The high mesas west of Canyonlands National Park do not form as distinct
a mainland as does Hatch Point, but rather are broken up into a maze of
peninsulas and islands, as shown in figure 1. Owing to the gentle
northwestward dip of the rock strata, the altitude of the mesas declines
from about 7,000 feet in the south to about 5,300 feet in the north and
northwest, where the whole aspect of the country becomes more rounded
and subdued. As shown on the map (fig. 1), however, the name Orange
Cliffs is applied to much of the eastward-facing cliffs, which are made
of the Wingate Sandstone capped by the Kayenta Formation. Remnants of
the Navajo Sandstone increase in number to the north and west, where
remnants of the next two younger rock units—the Carmel Formation and the
Entrada Sandstone—also occur. Thus, the cliff-forming units dip downward
beneath younger rocks that form the relatively flat Green River Desert
to the northwest, also referred to as the San Rafael Desert. Figure 32
is a view southeastward from The Spur, shown on the map (fig. 1) as the
northern section of the Orange Cliffs.
At present (1973), the areas west of the Green River and the main stem
of the Colorado River are the least accessible of any in the park and in
this respect have not changed much since Butch Cassidy and his Wild
Bunch roamed the area, except that the former main horse trails are now
jeep trails. A secondary road south from the town of Green River goes
past the north side of the Horseshoe Canyon Detached Unit (figs. 1, 2)
and connects with another secondary road to the west, which joins Utah
Highway 24 at Temple Junction, 20 miles north of Hanksville; near
Horseshoe Canyon a jeep trail leads south to the Orange Cliffs. Owing to
blowing sand, these “roads” are not considered reliable for passenger
cars and are best negotiated by four-wheel-drive vehicles or horses.
[Illustration: VIEW SOUTHEASTWARD FROM THE SPUR, in northern section
of Orange Cliffs. Junction Butte and Grand View Point on left
skyline; Abajo Mountains in extreme distance to right of center.
Photograph by Parker Hamilton, Flagstaff, Ariz. (Fig. 32)]
[Illustration: LOOKING NORTH DOWN MILLARD CANYON from head of canyon
a mile northwest of French Spring. Note small arch or window in the
Navajo Sandstone at upper left, which is shown in figure 1 as
“Arch.” The Navajo is underlain by the cliff-forming Kayenta
Formation and Wingate Sandstone resting upon a sloping base of the
Chinle Formation and, farther downstream, ledges and slopes of the
Moenkopi Formation. Photograph by Parker Hamilton, Flagstaff, Ariz.
(Fig. 33)]
According to Baker (1971, p. 12), the road leading eastward along North
Point was used by the Wild Bunch in traveling to French Spring, whence
they dropped down Millard Canyon (fig. 33) and crossed the Green River
at Bonita Bend, which is just east of Buttes of the Cross (fig. 64).
They also followed the Old Spanish Trail from the Henry Mountains
eastward across the Dirty Devil River, up North Hatch Canyon, across
Sunset Pass, and down across the Land of Standing Rocks to Spanish
Bottom on the Colorado River (fig. 1). After crossing the river, they
followed the trail up Lower Red Lake Canyon (fig. 59) and eastward
through The Needles to Monticello.
[Illustration: Petroglyph]