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Managing Editor:
James Perry

By Dan Wright

Utah

Visitors to San Juan County, Utah, are stepping into the largest county in the Bee Hive State, and one of the largest in the west. Its 7,725 square miles on the upland area of the geological area known as the Colorado Plateau has just over 12,000 residents. Most live in three towns: the county seat of Monticello, with a population of about 1,800; Blanding, with a population of something over 3,000; and Bluff, population 250. San Juan County is more about wide-open spaces than metropolitan living. Together with Grand County and the famous recreational town of Moab, San Juan County is described by tourism officials and tourists as "Canyonlands Country." The two counties contain almost all of the more well-known parks and visitors' areas which form the state's "red-rock" reputation.

The first known residents of the grand-scale beauty of the deeply carved canyons and high ground of the county were the Anasazi, the prehistoric Indians who disappeared from the area in the 1300s or so. Some of their remains include the pictographs and petroglyphs that still serve as artifacts of their mysterious civilization.

Some of the first white settlers included members of the Mormon Church, who arrived in the arid region in the late 1870s. They settled the town of Bluff in 1880, finding that farming and ranching were not easy paths to follow. After enduring flood and drought for several years, many settlers left the lower elevations around Bluff and moved to higher, more dependable climate and terrain around the present towns of Monticello and Blanding. Blanding, and the entire area, shows the influence of four distinct cultures: Ute, Navajo (supposedly the descendents of the ancient ones,) European settlers, and the Spanish.

While mining--particularly uranium mining--has played some role in the economic development of the area, much of today's economy is dependent on the tourism industry. Millions of visitors roam the thousands of square miles of San Juan County and its neighboring counties. It's little wonder that so many visitors share the roads and trails of the red-rock country--some of the world's most incredible scenery has been created by the chisels of wind, weather, and river as they cut the brilliantly colored sandstone of the high plateau.

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San Juan County contains all or part of five National Parks and Monuments, two State Parks, seven Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Recreational Sites, and two areas of national forests. The following is a capsule description of some of the best sites for sightseeing, and other activities, in San Juan County.

Canyonlands National Park
Utah The Needles District of this rugged park--carved through incredible red rocks by the Green and Colorado rivers--is accessible 49 miles northwest of Monticello on State Highway 211. This entrance to the 337,570-acre park travels past Newspaper Rock State Park and through beautiful Indian Creek Canyon. Arches, prehistoric Indian ruins, petroglyphs, and scenery are attractions of this area. Few paved roads are a delight to 4-wheeled vehicle drivers; good bets include Angel Arch, Druid Arch, and Elephant Hill. Along Highway 211 is Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument.

This is the major park in San Juan County, and is almost wholly within the county. The Green and Colorado rivers divide the park into three districts. The Island in the Sky is the area between the two rivers, just before their confluence within the park. Nestled in the "Y" before the rivers converge, the top of the Island in the Sky is 2,000 feet above the treacherous canyon bottom that holds the rivers' water. The Needles section of the park is on the east bank of Cataract Canyon, the most rugged of the Colorado River canyons, while the Maze is to the west of the river. The Maze is the least accessible and the most isolated of the park's sections.

Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument
Hardly more than a parking spot along the narrow, paved road that is Highway 211, Newspaper Rock is a historical marker untouched by any historian's verbal influence. Much more than a small, tasteful billboard of a historical anecdote, Newspaper Rock is a huge wall of ancient petroglyphs. While these simple drawings are found by hikers and 4-wheelers along many side canyons, Newspaper Rock is accessible to any auto tourist. Its historical significance to the area is undiminished by its relative ease of access. It's in beautiful Indian Creek Canyon, and the entrance to Canyonlands National Park is down the road 24 miles. Newspaper Rock is 25 miles northwest of Monticello on U-211, 12 miles off U.S. 191.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
This name might be unfamiliar to you, but Lake Powell is certainly well known. The lake and the surrounding Glen Canyon National Recreation Area form the southwest boundary of San Juan County. Lake Powell's 1800 miles of shoreline--over 186 miles in length--make it the second largest manmade lake in the world. The lake has its upstream end (part of a "little ol' river" known as the Colorado) in Utah and reaches downstream well into Arizona.

Rainbow Bridge National Monument
Well inside the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Rainbow Bridge is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. And it's no wonder--the natural stone formation climbs 309 feet over the stream that helped cut the brilliant red rock. It is higher than either the Statue of Liberty or the dome of the U.S. Capitol building. Easiest access is by boat from Lake Powell; it's practically a requirement for the hundreds of summer houseboat renters on the lake.

Edge of the Cedars State Park
A quick lesson in the county's history is available at this state park near Blanding. From the ancient ones, the Anasazi, to Navajo, Ute, and more contemporary settlers, displays and exhibits relay the area's history. A great collection of Pueblo pottery is on view.

Hovenweep National Monument
This 505-acre monument contains six groups of ancient ruins. The most accessible ruins have tower walls 20 feet high and are outstanding examples of the skills of the ancient masons. From Hovenweep it is less than 50 miles through picturesque McElmo Canyon to Cortez on the way to Mesa Verde, one of the Colorado Plateau's most famous and most-visited ruins. Hovenweep is 45 miles from Blanding.

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