Hiking Furniture Draw
Northern Swell
Overview
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Sun 42 | 24 |
Mon 45 | 26 |
Tue 42 | 24 |
Wed 41 | 24 |
Thu 37 | 20 |
| View Full Weather Details | ||||
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Sun 42 | 24 |
Mon 45 | 26 |
Tue 42 | 24 |
Wed 41 | 24 |
Thu 37 | 20 |
| View Full Weather Details | ||||
Furniture Draw from the trailhead.
Near the top of Buckhorn Wash sits Furniture Draw. This looks like an unassuming side canyon from the bottom, and has never much piqued my interest until the spring of 2023. We were looking for a short family hike to do before lunch with some friends. Wow! How had I overlooked this short gem of a canyon for so many years?
The canyon, wide at its mouth, becomes quite narrow a mere mile or so up from the trailhead. Though the narrows are short, all in my group found them incredibly fun, and the vibrant colors and rock shapes during the rest of the hike made this a winner. A few minor obstacles in the narrows are surmountable by most. The two youngsters in our group found them hard enough to be challenging, but still surmountable with a spot or little help.
One way to keep your feet dry! The piggy-back stem over.
Getting There
Acess to Buckhorn Wash starts near Castle Dale.
- Just before the town of Castle Dale, at milepost 39.4, go east on the signed San Rafael Swell Access road. Reset your odometer as you turn off the highway onto the dirt road. ( 12S 500218mE 4341289mN / N39° 13' 15" W110° 59' 51" )
- Continue on this road, passing a cattle guard after 12 miles, and reaching a 4 way junction at 12.7 miles. ( 12S 518059mE 4336281mN / N39° 10' 32" W110° 47' 27" )
- Continue east at this 4 way junction for 2.4 miles to the signed Buckhorn Wash road. Turn right (south) and head into Buckhorn Wash. ( 12S 521483mE 4335782mN / N39° 10' 16" W110° 45' 05" )
- 1.4 miles down Buckhorn Wash, Furniture Draw trailhead is signed on the left. Follow the dirt road a short distance to a parking area at the bottom of the canyon. ( 12S 523326mE 4334884mN / N39° 09' 46" W110° 43' 48" )
- Furniture Draw Trailhead ( 12S 523389mE 4335019mN / N39° 09' 51" W110° 43' 45" )
Open country above the canyon.
Route
From the trailhead, head up the wash. There is a well-used social trail on the left side looking up canyon, or stay in the wash bottom. The canyon meanders around a couple of bends and it begins to narrow.
Surprisingly, about a 3/4 of a mile or so up from the trailhead, the canyon narrows quite dramatically and soon turns into a slot. On our visit, the slot was guarded with several shallow wades to about knee-deep. With a little determination, these could be passed with creative stemming to keep feet dry.
Above the first short slot, the canyon opens again with a nice slick rock floor before entering a final narrow-ish section that ends at a big sloping boulder. The boulder is easy to surmount. Just above the boulder, the canyon opens, and large power lines are visible. You can continue up the wide, shallow canyon bottom to the Green River Cutoff road, but turning around just above the boulder is recommended.
Photos
Maps
| Furniture Draw Trailhead |
12S 523388mE 4335019mN N39° 09' 51" W110° 43' 45" |
| Narrows |
12S 523681mE 4335570mN N39° 10' 09" W110° 43' 33" |
| Canyon Opens |
12S 523817mE 4335946mN N39° 10' 21" W110° 43' 27" |
| Green River Cutoff Road |
12S 524500mE 4336533mN N39° 10' 40" W110° 42' 59" |