Tour the Grand Canyon Country via ATV and the Bar 10 Ranch - Bar 10 Ranch - ATV at Off-Road.com

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Tour the Grand Canyon Country via ATV and the Bar 10 RanchBar 10 Ranch

Publish date: Aug 1, 2002
By: Dean Waters
Source: ATV at Off-Road.com

This month we bring you a unique ATV adventure into Grand Canyon country. We had the opportunity to explore this area on the new 2003 Honda Rincon when Honda hosted the media at the Bar 10 Ranch located 90 miles south of St. George, Utah.

The area is rugged and the home to magnificent canyons carved out by the Colorado River.

Want to enjoy the Grand Canyon country without trailering your ATVs to the area? The Bar 10 Ranch has ATVs available for guided tours and you can fly in via a 50 minute flight from Las Vegas.

The Bar 10 Ranch is a working cattle ranch located in the new Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. The ranch is only 9 miles from the north rim of the Grand Canyon and is located in an area known as the "Arizona Strip".

The Arizona Strip is all of the area located between the Colorado River and the Utah border, and contains more than 5,000 miles of dirt roads. The Bar 10 Ranch easily serves as the center for your ATV explorations. The lodge has six bedrooms, with four dormitory-style beds in each, and 13 wagons with double mattresses.

Four inside restrooms / showers and two outside restrooms / showers are available to get the dust off after your ride. Individual meals or packages are available from the lodge.

Want to take a day off from riding? The Bar 10 Ranch has plenty of activities to keep you busy. You can try skeet shooting, horse shoes, volleyball, a trail ride via horseback, or a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon. The Bar 10 Trading Post sells supplies, books, gifts, snacks, T-shirts and other unique souvenirs.

Getting There

Starting at St. George, Utah visit the BLM Arizona Strip Field office to pick up a visitors map showing the roads in detail. After that you will want to trailer your ATV to Bundyville and the Mt. Trumble schoolhouse. From Interstate 15 take the Bloomington exit (Exit #4). Travel east through Bloomington Hills until the road ends at River Road. Turn south (right) on River Road. The pavement ends at the Arizona State line. Stay on this main road (BLM Rd. # 1069) up Quail Hill, over about 60 miles of dirt and gravel road. Here you can unload at the schoolhouse and prepare for your trip to the Bar 10 Ranch. From the Mount Trumble schoolhouse it is about 24 miles to the lodge, with several side trails and overlooks available for your exploration. We recommend that you bring your GPS and a copy of the "Southwest Adventure Trail Guide with GPS". The Trail Guide has GPS coordinates and detailed route descriptions that will greatly assist you on your adventures. You will also want to pick up a copy of the USGS Arizona Strip District Topographical map.

Entrance to the Bar 10 Ranch

Covered wagons are available for a rustic, authentic experience

Trails There are a number of trails available to you with the Bar 10 Ranch as the hub. Most of the trails are fairly easy old two track roads, with some very rocky technical sections. Difficulty increases if it is muddy. Since temperatures in the area can reach 100 degrees plus in the summer, the best times for ATV riding is mid-March through May, and then October through early December. Colorado River Overlook One of the first places you will want to visit is the Colorado River overlook. The overlook is about nine miles from the Bar 10 Ranch. Along the way you will see the Whitmore International Airport and many interesting views. If you are very adventurous, there is a foot trail leading down to the river. Plan several hours for the hike down and back up.

Colorado River Overlook

Need some exercise? Try the hiking trail leading down to the river.

Whitmore Point Overlook Another great trip is the Whitmore Point Overlook. Whitmore Point Overlook is about 11 miles from the Bar 10 Lodge and overlooks the lower Grand Canyon Gorge. This trail will give you many great views into the canyon. From Whitmore Point you can see Whitmore Canyon, the Sawmill Mountains, the Uinkret Mountains, Mt. Logan, and the Parashant Canyon. Mt. Logan Mt. Logan offers a much different view of the area. Access is via an ATV trail leading from the Bar 10 Ranch. The area leading to Mt. Logan includes basalt ledges, Ponderosa pine forests, Pinyon-Juniper, and cinder cones.The Mt. Logan view point is about 12 miles from the Bar 10 Lodge.

You will travel through Ponderosa Pine forests on your way to Mt. Logan view point.

Some sections of the Mt. Logan trail are full of volcanic rock.

Parashant Canyon The trip to Parashant Canyon will lead you to an abandoned Copper Mine. Access is via the Mount Trumble schoolhouse, about 12 miles via Kinney point, where you can refill your ATV and extra fuel containers. From Bundyville it is about 20 miles to the copper mine. You will travel through Trail Canyon, across a mesa, in to Andrus Canyon, and past an old landing strip. The copper mine covers several square miles so allow plenty of time to explore. Do NOT enter any of the open mine shafts as they are very old and could collapse at any time. Summary The Arizona Strip offers some of the most beautiful and rugged terrain in the Southwest. You can choose to rough it, or base your stay at a lodge like the Bar 10. The area is very remote. Assistance and medial care are not easily found. Prepare yourself and your ATV properly, and you will experience an area of the country that not many people get to see. Enjoy!