Devils Playground | Bovine Mountains

Hiking Devils Playground - Bovine MountainsRoadside Attraction Devils Playground - Bovine Mountains Devils Playground

Bovine Mountains

Overview

RATING: Roadside or Easy Hike
LENGTH: 1+ hours

Sun

A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 43. Southwest wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

43 | 29

Mon

A chance of rain before 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 47. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

47 | 31

Tue

A chance of rain after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42.

42 | 28

Wed

Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

41 | 27

Thu

A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. New snow accumulation of less than half an inch possible.

36 | 25

View Full Weather Details
SEASON: Spring, Summer, Fall
GEAR: Standard Hiking Gear
WATER: None

Sun

A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 43. Southwest wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

43 | 29

Mon

A chance of rain before 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 47. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

47 | 31

Tue

A chance of rain after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42.

42 | 28

Wed

Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

41 | 27

Thu

A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. New snow accumulation of less than half an inch possible.

36 | 25

View Full Weather Details
Neat rock at Devil's Playground

Neat rock at Devil's Playground

“Idle time is the devil's play” as the old saying goes. The Devil’s Playground is, then, a good place to have some idle time! The area is a unique geologic feature in north west Utah where granite is exposed and has eroded into large fins, domes, spires, and boulders. The Utah Geological Survey has an excellent page on the technical details.

The rock is quite grainy and exfoliating. It is not good for rock climbing, but weathers into interesting shapes. The playground does not have any formal trails. Roads provide easy access to the area with lots of opportunities for wandering amongst the boulders and for primitive camping. Our 3-year-old loved scrambling on the boulders and into the many pockets and arches.

This is an excellent family destination, though a bit remote. Keep an eye on children if climbing on the rocks, it is easier to climb up then down!

Note: The roads in the area are good with a few rough spots. High clearance recommended. The road to the east side camping sites is generally good even for low clearance, it deteriorates a bit after that.
Note: I marked on the map what I considered to be good campsites. All campsites are primitive! Be a good steward and cleanup after yourself (and others), do not create new fire rings, pack out human waste and stay in already used sites. This is an amazing place that requires care to keep from becoming trampled.
Boulders and Devil's Playground

Boulders and Devil's Playground

Getting There

The area is reached from UT-30 in northwest Utah. The state highway connects Montello, NV to Park Valley/Rosette in the north. If coming from Montello, follow UT-30 about 40 miles to mile marker 23.9 where a dirt road leaves on the west side. From Rosette, UT (Park Valley), it is about 30 miles south on UT-30 to the same marker.

Once you turn on the dirt road, it is about a mile to a major junction just after coming around the end of the first large granite cropping. Follow the map from here. There is an amazing arch just up and right of this junction. It is easy to scramble to and gives an unobstructed view of the area to the west.

Abby McGee ponding the views from inside the first arch.

Abby McGee ponding the views from inside the first arch.

Route

The best way to experience the playground is to find an area that interests you, stop, and wander around! The map shows the roads I recommend.

I preferred camping on the east side, it gets more sun in cooler weather. The middle and west areas have more rock outcroppings and places to wander.

Aside from the large arch marked on the map, there are many other small solution pockets and arches. Keep an eye out.

Note: The tower on the peak to the south is a USAF radar facility. At least on our trip, there were lots of jets flying over the area most of the weekend. Being a desolate area, it is likely often used for training.

Maps

Printable Maps:

Jct 1

12T 279568mE 4597064mN

N41° 29' 42" W113° 38' 27"

Jct 2

12T 279101mE 4598659mN

N41° 30' 33" W113° 38' 49"

Straight (Right Very Rough)

12T 277893mE 4598537mN

N41° 30' 28" W113° 39' 41"

Jct 3

12T 277518mE 4598621mN

N41° 30' 30" W113° 39' 57"

Jct 4

12T 278039mE 4600661mN

N41° 31' 37" W113° 39' 37"

Jct 5 - Main Dirt Road

12T 275707mE 4601361mN

N41° 31' 57" W113° 41' 19"

Jct 6

12T 275651mE 4601320mN

N41° 31' 56" W113° 41' 21"

Arch

12T 279633mE 4597140mN

N41° 29' 44" W113° 38' 24"

Camping East 1

12T 279714mE 4597336mN

N41° 29' 51" W113° 38' 21"

Camping East 2

12T 279534mE 4598201mN

N41° 30' 18" W113° 38' 30"

Camping East 3

12T 279466mE 4598621mN

N41° 30' 32" W113° 38' 33"

Camping Middle 1

12T 277606mE 4598906mN

N41° 30' 39" W113° 39' 54"

Camping Middle 2

12T 277870mE 4599435mN

N41° 30' 57" W113° 39' 43"

Camping Middle 3

12T 278081mE 4599932mN

N41° 31' 13" W113° 39' 35"

Camping West 1

12T 275912mE 4601238mN

N41° 31' 53" W113° 41' 10"

Camping West 2

12T 275578mE 4601049mN

N41° 31' 47" W113° 41' 24"

Camping West 3

12T 275342mE 4600535mN

N41° 31' 30" W113° 41' 33"

Camping West 4

12T 275293mE 4600353mN

N41° 31' 24" W113° 41' 35"

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