Butler Wash Road

Trail Overview

Butler Wash Road is a beautiful drive between Highway 95 and Highway 163. This road is not recommended during or the day after heavy rain. With sandy and rocky wash roads, high-clearance 4x4 is recommended. There are flat sagebrush bottom areas interspersed by rocky canyons and cliffs with numerous BLM permit areas for parking and hiking to Native American pueblo sites, plus a dinosaur track site near the north trailhead. This is a great family ride with easy terrain. In April and May, there's lots of greenery and lizards and chipmunks running around. It's an open range, so expect cattle, cowboys on horses, and wildlife such as deer and elk. Many other routes can be accessed from this area, such as Comb Wash, Comb Ridge Wash South, and the Emigrant Trail - Snow Flat Road; paved roads lead to other areas such as Valley of the Gods, Monument Valley, Cedar Mesa, and more.

Photos of Butler Wash Road

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Difficulty

This is a backcountry byway that can be slick or muddy. There's 2WD access in dry weather, but it's impassable for 2WD when wet. It's mostly sandy and fairly flat 2-lane unimproved routes with some rocky and steep climbs; there is no driving in Butler Wash itself, but the sandy soil is mostly clay-based, so even 4WD may not work in wet conditions.

History

Comb Ridge is sacred to this day for Native Americans, and has several thousand years of historical occupation with many pueblo and kiva sites accessible by hiking. BLM permits are required for hiking/parking/camping at trailheads. Mormon settlers used the Hole-in-the-Wall trail to establish Bluff, Utah, and ranch this area today.

Technical Rating