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Middle Wild Horse Mesa Wilderness

barren eroded canyon area with hint of a small stream of water

Introduction

The United States Congress designated the Middle Wild Horse Mesa Wilderness (map of the Middle Wild Horse Mesa Wilderness) in 2019 and it now has a total of See Middle Wild Horse Mesa Wilderness breakdown of 16,343 acres.

All of this Wilderness is located in Utah and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

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Description

The Middle Wild Horse Mesa Wilderness is part of the San Rafael Swell, which features magnificent badlands of brightly colored and wildly eroded sandstone formations, deep canyons, and giant plates of stone tilted upright through massive geologic upheaval. This landscape reveals a geological history laid bare through millennia of upheaval and erosion. The geologic history of the San Rafael Swell area began 40 to 60 million years ago when a massive uplift formed a geologic antic line. This bulge in the earth’s crust eventually eroded to leave high mesas, deep canyons, domes, spectacular arches, and spires. The terrain varies from the sheer cliffs and dazzling canyons to more gently carved badlands broken by shallow washes. The fins and folds of the San Rafael Reef jut through the southeast side of the area with dramatic sheer-walled cliffs, pinnacles, the knobs of Goblin Valley, twisted canyons, and valleys of stunning colors. Few canyons can compare to the entrenched, narrow gorges of the Black Boxes of the San Rafael River, which twists and turns through the San Rafael Swell. At the Head of Sinbad, water flows to the north, south, east, and west. Excavations have uncovered numerous fossils including more than 12,000 bones of at least 70 different animals as well as a dinosaur egg, complete with embryo.

Evidence of Native American cultures, including the Fremont, Paiute, and Ute, is common throughout the San Rafael Swell in the form of pictograph and petroglyph panels. From about 1776 to the mid-1850s the Old Spanish Trail trade route passed through (or just north of) the Swell.

The Swell provides excellent habitat for wildlife. More than 200 sure-footed Desert Bighorn Sheep live among the crags of this rugged landscape. Also found in the area are Bald Eagles and Peregrin Falcons, both Federally listed Endangered Species and other birds of prey, including Golden Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks, and Prairie Falcons.

Leave No Trace

How to follow the seven standard Leave No Trace principles differs in different parts of the country (desert vs. Rocky Mountains). Click on any of the principles listed below to learn more about how they apply in the Middle Wild Horse Mesa Wilderness.

  1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
  2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
  3. Dispose of Waste Properly
  4. Leave What You Find
  5. Minimize Campfire Impacts
  6. Respect Wildlife
  7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors

For more information on Leave No Trace, Visit the Leave No Trace, Inc. website.