Looking north from the cliffs above the Green River on the old slickrock route. This area is now wilderness. Original photos and ride description November 15, 2011 by Bruce. Update with video and some new photos March 20, 2018. Page updated for wilderness designation in 2020.
June's Bottom
June's Bottom lies inside the Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness south of the town of Green River. The ATV track has been "grandfathered in" as a narrow corridor within the wilderness. The vast slickrock areas that formerly made this riding area attractive are not legal to ride. What remains is a 10-mile out-and-back on ATV track that I cannot, in good conscience, recommend.
NOTE 2020! The BLM land on the west side of the
Green River is now part of the Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness. My
understanding is that the Junes Bottom Road was
"grandfathered in" as an ATV corridor. If you go, follow the signs,
if any exist. The road is legal only until you reach the north slickrock area.
The one-mile descent down the slickrock to the river is now out-of-bounds,
as
is the continuing ATV route that contours around the butte. None of the slickrock
areas are legal to ride. Most riders will find little reason to venture to
this remote area. I
can no longer recommend riding here.
The dirt road used to be a hateful but necessary thing, tolerated so you could arrive at the slickrock. Now it's all that's legal.
This biking area is very remote. Come prepared. On two separate rides, I passed no vehicles
going either way, and the dirt areas showed no bike tire tracks since
the last rain.
June's Bottom is located about seven miles south of Bull Bottom , an area of slickrock along the Green River on the edge of the wilderness where some of the slickrock lies outside the wilderness area.
The Legal ATV track:
The doubletrack is around 5 miles in length. It's a narrow corridor that lies within the wilderness area. As I interpret the BLM map, you start on the sandy dirt road for around a mile, then veer left to the west side of the mesa. (This connection is NOT shown on my map.) The legal route ends around the spot where the ATV track turns to the right and southbound for what used to be the return trip.
The doubletrack is around 5 miles in length. It's a narrow corridor that lies within the wilderness area. As I interpret the BLM map, you start on the sandy dirt road for around a mile, then veer left to the west side of the mesa. (This connection is NOT shown on my map.) The legal route ends around the spot where the ATV track turns to the right and southbound for what used to be the return trip.
Handlebar view as we follow the doubletrack north. You can see a glimmer of the slickrock, with the Book Cliffs in the distance.
View of the Green River canyon.
The classic ride information has been deleted from this page. If you decide to hit June's Bottom,
you're on your own to navigate legally. I have not gone back to the area
since the wilderness
designation. I'll leave the video here in memory of what Utah's riders
have lost.
Junes Bottom
Getting there: From US-6, get eastbound on
I-70. Three miles from the on-ramp, exit at the first Green River
off-ramp. Go left under the freeway and continue into Green River. At
Airport Road 1.4 miles from the off-ramp stop sign, turn right (just look
for the "Airport" sign). The road will veer left along the
railroad tracks. Stay along the tracks until another Airport sign turns
you right at mile 1.9, across the tracks. Go under I-70 and drive the
paved road about 2 miles. At the "San Rafael Desert / Horseshoe
Bend" sign 4.2 miles from the off-ramp, turn left onto graded gravel
road. Zero your odometer. Stay on the main gravel road for 20 miles, then
cross the new bridge over the San Rafael River. Note that spot! At 7.3
miles past the river, 26.9 miles since leaving the paved Airport Road,
keep left at the road fork to stay southbound. 1.2 miles later, turn left off the main road on a smaller dirt road. Drive 1 mile on that dirt road.
When you see a short log fence on the top of the rise with nothing around
it, you're almost there. 0.2 miles later a road forks at 90 degrees
northbound to your left. That's where to start.
Campgrounds: Green River State Park 30 miles away
Water: None
Bathrooms: None
Riding resources:
GPS track file (right-click and select "Save Target as..."):
GPX tracks of entire area Note that GPS tracks were created before the wilderness designation, and include paths that are not legal to ride!
Maps for printing:
Satellite view as above (but higher res)
Roads from Green River
Lodging, camping, shops:
Links to Moab area resources
Links to Price area resources
GPS track file (right-click and select "Save Target as..."):
GPX tracks of entire area Note that GPS tracks were created before the wilderness designation, and include paths that are not legal to ride!
Maps for printing:
Satellite view as above (but higher res)
Roads from Green River
Lodging, camping, shops:
Links to Moab area resources
Links to Price area resources
Updated 2020 for wilderness designation
