Comb Wash Road — Cedar Mesa to San Juan River via Bears Ears Corridor

Comb Wash drops south from Highway 95 along the western flank of Comb Ridge — a 90-mile monocline that splits southeastern Utah like a broken plate. The road is straightforward washboard gravel for the first stretch, but the landscape hits you immediately: Anasazi ruins tucked into alcoves above the wash, twin-track side spurs leading to Butler Wash Panel and Arch Canyon’s mouth, and the looming red wall of Comb Ridge pressed tight to the east. By the time you reach the San Juan River crossing at Sand Island, you’ve passed through some of the densest archaeological territory in North America — petroglyph panels right at the BLM picnic area, river campsites under cottonwoods, and a put-in used by river runners for generations.

This is an easy to moderate route — high clearance helps but isn’t strictly mandatory in dry conditions. A 4WD is recommended because the wash bottom can get soft after rain and the river access spur turns slick fast. Best driven late spring or fall; summer flash flood risk is real and the BLM issues warnings regularly. No permit required for vehicle travel, but Bears Ears National Monument rules apply — stay on existing tracks, pack out everything. Fuel in Blanding or Bluff, both within 20 miles. Cell service is gone once you leave the highway. This one rewards slow driving and hikers who stop.