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Show Poison Spider Mesa Has Vistas, Indian Writing, Dinosaur Tracks This year, Moab Jeop Safari Sa-fari organizers are offering offer-ing Safari participants another an-other new trail. The trail climbs up onto a hih plateau pla-teau that is isolated on two Hides by the Colorado River Ri-ver gorge, on another by the river plus the massive geological fault that is Moab Valley, and on the fourth side by a sharply-tilted sharply-tilted maze of shallow canyons can-yons carved into solid sandstone strata by runoff from the high rim that towers above the head quarters of Arches Monument Monu-ment to the west. This trail offers several spectacular viewpoints down into the Colorado River gorge, a variety of slickrock climbing, and two unbeatable panoramic overlooks. The first of these is from almost any point along al-ong the first mile or two of the trail, and looks ac. ross the Colorado River into in-to the mouth of Cane Creek Canyon, into the spectacular spectacu-lar "Behind the Rocks" maze, then on to the LaSal mountain range. The second sec-ond overlooks Moab Valley from a high point, and dozens doz-ens of major features can )c seen in all directions, including the Sand Flats area, LaSals, the winding Colorado River gorge, some of the arches and windows in Arches Monument, and the Atlas Minerals settling ponds directly below. This trail starts by going down the river road (Utah 279) toward Potash. The jeep trail starts about six miles from the U. S. 163 junction, just below a display dis-play of dinosaur foottracks and Indian petroglyphs. Just beyond the trail head, to the left of the existing ex-isting display of tracks, is a fresh rockfall. Near the top of this fall is a large, rectangular slab ol rocK that was tipped vertical by the slide. On this rcok are at least two dozen, more dinosaur tracks. These were newly discovered discov-ered and reported by Moab citizen, Leon Epmeier. Farther on, the trail passes a large deposit of ancient riverbottom rock and gravel. The trail climbs through these rounded rocks, often causing traction trac-tion problems. As the main trail approaches ap-proaches the top of the sloping mesa, it passes several se-veral interesting features a short spur trail to a (river overlook, an Indian chipping grounds where shattered shards of agate and chert lie around on a sandstone flat, and another anoth-er short spur to an arch that graces the river canyon can-yon rim. The Safari will be led to this arch on the way up. . Next after climbing several sev-eral more miles over roiling roil-ing slickrock domes, the old trail ends, but Safari officials have explored and marked a new section of trail especially for this year's Safari. The new trail climbs through very difficult and broken ter. rain to the high rim that overlooks Moab Valley, then loops back to meet the old trail near its end. Lunch at the rim viewpoint view-point will give Safari members mem-bers plenty of opportunity opportuni-ty for hiking along the rim and taking pictures. Before this new five-mile five-mile loop of trail was plotted, plot-ted, it is doubtful whether any four-wheeled vehicle had ever been to thp particular par-ticular rim. The terrain is a continuation of the "Behind "Be-hind The Rocks" geology, but on the other side of the Cloorado River canyon. The return trip will be along the old trail, but Safari Sa-fari members will have the option of taking short side trips on the way back. One such that is well worth taking ta-king begins very close to where the trail leaves the (paved road at the dinosaur dino-saur tracks, follows an intermediate in-termediate ledge between (the river and the top of the cliff that borders it, and offers a fine view into the river gorge below before finally dead-ending on the brink of a water-cut chasm. Also, the return trip is a good time to stop and hike up for a closer look at the newly-exposed dinosaur dino-saur tracks. Those doing Hn howpvpiv should exer cise extreme care in crossing cros-sing the unsettled rock below be-low the tracks. |