. Other washes and gullies are being made j passable on this route, bctweon Fredonia Fre-donia and the mountain, by the citizens ! of that town and Kanab, headed by E. D. Wooiloy and D. D. Rust of Kanab. I for the solo purpose of making a route for autos to the canyon; and Coconino county is raying for tho bridge across Johnson's Run. Perfecting New Road. Hp the Buckskin mountain slope, and across its top to Bright Anel Springs, Mr. James L. Polton, forost supervisor, at Kanab, is perfecting an easy road as rapidly as funds will permit, and already al-ready bo much has been done as to enable en-able a single team to haul 4000 pounds np over them, and thus auto travel is already an assured possibility. Autoists will also find a welcome there; in fact, so welcomo that Mr. Pel-ton Pel-ton would probably tako his annual leavo just to accompany the first party of autoists over through his National forest: and no ono thero could fight "Uncle D. E." (Woolley) back with a club. An auto party would bo chapor-oned chapor-oned from Kanab to tho canyon by all the best citizens of tho town, for the sheer joy of realizing that at last the Automobile Pioneers had oomo. A short rido along La Fevro rivor overlooking the country in a boautiful expanse of scenery (or up La Fevro canyon immediately to the left), brings one to tho saw mill, near the bottom of tho canyon, and thence out through the rounded, beautifully wooded edgo of tho Kaibab. From her tho trails are somowhat dimmed by cattle, but are easily followed from tho map, and thero aro low bad places to tho head of De Motto park. Just south of Jacob's Lake Ranger Station is a bad dugway, but jest somo autoists might foar this hill, Mr. Pelton has outlined a now road, leaving tho lake by au easterly road, and Jacob's ndge, and returning again to tho old road a fow miles south near Throe Lakes. Another steep hill, this ono full of stumps; is tho ono leading up the last grade, and over tho rim into Do Motte park, the top of tho moun-tain. moun-tain. However, a new opening through the forest nearby on a better grade was beme oponcd up hore, though since fcamloads aro being hauled np this hill, most autoo will take it oasily. From here to Big Park Ranger Station is ton or more miles of tho Tjest rond of tho trip, where not a minuteJa work thas over been-dona-on -tho-roads. JErom.-Bitc Park Ranger Station, sixteen ;i down hill to Bright Angel &, T 08 Camp Woolloy, are somo rough strpL. (Big Park Ranger Station Ps abJit 5& ty mi cs from Kanab. Careful drivb will, however permit any auto to S3s tho stones and troos and sloping fW. ways down Thompson's canyon V tfe last camp on the third day. From here it is throe miles tn n, head of Bright Angel .creek, and h head, of Woolley 's trail to tho cable crossing; and hero is whore the can get to tho nm of the canyon and overlook a broad expanse of the gorge On this road is another hill, but it is not a difficult ono after passing others safely on tho way down. From CW Woof ley to Greenland is six SiTesJg a good road, though on a couple of dim-ways dim-ways there are usually many loose roc& caused by cattle traffic. It one place on this route a score of autos could stand abreast facing the canyon, with n a few inches of tho nm, if desired The routes homeward should probablv be the same as going. We came home through the Arizona desert, southwest of Kanab, and the oast end of Dixie Cedar City and Parowan, but there is probably too much sand in Arizona for autps in the present condition of th native roads. I confidently expoct that every automobrte that has tho couraS to start will return home on its own wheels and under its own power with as few punctures and other mishaps as could bo expected in a similar ml cage L k O't a7 dlroctin from Salt |
