Centennial Road to Comb Ridge via Bears Ears Backcountry and Cedar Mesa Rim
Ancestral ruins, sandstone, zero crowds.
Cedar Mesa sits at the heart of Bears Ears National Monument, and the web of dirt roads threading its rim — County Road 235 to Cigarette Spring Road, Kane Gulch Ranger Station spur, and the rutted track along Comb Ridge’s western face — connects some of the densest concentrations of intact Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings in the Southwest. You’ll crawl over slickrock ledges to reach perfect kiva structures nobody visits, drop into canyon drainages via steep two-tracks, and run the edge of Comb Ridge where the monocline heaves up 700 feet of exposed Navajo Sandstone in a single wall stretching 80 miles north to south. The Kane Gulch–Owl Creek loop alone, accessed off UT-261, puts you in a canyon system with hundreds of documented ruins per square mile.
Most tracks here need a high-clearance 4WD minimum; soft sand in washes and exposed ledge rock mean skid plates and good rubber are worth their weight. Difficulty ranges from easy forest road gravel to moderate canyon-bottom two-track. A day-use permit through Recreation.gov is required for Kane Gulch and Grand Gulch canyon entry (not the drive itself). Best season is March–May and September–November; summer heat is punishing and winter snow closes upper roads. Cell service is nonexistent. Carry water — springs are seasonal and must be treated. This is one of the truly rare places left in the American West.
Trail Specs
| Difficulty | Moderate |
|---|---|
| Trail Type | Backcountry, High Clearance, Overland Route |
| Surface | Dirt, Mixed, Rock, Sand |
| Features | Camping, Historic, Remote, Scenic |
| Length (miles) | 68 mi / 109.4 km |
| Duration | 2-3 days |
| Max elevation (ft) | 6400 ft |
| Best season | March-May, September-November |
| Minimum vehicle | High-clearance 4WD |
| Nearest town | Blanding, UT |
| Land manager | BLM Monticello Field Office — Bears Ears National Monument |
| Permit required | Yes |
| Cell service | None |
| Water crossings | No |
| Dispersed camping | Yes |
| Official sources | BLM Bears Ears National Monument Kane Gulch day-use permit portal |
| Start coordinates | |
| End coordinates | |
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| Find on Google | Search on Google → |
Location
Trail Conditions
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Frequently asked questions
Can a stock Tacoma or 4Runner handle this trail, or do I need a lifted rig?
A stock high-clearance 4WD will get through most of it, but aired-down tires help significantly on the sand and slickrock sections near Comb Ridge. A modest lift (2-3 inches) adds comfort on the rougher rocky stretches, but it's not a requirement. Don't attempt this in a street-clearance SUV — you will get hung up.
When does this route become impassable, and can I run it in winter?
Winter is a hard no — snow and ice on Cedar Mesa turn the dirt and slickrock sections into a skating rink, and the sand can become a frozen trap. Stick to March-May or September-November. Summer works technically, but triple-digit heat on open sandstone with no shade is brutal and water sources dry up fast.
Do I need a permit for this route, and where do I get one?
Yes — if you're entering any of the canyon units off Cedar Mesa (like Kane Gulch or Owl Canyon), you need a day-use or overnight permit through recreation.gov. The BLM Monticello Field Office manages this corridor under Bears Ears National Monument rules; grab your permit at recreation.gov/permits/4675318 before you leave home, not at the trailhead.
What's the hardest section and what am I actually dealing with?
The Cedar Mesa Rim approach toward Comb Ridge is where it gets real — loose sand over shelf rock with exposure on one side and nowhere to turn around easily. It's not technically extreme, but one bad line or a moment of panic on the shelf can end your day. Momentum and a committed line matter more than horsepower here.
There's no cell service out there — how far is the nearest gas and water before I drop in?
Fuel up in Blanding before you go — it's the last reliable gas stop, and you're looking at roughly 70 miles of remote running with zero services. Water is not reliably available on route; carry a minimum of 4 gallons per person and plan on no resupply until you're back on pavement. A satellite communicator is not optional on a 2-3 day trip with zero cell coverage.
Trail track
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