{"id":8240,"date":"2026-04-01T03:21:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T03:21:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.backroadswest.com\/blog\/?p=8240"},"modified":"2026-04-01T16:03:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T16:03:31","slug":"green-river-gray-canyon-scenic-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backroadswest.com\/blog\/green-river-gray-canyon-scenic-drive\/","title":{"rendered":"Green River \u2013 Gray Canyon Scenic Drive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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North of the town of Green River, Utah, is the exit to Desolation Canyon, here called Gray canyon, where the mighty Green River eroded through many layers of rock to create a rugged and spectacular canyon.<\/strong> This article explains how to visit a portion of this canyon following an 18-mile-long road, where half its length is paved and the other half is dirt.<\/p>\n

PLACEHOLDER ARTICLE – IT WILL BE COMPLETED MID APRIL 2025<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\n Click image<\/strong> to watch Virtual Video Tour and see viewer comments.\nThen come back to get the rest of the story. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n \n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Trip Specs<\/h3> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Length<\/h3>\n
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\n18 miles (29 km) one-way\n<\/p> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n \n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Attractions<\/h3>\n
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  • Spectacular canyon scenery<\/li>\n
  • Up-close view of wild & scenic river<\/li>\n
  • Great place to see fall colors<\/li>\n<\/ul> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n \n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n
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    Difficulty<\/h3>\n
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    • Easy to follow road<\/li>\n
    • First half is paved, second half dirt<\/li>\n
    • Dirt portion can be impassible after rain<\/li>\n<\/ul> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n \n<\/div>\n\n\n
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      Elevation Gain<\/h3>\n
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      • 100 feet (30 m)<\/li>\n<\/ul> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n \n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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        As mentioned, hiking to the top of a cinder cone can be both rewarding and provide great views of the landscapes below. However, climbing the steep slopes of a cinder cone can be difficult and almost impossible to do. This particular cinder cone is not only easy to access because it’s right next to a major highway, it also has a newly-built hiking trail that takes hikers to the top.<\/p>\n

        Before starting your hike however, you may wish to learn a little more about cinder cones and their related volcanism. After you know what you’ll soon be walking on, you’ll appreciate the hike and what you’ll be seeing a little more.<\/p>\n

        What is a Cinder Cone?<\/h2>\n

        If you have read any of our articles or watched our video tours in the past, you\u2019ve probably heard us talk about cinder cones before but, since this tour is all about a cinder cone, I\u2019m going to provide more details. Keep in mind that the science behind volcanism is a big subject and what we wrote below is just the tip of the iceberg, or should I say, volcano ;-)<\/p>\n

        Cinder cones are mini volcanoes that only erupted a few times, then never again. Real volcanoes, like Mt. St. Helens, erupt over and over again, and over a long period of time, resulting in the creation of large mountains. Cinder cones usually only form small hills, or a single crater, like you see here.<\/p>\n

        Cinder cones can be found all over the Mojave Desert and Colorado Plateau. Often, they are created from fractures in the Earth\u2019s surface, such as nearby Hurricane Fault, where molten lava was allowed to creep up to the surface and erupt, becoming lava.<\/p>\n

        Cinder cones are created from pockets of magma that were not very large. They usually erupt only once or twice, until the magma pocket is empty, and the resultant lava flows to lower elevations, then dries to form basalt.<\/p>\n

        They\u2019re called, cinder, cones, because the cones are made up of, cinder. This is the small gravely lava rock you\u2019ll be walking on. This cinder, when it was molten, was spit out of the center of the cone, then slowly built up as more cinder continued to pile up.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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