Page Type:
|
Route |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
|
38.44423°N / 110.01755°W |
Route Type:
|
Hiking |
Season:
|
Spring, Fall |
|
Time Required:
|
Less than two hours |
|
Difficulty:
|
Hike |
|
Overview
Fort Bottom refers to the remains of a stone tower built by Native Americans on top of a butte near Green River. The trailhead for Fort Bottom is on White Rim Jeep Road. From the road, the trail takes you down to a peninsula created by a U-shaped bend in Green River. At the end of the trail, you will find the remains of a log cabin close to Green River. I was not able to reach the banks of the river because the area was covered by a seemingly impenetrable growth of willow bushes. From the trail, however, I had great views of Green River.To reach the stone tower, you must climb the butte near the end of the trail. I did not do this but my guidebook says that reaching the top of the butte requires climbing two little cliffs.
MapGetting There
To reach the trailhead you will need a high clearance four wheel drive vehicle. Jeep Rental is available in nearby Moab, UT.From Moab, drive 10 miles north on Route 191 and turn left onto Route 313. After 12 miles on Route 313, turn right (west) onto Mineral Bottom Road (not to be confused with Mineral Bottom Road that goes to Horsethief Campground).
Drive the Mineral Bottom dirt road 11.5 miles on the surface of the mesa. This portion of the road is well graded and can probably be driven by any vehicle when dry. You will then reach an edge where the road makes a number of steep twists and turns going down 800 feet in less than 1.5 miles. If the road is wet or ice is present, do not go down this road.
Mineral Bottom RoadAt 13 miles from Route 313, you will reach a fork, turn left onto White Rim Road. This road has a rougher surface and in many places is only wide enough for one vehicle. Continue past the Taylor Canyon Road until after 21.8 miles from Route 313, you see the sign for Fort Bottom Trail.
This section of White Rim Road traverses the slope shown in the picture below more than 400 ft above Green River
The road in the picture above traverses this slope more than 400 ft above Green RiverRoute Description
Trailhead Elevation: 4380 ftElevation at the end of the Trail: 3960 ft
Roundtrip Distance: 3.6 miles
Views at trailhead.
Head northwest and follow the trail downhill. You will have fantastic views of Green River at the bottom of the canyon.
You will then have to cross a narrow area.
Narrow areaThe stone tower on top of the butte will come to view. The cliffs on this side of the butte (east side) seem to be a technical climb. The beaten path to the top of the butte is on the west face of the butte.
Stone tower on top of butteLooking down, you can see the remains of the log cabin.
Remains of cabin by the riverFollow the trail all the way down to the cabin.
Remains of log cabin at the end of the trailYou can now see the west side of the stone tower butte which seems easier to climb than its east side.
West face of butte with stone tower on topFrom near the cabin.
View near the trail's endDense growth of bushes made it impossible for me to reach the banks of Green River.
Dense growth by the river