Poison Springs Canyon (Part 1) near Hanksville in South Central Utah

Poison Springs Canyon Road, is a rough single-lane tract in some places, a well defined roadbed in others and is the only motorized route which crosses the Dirty Devil River between Hanksville and Hite on Lake Powell. Beginning at Utah Highway 95, at mile marker 17, it dips into a progressively narrower and steeper canyon, while descending through scenic sandstone formations as it follows Poison Springs Creek. Once across the Dirty Devil River, the route follows the impressive and colorful Big Ridge in North Hatch Canyon, past Fiddler Butte to the boundary with the National Park Service's Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Poison Springs Canyon Road is frequently closed by washouts and high-water levels and is not recommended for novices or most street-legal vehicles except high clearance ones. Be aware there are no developed facilities in the Poison Spring Canyon area. I recommend contacting the BLM Office in Hanksville, Utah before exploring this road and area. Here is the contact information for the Hanksville Office:
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Address: 380 South 100 West Hanksville , UT 84734
Latitude/Longitude: 38.136531, -110.589053
Directions: 17 miles south of Hanksville on State Route 95

[@SheriClark-d7w]

This is one of our favorite rides!!!!

[@cactushill]

This is one our favorites as well. We will be going there very soon and hope to cross the Dirty Devil River this time and explore the area further. Thanks for commenting and viewing our channel. It is sincerely appreciated!

[@johnlounsbury6191]

just joined your channel...great video. lotsa of useful information

[@cactushill]

Thanks John for subscribing and the wonderful comment...Much appreciated!

[@RoadTripper0123]

Great footage!! I enjoyed watching it.

[@cactushill]

Thanks for the great comment and watching our video...Much appreciated

[@lynnnorthrup8914]

Thanks for sharing That was some flood to put debris up that high. Wow! 😀👍

[@cactushill]

No problem. You are welcome. Yes, we were amazed at how high up on the trees that some of the debris had been left up there. I wouldn't want to in that canyon during monsoon season.

[@jephreaux]

Thanks, I enjoy your videos.

[@cactushill]

Thanks for the great comment. I am working on getting at least one video out per week. Thanks again...Much appreciated!

[@elgringolocothetraveler]

Nice video, I may just have to head over and check this area out. Enjoyed your video, I'll head over to part 2 ✌️

[@cactushill]

Thanks for the great comment and viewing our channel. It is sincerely appreciated. Yes, it is a great area to go explore and we hope to get to the other side of the Dirty Devil River one of these times. So far we are 0 for 2 😉

[@petr-podrouzek]

Super, great job 🙂

[@cactushill]

Thanks for the wonderful comment and watching our videos...Much appreciated!

[@walterbright1396]

Thanks for the view of the trail. I want to explore this area in greater detail. Been through/passed by this general area since they paved the highway in the middle 1970s to Hanksville and want to explore off the main highway in the future. Did that from the lake for years and Mt bike what was possible, now I want to explore these trails and camp out there. Again thanks for sharing.

[@cactushill]

Thanks Walter for the comment and sharing your experiences in that area. We love going out to the Hanksville area. There is always something we see that amazes us. Also, thanks for watching...It is much appreciated.

[@davidwellen830]

Very nice video. I am a new subscriber. This is the kind of ride I like to do in my side by side with my wife. Thanks.

[@cactushill]

Thanks David. I think this would be a great ride for a side-by-side. Thanks for subscribing and watching our video...Much appreciated

[@billj5645]

We were there 5 months ago. We didn't use 4WD at all but there were locations where you needed good approach and departure angles and good breakover when going through dips or over berms into and out of the wash. Overall the road was much rougher when we went through. It looks like they have tried making a real road through there. We always air down, besides slightly improving the ride it gives more traction and protects the tires a little bit from rock punctures.

[@cactushill]

Bill we were there in Mid-October 2022 so roughly the same time. The BLM office in Hanksville told us they had been working on the road and you can see all of the rocks and gravel they put down so maybe you guys went just before that. As for 4-Wheel Drive, I pretty much put our Jeep in "4-High" when we leave payment just out of habit. We have front and rear lockers for the really rough situations (Like the "Tundra Wash" in our Molly's Castle video). Anyway, thanks watching. It is much appreciated!

[@skylerphoenix8880]

How fast are you typically going on this trail? Nice vid btw - encouraging for my new first AWD.

[@cactushill]

Skyler...We typically run at 10 to 20 MPH depending on what road conditions we face. The early part of this road we were probably at 30-35 MPH (It's the part we didn't show). I am a pretty conservative driver when we hit the dirt. Road conditions can dramatically change in Central & Southern Utah due to weather events. Also, late in the season (Late Summer early Fall) many roads/trails have had significant use so some can become "Washboardy". It's good to air down in those situations if you can. Well, thanks for commenting and viewing our video...It is much appreciated!

[@skylerphoenix8880]

@@cactushill thank you for the response.

[@cactushill]

@@skylerphoenix8880 No problem...You are welcome.

[@billlewis9912]

any "music" sux, commrntary too, jus' the sound o' peace nature is nuff, ya ruin the experience

[@cactushill]

Bill...Thanks for commenting and viewing our video. It is much appreciated.