Buckhorn Wash
with optional add-on to The Wedge
Buckhorn Wash is a scenic ride on dirt road. It's a fairly popular mountain bike destination. As an out-and-back (to the top of the wash and back) it's 18 miles of very easy riding. The route is on an improved (graded and graveled) road.

On the map, Buckhorn wash looks like a cruel climb uphill. But it's a flat ride. You'll gain only 400 vertical feet from the San Rafael River to the top of the wash. That's an almost-flat 50 vertical feet per mile, or a slope of 1%.

The cliffs at the southern (downhill) end tower 1500 feet above you. But the rock layers in the northern San Rafael tilt downward towards the north. So as you ride north, the cliffs drop down until finally you're on top of them. So on the map, and in your brain, it seems like you're climbing a big vertical distance.

Because this ride is so easy, many groups combine it with a trip to the Wedge Overlook (Little Grand Canyon) This option does involve some climbing. As you turn southward toward The Wedge, you'll climb 1700 vertical feet. At the overlook, you're on the top of the cliffs you were seeing from below. The combined ride will be about 33 miles, depending on how much exploring you do once you reach the Little Grand Canyon Overlook.

There's developed camping and bathrooms along the San Rafael River at the bottom of Buckhorn Wash. This is "dry" campground, so campers must bring their own water.
In the middle of the draw, there's a more primitive camp site with a "fence-and-pit" bathroom. (The next bathroom is at the Wedge Overlook if you're making the long ride.)

One of the highlights of the ride is the Native American rock art. The main pictograph panel is half-way up the draw on Wingate sandstone, 5.8 miles from the bridge.

There are several groupings of rock art, with interpretive signs. And a wooden fence so you don't touch.

If you're a roadie who occasionally wants to ride dirt and gravel roads, a cyclocross or "gravel bike" may be just what you want.

You'll recognize the rock layers here. It's especially easy if you enter the canyon from the top, then tick off the layers as you descend lower in the geologic strata.
At the top, the white Navajo sandstone is obvious. It changes from mounds to cliffs. Further south, the horizontal ledges of Kayenta sandstone are easy to spot. Below the Kayenta, a second line of cliffs is the Wingate sandstone.

Below the Wingate are the red clays and mudstones of the Chinle formation. In this area, the bottom of the Chinle formation is the Mossback sandstone.
The Moenkopi formation here looks different. Instead of marbled reds, it's almost entirely gray. But you can recognize it by the softness of the slopes and the pattern of erosion.

Riding instructions, from the bottom, big ride:
0.0   Cross the bridge and head north on the road  N39 04.760 W110 40.033
5.8   Pictograph panel, bike parking, bathroom  N39 07.405 W110 41.631
6.1   Camping, bathroom on your right
9.0   For out-and-back, turn around (not much to see for 7 miles beyond here)
10.0 L on main (Oil Dome) road  N39 10.256 W110 45.079
10.4 L on county road toward Wedge  N39 10.130 W110 45.278
12.0 L (south) on The Wedge road  N39 09.080 W110 46.200
14.1 R (south) at fork N39 07.377 W110 45.431
16.3 At overlook, bathroom N39 05.582 W110 45.537
        Turn L (east) for Little Grand Canyon Overlook
16.9 At overlook N39 05.731 W110 44.937
        Turn around, reverse course
33.8 Back at campground

Getting there, from the north:  Exit US-6 in Price, southbound on highway 10. Go through Huntington. (In Huntington, there's an alternate road that ends up at the trailhead. I haven't tried it.) As you approach Castle Dale 28 miles from Price, watch for a sign that says "San Rafael Access" and a broad dirt road on the left (heading east). There's a huge corral near the start of the road. Once you're on the dirt road, go 14 miles. Turn right at the Buckhorn Wash road. To ride from the top, park along the road.
From the south:  On I-70, take the Sinbad or Ranch Exit 131, 25 miles west of Green River. (Note, the exit may be referred to as 129 -- the exits were renumbered a few years ago.) Head north. The road will veer east along the freeway, then turn north again. After 21 miles on dirt road, park at the San Rafael River. Start riding on the dirt road north in Buckhorn Wash.

Bathrooms:  Campground at river, at pictographs,
     and at campground in mid-canyon
Water:  None
Camping:  At San Rafael River, mid-canyon, other primitive sites
Bike services:  Price, Moab