Trail Overview
Blackburn Wash Road is a 29.9-mile point-to-point trail rated 2 of 10 located in Wayne County. Blackburn Wash Road runs just north of the Dirty Devil Wilderness Study Area. The road is a semi-maintained hardpacked dirt road that extends from Highway 24 (west end) to Emery County 1010 at the county line. The Lower San Rafael Road to the east continues nearly 60 miles to Green River and Interstate 70. The road crosses the lower San Rafael Desert with rolling terrain and varying colors. There are several sections of washboard road that will reduce vehicle speed on occasion. There are several trails that head south off Blackburn that go to various overlooks of the Dirty Devil River and canyons. Stay on the trail if heading south as it borders the wilderness area. Blackburn Wash Road is considered a primary access route into the area with connections to multiple BLM-authorized ATV trails. The nearest services can be found in Hanksville. Cell service will be lost within a couple of miles of Highway 24.
History
The San Rafael Desert (also called San Rafael Reef or San Rafael Swell). There is no service in the whole area and most of the unpaved backcountry roads are rough and lead visitors to very remote areas. The San Rafael Desert is a truly remote and sublime area of Utah's backcountry, encompassing the newly designated Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness and wilderness-quality lands such as Sweetwater Reef and the San Rafael River. It features stunning red rock canyons, important cultural sites, and an outstanding diversity of nature.
