Rock Junction 2013 – The Calamity Mesa Loop

By Jerry Smith

Rock Junction 2013 began early Wednesday morning at the City Market on Orchard Mesa. After the customary signing of the documents and safety spiel, trip leader Jerry Smith led off for adventure.

The drive through Unaweep Canyon is a trip all by its lonesome.

Turning onto Highway 141, we began the trip through Unaweep Canyon.  This route is a state “Scenic Byway” for a good reason. Some of the history, geology, and just pure scenic pleasure of driving toward Gateway, Colorado is simply mesmerizing.

As you change altitude, the scenery goes from one of high desert canyon country into one where near vertical walls of granite rock keep you wondering how such beauty could be created.

Reaching the 6.3 Road turnoff, we stopped to aired down in preparation for the long climb up what is locally known as the “Niche Road”. The first roughly 8 miles of this climb averages a 15% grade and frequently requires one rig or another to stop for a cool-down.  Tim's Cherokee required one short such period.

Airing down with the Palisade WSA in the background.

Having rained the night before, we encountered little dust on the freshly bladed road. The rain had cleansed the air to near pristine quality making the views stunning, but had raised the possibility of problems further along the trail.

Crawling up the "Niche Road" affords you some spectacular views.

The Calamity Mesa Loop as several sections that pass through bentonite. Wet bentonite can be nearly impossible to traverse in any vehicle, and we were going to be crossing at least one significant bentonite obstacle that is tough enough without being wet. If wet enough, it would be insane to even try it.

After turning onto upper Calamity Mesa, we headed southwest toward Arrowhead Camp where a yellow 4X8 sign warns that you are entering Uranium Country with all of its hazards. This intersection is the beginning and ending of the Calamity Mesa Loop.

The Calamity Mesa Loop is approximately 20 miles of 4 x 4 heaven. After an estimated 10 to 15 years of closure by Mother Nature, members of the Grand Mesa Jeep Club and Western Slope Four Wheelers of Montrose, Colorado, reopened this trail in 2008.

We know it was closed this long because of one particular pine tree that had grown in the middle of the road. This tree had to be cut down to get around it. The stump was approximately 4 to 5 inches in diameter.

This tree stump gives you an idea of how long Mother Nature's closure lasted.

Since then, members of the Grand Mesa Jeep Club have maintained it every year. Nearly every year many new rocks, trees, and washes must be removed or filled in to keep the trail open.

Approximately 1/2 of the Calamity Mesa Loop is a Mesa County Road. It is either the best or the worst County Road you’ll ever drive depending upon your particular outlook.

Our first stop was at the New Verde Mine site. There, an old workshop with a three-cylinder diesel engine and air compressor gives a little view back into the history of uranium mining. A couple of years ago, the roof above the air compressor finally collapsed from the weight of the winter snowfall.

The shop at the New Verde Mine still stands (though barely).

Jerry told about how volunteers, under the supervision of the BLM and the Museum of Western Colorado, had rebuilt several of the cabins of Calamity Camp across a small ravine.

Continuing on down the road from the New Verde Mine, most of us dropped into low range as the surface of the road changed character. We passed several intersections with roads leading to other mine sites and up onto the mesa top.

Jerry explained to the others that there was an alternative road on the mesa top that could lead us around the first three named obstacles if the bentonite seemed too wet further on.

The Calamity Mesa Loop presently has 11 named obstacles. There are plenty of other unnamed obstacles, but these 11 have proven to be of outstanding consequence.

The first named obstacle is “The Gatekeeper”.

Happy Trails in "The Gate Keeper Wash"

Here, a wash has taken the right side of the road and left a deep, rocky, and difficult descent for about 60 yards.  At the end of the 60 yards, one must regain the road by way of a severe off camber climb.  This puts you directly onto the next aimed obstacle, “The Narrows”.

“The Narrows” is a long stretch of road across a bentonite hillside and a continuation of the wash that created the gatekeeper. The wash has cut a deep, steep sided gouge on the north side of the road. If you slide off into this gouge, you will roll onto your side.

"The Narrows" doesn't leave much room for error.

On the other side of the road is a steep bentonite hillside. What's left of the road surface is a very narrow, severely crowned trail with an occasional large rock that one must evade without going off the side of the road. Luckily, the bentonite surface was dry enough to allow us access to the rest of the trail.

A little further on we encountered “Gyration Wash”.  “Gyration Wash” is where winter runoff has cut across the road surface multiple times causing your suspension to gyrate from one side to the other as you enter a small cut through a ridge.

Even with 42" tires, you can have some fun on The Calamity Mesa Loop

At the lower end of this obstacle is a rocky drop where you must pick the correct line or you can get precariously off camber at a very bad time. Some of the rocks will reach up to destroy your rocker panel if you take a poor line.

The next several miles of the trail do not contain any more of the named obstacles, but there are enough rough spots to provide you with some lesser challenges. Beside the challenges, you also have to deal with some outstanding backcountry scenery.

Across the Calamity Creek Valley is Outlaw Mesa where more uranium mines and several 4 x 4 roads exist. Further south is Blue Mesa that gets its name from the blue hue of bentonite along its flanks.

At the confluence of Calamity Creek and Blue Creek, is the Blue Creek Ranch. The Blue Creek Ranch is one of several properties in the Gateway area owned by John Hendricks… founder and chairman of the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet.

After taking the right fork where the road splits that will take you down to the Blue Creek Ranch, we proceeded to what has become “The Lunch Spot”.

“The Lunch Spot” is a favorite of most who have had the privilege of driving the Calamity Mesa Loop.

