The Potash Road, Utah
Down by the Colorado River, just outside Moab, there’s a road where old salt mines meet ancient art galleries. Potash Road might not make the tourist brochures, but this 17-mile stretch packs in more raw Utah than most folks see in a week. Here’s the scoop on this hidden desert classic.
Colorado River Views from Sandstone Cliffs
Just 4 miles north of Moab, Potash Road (aka Route 279) hugs the Colorado River as it cuts through massive red cliffs. For 17 miles, you’re sandwiched between flowing water and stone walls in a tight corridor that makes you feel tiny.
The cliffs tower over 500 feet in spots, made of Wingate Sandstone that’s been baking in the sun for 200 million years. Stop at mile 2 at the pullout to take in the whole Moab valley spread below you like a feast.
Wall Street Climbing Area
About 4.4 miles in, you’ll hit Wall Street, where hardcore climbers test their skills. This 500-foot rock face has over 130 routes from easy-peasy 5.3 climbs to finger-shredding 5.12 challenges.
The rock has this black coating called desert varnish that gives good grip. New to climbing? Head to the School Room slabs on the left for gentle 5.4-5.6 routes.
Most climbs are 40-100 feet high, perfect for a quick fix. Crack climbing nuts should try “30 Seconds Over Potash” (5.9) or “Rock Wars” (5.10)—classic routes that’ll test how well you can jam your hands and fingers into stone crevices.
Ancient Petroglyphs Panel
Five miles down the road, look for the “Indian Writing” sign and a place to pull over. Glance up 25-30 feet on the cliff wall and you’ll see what people were creating here long before Instagram—rock art that stretches 125 feet along the wall.
The panel used to be at ground level, but when they built the road, they cleared away the slope.
Dinosaur Tracks at Poison Spider Mesa
Six miles in, turn at the Poison Spider Mesa trailhead. A short hike up the hill—just 0.2 miles—takes you to dinosaur tracks that have stuck around for 150 million years.
You’re looking at the footprints of Allosaurus, a beast that stood 15 feet tall with teeth as long as your finger. The tracks show these monsters moving at different speeds.
They’ve set up viewing tubes to help you spot both the tracks and more rock art on the cliff. This parking lot also kicks off the famous Poison Spider Trail, a rough 9-mile route that mountain bikers and 4×4 drivers use to prove they’ve got guts.
Corona Arch Trail
At mile 10, you’ll find the trailhead for Corona Arch, one of the most jaw-dropping stone structures you’ll ever see. The 3-mile round-trip hike leads to an enormous arch that spans 140 feet across and soars 105 feet high.
You’ll cross railroad tracks where potash mine trains still rumble by. The trail gets your heart pumping with stone steps and safety cables, then a 5-step metal ladder to reach higher ground.
They used to call it “Little Rainbow Bridge” because of its shape. Walk right under it to feel how small we humans really are—and on hot days, its shadow makes a perfect cool spot to catch your breath.
Bowtie Arch
On the same trail as Corona Arch, you’ll find Bowtie Arch, which shows nature has more than one trick up its sleeve. While Corona is a massive open curve, Bowtie is a neat round hole sitting above a streaked stone basin.
It formed when water in a pothole ate its way through to a cave below—climbers call this a “pothole arch.” You’ll spot it before reaching Corona, high up on your left as you walk across the wide stone shelf.
Look for it about 0.2 miles past the safety cable and ladder section.
Jaycee Park Campground
Four miles down Potash Road sits Jaycee Park Campground, a quiet spot to sleep by the Colorado River. This BLM camp offers 7 walk-in tent sites tucked among cottonwood trees that provide blessed shade from the desert sun.
Sites go for $20 a night as of 2025, and you can’t reserve ahead—it’s first come, first served, like the old days. Each spot has a fire ring and picnic table, with vault toilets nearby but no running water.
The camp sits at the base of a cliff called “the Portal,” where climbers test themselves on routes with names like “Jade Wall” and “Snake Charmer.” Early risers might spot river otters playing in the water at dawn.
Williams Bottom Campground
Near the petroglyph panels, Williams Bottom Campground offers 17 first-come, first-served spots nestled in the river canyon. Like Jaycee Park, it’s set among shady cottonwoods that break up the relentless Utah sun.
Each site comes with a tent pad, fire ring, and picnic table, plus vault toilets nearby. The camp sits right across from a major climbing wall where you can watch people defy gravity.
These spots lose sun early in the day because of how the canyon faces—a blessing in summer heat. A short path leads to a sandy beach where you can soak your feet in the river.
Jug Handle Arch
Around mile 13.5, watch for Jug Handle Arch, a weird and wonderful rock formation visible right from your car.
Where Long Canyon meets the Colorado River, this strange arch stands 46 feet tall but only 3 feet wide, looking exactly like what it’s named for when seen from certain angles.
Look for the sign at a dirt road turn-off. Late afternoon light makes it pop against the surrounding stone.
A short climb up the slope reveals rock art from 2,000 BC—some of the oldest in the whole area. Rock climbers know this spot as “Wall Street South,” with routes for the brave to reach the top and look down on us mere mortals below.
Long Canyon Road Junction
At Jug Handle Arch, about 13.5 miles in, Long Canyon Road branches off from the main route.
This isn’t for your rental sedan—it’s a 4WD-only path that takes adventurous drivers into Utah’s beating heart.
The road climbs 1,500 feet over 8 miles through a canyon so narrow the walls nearly touch in places. The high point earned the name “Pucker Pass” from the way it makes drivers clench everything as they navigate alongside sheer drops.
Watch for “Balancing Rock,” a boulder that seems to laugh at gravity. If luck’s with you, you might spot desert bighorn sheep clinging to cliffs overhead, making it look easy.
Potash Boat Ramp
At mile 17, you hit the Potash Boat Ramp, where the pavement ends and a different kind of journey begins. This quiet spot gives you refuge from Moab’s tourist hustle and lets you simply enjoy the river flowing by.
Boaters launch here for trips into Canyonlands, with the first rapid—colorfully named “Brown Betty”—waiting just a mile downstream. There’s parking for about 15 vehicles, some spots big enough for trailers.
A BLM info board posts details on river flow rates and hazards ahead. This ramp is one of the few places to access the river without scrambling down steep banks or over rocks that’ll scrape your knees and your boat.
Potash Mine and Ponds
At road’s end, the Moab Salt Plant appears like some alien outpost. Here they extract potash—a mineral farmers use to grow crops—through a network of tunnels and bizarre blue evaporation ponds.
The mine taps into potash beds formed 300 million years ago when ancient seas dried up and left their minerals behind. Those striking blue ponds get their color from dye added to help water heat up faster in the sun.
This operation produces about 100,000 tons of potash yearly and has been running since 1965. They use “solution mining”—pumping water down to dissolve the potash, then bringing the salty mix back up to dry in these otherworldly ponds that look like something from another planet.
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