Last weekend in our quest at backcountryadventurestours to find new and exciting routs into Utah's back country we wound up in capital reef national park. On our way down to the area we made camp Friday night in Cainville a notorious dirt bike riding area. It is an amazing place where nothing seems to grow leaving a ride almost anywhere desert landscape of rolling clay mounds that tapper up to long sharp spins ending in Cliff faces. We camped at an old air field above the dirty devil river. The next morning we headed through the scenic by way towards the reef. however unlike most all tourist who stick to the main paved roads we found a dirt road that turned off a few miles before the park entrance and headed into the back country of the park where most have never been. Our first stop was to see how high up Mount Ellen we could climb before we ran in to snow. The road wound through the broken sand stone cliffs as it make its way ever higher in to the foot hills. soon we left the maze of cliffs behind and started to make our way into the pines that grew ever taller as the elevation grew. We finally found snow around eight thousand feet and were forced to turn back as the roads grew deep with snow and mud. As we turned to go the view of Capital Reef was before us. As we gazed on the wall of sand stong the name took on new meaning as you could see most of the Reef extending for a hundred miles before us like the great barrier reef in the ocean this wall separates the rugged country into parts very impressive to see. After leaving the Mt Ellen behind we spent the next half of day driving beside this giant wall of white sand stone skirted by jagged red and purple teeth until we reached the famous burr trail and headed in to Bolder Utah thus ending the solitude of the back country and finding our selves in civilisation once again.

Lost land

I am an avid dirt biker from Orderville UT. in the heart of some of the best outdoor scenery you can find anywhere. As a child my family road three wheelers on our land and often ventured out into the areas around us. My dad taught us to ride responsibly and respect the land. We own property on Ceder mt. at that time also and we would take weekend rides up the muddy wash to visit this land. The rout that follows the muddy you will see some of the most amazing views Utah as to offer. From the desert scape to the best alpine forest around lined with the pink cliffs reminiscent of Bryce canyon to the distant views of Zion from strawberry point it is amazing. This last weekend I took my wife on this very same ride that i took as a kid and was reminded of all that Utah's back country has to offer she to was amazed and we are looking forward to taking others to this place as well and someday my kids also. I am also a dirt bike racer i am posting this to voice my concern over the ever more land closures in our state. Every year it is getting harder to put on races or to even find land that was once easy to access to put on these events. I know the trickle down effect this can have to the everyday recreational riders look at factory butte and many other smaller area closures to see what I'm talking about. I would be greatly saddened if areas like the muddy where you can only see it from an off road vehicle due to the distances was ever closed. I hope we can all find solutions to these land use issues that benefit all and not just groups that make up very small percentages of users.