At “The Lunch Spot”, you can dine while setting on the rim of a 400-foot vertical cliff with a bench that reaches over to the Blue Creek Gorge. The Blue Creek Gorge is a narrow, vertical walled canyon approximately 600 feet deep that dumps into the Dolores River.

The confluence of Blue Cr. Gorge and the Delores River.

The Dolores River divides Calamity Mesa from Sewemup Mesa to the west of the river. Sewemup Mesa is a Wilderness Study Area.

To the west of Sewemup Mesa is the Sinbad Valley and beyond you can see the very tops of the La Sal Mountains near Moab, Utah. The view is simply awesome.

Sewemup (pronounced: Sew-em-up) Mesa got its name from cattle rustlers who would take their ill-gotten cattle into Sinbad Valley where they would surgically remove the brands and sew up the wound. Later, they would rebrand the cattle.  (Anyone need a tattoo removed?)

The McCarty Gang also used Sinbad Valley as a hideout. The McCarty Gang were friends and accomplices of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Leaving the "Lunch Spot" will quickly settle your lunch.

After allowing our lunches to settle, we began a short, very rocky climb. From here the trail begins a climb that parallels the Dolores River before turning east along the Little Tenderfoot Creek Valley.

Much of this stretch of road is along a lower rim of Calamity Mesa. Many who drive this stretch do not particularly like it because you must negotiate your way along a steep mountainside where the road is quite narrow and full of rocks you must either crawl over or around.

Levi getting wound-up on "Twisted Drop".

Crawling over the rocks tilts your vehicle up for a much clearer view over the side of the mountain. Going around the rocks puts your tires dangerously near the edge of the road leaving little room for comfort. Some passengers elect to walk along here.

Near the edge is where the view is best.

Soon we come to “Mike’s Rock”.  This obstacle looks very benign as you approach it. It is sneaky that way. There is a large rock on the outside of the road with a less than Jeep’s width of flat road surface over to smaller rocks that protrude from under a bush.

Most people choose a line much too near the large rock and as the passenger side tires climb the smaller rocks, their vehicle tilts into the larger rock. The first two times Mike attempted this obstacle, he put the first two scratches on his 2007 Rubicon, thus the name “Mike’s Rock”.

Mike on "Mike's Rock" 

Several times we have found bear tracks at “Mike’s Rock”.  It is common to see deer and elk tracks anywhere along this trail. Occasionally, you will see bear and/or mountain lion tracks as well. Unfortunately, this trip we saw none.

The next named obstacle is “Articulation Station”.  Here you must dive left off of the road into a deep wash that cuts across the road. Immediately as you hit the bottom of the wash you must turn right bringing you into a severe off camber.

"Articulation Station" will test your suspension.

From there, you need to climb up and over large rocks that roll under your tires and differentials making the climb out of the hole quite difficult. Your suspension will get a very good workout.

Once you climb out of the hole, you are on the next obstacle… called “Hog Back”.

“Hog Back” is a narrow, very crowned piece of road with large rocks protruding from its surface. The correct line is necessary to keep from becoming “turtled” or high centered on several of the protruding rocks. Often, this results in one or both differentials being grounded.

From here you are only a short S turn away from “Drop Off Turn”.

Tim rounding "Drop-Off Turn"

“Drop off Turn” is where a large rock on your left side reaches out to either cut your rear tire sidewall or rip that tire from the bead. On the other side, your front tire must drop off of a large rock that often causes your axle to ground on that rock. It often causes a ghastly noise when this happens.

Tony Pellegrino from GenRight was the last to go around “Drop Off Turn” on this trip. His 42-inch tires actually moved part of the rock on the driver side, so we will have a whole new obstacle for the next trip.

After a little more scenic driving, we come to “Over-Night Wash”. This obstacle gets its name from causing an unplanned overnight stay for the three vehicles that came through here the first time.

"Over Night Wash" is narrow and dangerous at times.

This wash cuts across the road and takes an immediate left to parallel the road. As it parallels the road, it has removed much of the road bank and narrowed the road to barely allow vehicle passage. This leaves a dangerous five or six-foot vertical drop into the wash.

Many times on our pre-runs for Rock Junction, it has been necessary to find and winch large rocks into this wash to allow safe passage.

About 3/8 of a mile later, we come to “Tippy Rock”.  It gets its name from the fact that most vehicles must climb the high side of the road while going around a large rock in the middle of the road.

Bob on "Tippy Rock"

Climbing the high side of the road puts you and a severe off camber, thus the “Tippy”. Many of us with very high clearances have found that going up and over the rock is much more fun.

The last of the named obstacles is “The Squeeze”.  This is why we do not allow full width vehicles on this trail. Here, you must squeeze between a Juniper tree growing on the rim of the road and a large rock in the middle of the road. This leaves barely micro inches between your vehicle and the rock or tree and we'd recommend you do it at less than 25 mph.

Bob showing why no full-size vehicles are allowed on the Calamity Mesa Loop.

From here the road for the most part becomes relatively easy. It climbs back up on to the upper part of Calamity Mesa and back to the big yellow sign.

Warning! Uranium Mining can be dangerous.

Between the ambient temperature, the pristine air quality, and the fine group of four wheelers, this day had very little room for improvement. Everyone seem to agree that the trail and the surrounding area had given their all for our enjoyment.

Just a side note; A major thank you to Wendy Barton for riding with me and taking the majority of photos for all to enjoy.  This freed me up to assist the others who needed it and kept us on schedule to make it to the BBQ on time.  (this is the first year we made it on time)

As always, we close with a last thought; when you come to a fork in the road… Take it! That is often where the adventure begins.

Copyright Happy Trails 4wd, 2013.  All rights reserved.