Upper Cottonwood Wash

The road leading to the Upper Cottonwood Wash trail.

Photo/BLM State Office, Parker Wertz

Quick Facts

Location:

Upper Cottonwood Wash Trailhead, Emery County, Utah (39.062745, -110.415556)

Significance:

Upper Cottonwood Wash follows exact trail trace on the Old Spanish Trail. It was used by many Old Spanish Trail traders as well as many groups after it, serving as an important travel corridor.

MANAGED BY:

Bureau of Land Management, Price Field Office

Amenities

3 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Trailhead

Upper Cottonwood Wash has been a well-traveled route throughout time. The Native Americans were the first to trailblaze this area hundreds of years ago before the arrival of the Spanish in the late 1400s. The trails most popular use occurred with the establishment of the Old Spanish Trail in 1829. Though the first official expedition occurred on the Armijo Route further south, trading caravans would more commonly use the Northern Route that passes through this wash due to the easier paths and more abundant resources.

Trading died down after Mexico ceded most of the West to the US in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. However, the trail still was still used sporadically by various groups. Captain John W. Gunnison led an expedition through this wash as well as other parts of the Old Spanish Trail as they searched for a railroad route through Utah. The Elk Mountain Mission, comprised of Latter-Day Saints, passed through as they headed further south from Salt Lake to settle parts of southeastern Utah. Shortly after, locals within Emery County would use this route as a wagon road between Castle Dale and Green River. Visual remnants such as stone culverts, unfinished railroad grades, and dugways can be found on the nearby ATV trails verifying the kind of travel this area used to receive. Eventually, as automotive technology and infrastructure improved, Upper Cottonwood Wash saw less and less traffic, and now is used mainly for recreation.

Site Information

Location (Latitude: 39.062745 Longitude: -110.415556)

The trailhead for Upper Cottonwood Wash is in Emery County, Utah. It can be reached by taking the Smith Camp Road off Highway 89 and heading west along a series of dirt roads.

This trailhead is in a remote location where 4WD and high clearance are needed to reach it safely. During or shortly after rainfall the roads will be impassible and flash floods may occur on the trail, so only attempt this hike under good weather conditions.

A sign and interpretation kiosk mark the start of the trail. Cottonwood trees and various shrubs such as sagebrush are prominent throughout, especially in the spring and early summer. The trail is sandy and rocky from deposition as water flows down into the wash when it rains.

The most notable element of the trail, however, is the historic inscriptions written on the walls by past travelers. Some have been written in the grease they used to lube their wagon axels with, and others were sketched into the rock. There are at least eight inscriptions that have been recorded, some can be read while others have faded or eroded over time, leaving them indecipherable. See if you can find more!

This five mile trail is lightly trafficked and fairly level. There is little shade, and the environment gets very hot in the afternoon. Make sure to travel in the morning or evening and bring plenty of water to prevent heat exhaustion. As you walk through this trail, the setting you will witness is almost the exact same as what travelers on the Old Spanish Trail saw when they came through here over a hundred years ago!

Safety Considerations

More Site Information 

Exhibit Audio Description available

Old Spanish National Historic Trail

• Emery County - Upper Cottonwood Wash Exhibit Audio Description

  
  

  Listen to the audio description of the Emery County - Upper Cottonwood Wash exhibit.

  Date created:

  09/09/2021

  Audio Transcript

  Exhibit 1 of 2 The exhibits are mounted on a large metal kiosk. There is a flat metal silhouette of traders and pack mules with small shrubs on top of the kiosk. Each panel is 48 inches wide and 36 inches high. Title: A Frequented Route. The exhibit has black and gray topographic line banners along the top and bottom. There is text on the upper section of the exhibit along with a photograph and a map. A large photograph shows a clear blue sky in the background with a sandstone hill with shrubs and cottonwood trees at its base in the foreground. The photo has been stylized to look like an oil painting. Primary Text: We know from rock art, Native American artifacts, and post-Old Spanish Trail evidence and journals, that this route was used for different purposes at different times. Even though there are few written records from the Old Spanish Trail period, we know from the historic accounts of explorers afterward that they were following the trail. The John W. Gunnison expedition of 1853 came through here, as did pioneers of the Elk Mountain Mission of 1854 who used this route to settle southeastern Utah. Eventually, it became an established wagon road between Castle Dale and Green River. Secondary Text: From Expeditions to Route 6 Eventually, this frequently used path became Route 6. Before then, other projects such as a railroad grade and a completed transmission line corridor left their mark on the land as well. AD: A black and white photograph shows a small ditch extending into the distance between two vertical walls of sandstone. There are small puddles of water and vegetation at the bottom of the ditch. Outside the ditch, the landscape is dry, and sagebrush is abundant. A partial view of a cottonwood tree can be seen to the left, and on the right, there is a sandstone cliff in the background. Caption: An unfinished railroad grade located further north. Map to the right of secondary text: AD: The map shows the four routes of the Old Spanish Trail across the Western United States, spanning from New Mexico to California. The different routes, the Northern Route, the Armijo Route, the Northern Branch, and the Mojave Road, converge and separate at various places along the trail. Along the trail, major cities are labeled. A red square indicates that you are on the Northern Route section in Central Utah. Caption: The Upper Cottonwood Wash Trail only represents a tiny portion of the path travelers and traders crossed as they navigated the Old Spanish Trail. This national historic trail spans 2,700 miles with four main routes, and, at one time, was the fastest way to get from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Los Angeles, California. Exhibit 2 of 2 The background of the exhibit consists of black and gray topographic lines with two thin red banners along the top and bottom. There is a large map that takes up much of the space, with two blocks of text to the right. Map: This is a map of the Upper Cottonwood Wash trail. The trail stretches northwest to southeast starting at the Cottonwood Canyon trailhead, continuing to the Upper Cottonwood Wash trailhead, and ending at the Mid Cottonwood Wash Trailhead. A ‘YOU ARE HERE’ placard indicates that the reader is at the Upper Cottonwood Wash trailhead. Along the trail, dots indicate the locations of historic inscriptions that have been written on the walls of the wash. Several dots have callouts with pictures of the inscription at the given location. Primary Text: Hike the Trail! Upper Cottonwood Wash takes you through a beautiful riparian area full of historic inscriptions and rock art. The trail begins on actual historic trail trace, allowing you to walk and experience the landscape as past travelers did. This trail is 5 miles long, moderately difficult, and undeveloped. Most sections have high sun exposure and are fairly level. Secondary Text: Respect and Protect • Travel responsibly • Respect the rights of others • Educate yourself • Avoid sensitive areas • Do your part For more information, visit treadlightly.org Protect cultural resources by staying on the trail. • Be Respectful • Do not touch the rock art or historic structures.

  Features for more information: Beneath the secondary text there are two blocks containing text and QR codes. Text block 1 with QR code: Learn more and plan trips to these sites. https://www.nps.gov/olsp/index.htm

  Text block 2 with QR code: Audio description available go.nps.gov/UpperCottonwoodWashTH

  Bottom Red Banner:

  Text Block 3 with QR code: Travel the trail with the Explorer app to go on a self-guiding adventure! Maps can be downloaded and used offline.

  A black silhouette is set to the right of the text block. It shows a man with a cowboy hat sitting on top of a pack mule, with two other mules behind him in line attached by ropes.