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Mineral Bottom Road s(u)

This road connects Ut313,  "the island in the dessert - I mean sky" road with the northern descent to the Green River of the White Rim Route. As is the rule rather than the exception in this area, the summit point on the mesa often not even enters the awareness of the passing cyclist, who is fixated - with good reason - on the canyon bottom portions of the White Rim Trail, and the passage to that portion.
 

click on profile for more detail
1.(3960ft,mile00) START-END EAST ALT: Colorado River Bridge north of Moab
2.(4580ft,mile07) Gemini Bridges trailhead
3.(4500ft,mile09) START-END EAST: profile turns left on US191
4.(5890ft,mile21) profile turns right onto Mineral Bottom Rd
5.(5960ft,mile23) TOP
6.(4030ft,mile36) profile stays left. Right fork goes to Mineral Bottom and boat ramp
7.(3980ft,mile40) START-END WEST: Saddle Horse Bottom

Approaches

From East. The profile shows the most direct way to approach this point, which is paved Ut313. The most common way to approach it on a bicycle is via the Shafer Trail on the White Rim Route. Another feasible option is to approach the summit via the Gemini Bridges Road. Whichever way you use to get there, close before the highest point on Ut313, a hard straight dirt road turns off towards the west. It is signed as Mineral Bottom. It rises just a little higher than the turnoff point on Ut313. During late light the view the veiw north from here reaches all the way to the Roan Cliffs and their northern bend, behind the town of Green River.

From West. (described downwards). It's a lightning fast pedal down the barely sloping, straight road, filled with anticipation of what the canyon rim will bring. Actually you loose almost a 1000ft before you get to the rim, which is about half of the total altitude loss on this side. Even past that the road surface remains in good condition for the switchbacks down to the Green. It was orginally built in the 1940s to create access for mineral exploration. Down in the canyon, it seems like every turn of the river marks the beginning of another named "bottom". Mineral Bottom, which the road uses for its name is actually off to the right. But the profile turns left and follows on long switchback of the Green along Horsethief Bottom, Woodroff Bottom on the opposite side, Point Bottom, Saddle Horse Bottom. It is difficult to think of this as the end, when the most visually compelling portion has really just begun a few miles back. But the profile labels this as the end of the climb.

 

Dayrides with this point as intermediate summit point:

PARTIALLY PAVED / UNPAVED

Ut313 - Gemini Bridges Rd(sh) , Mineral Bottom Rd(sh) : Willow Springs Road > US191 south > up Gemini Bridges Rd > Gemini Bridges Rd s(u) > down Ut313 a short distance <> out and back on Mineral Bottom Rd > to a turn around point a mile or two inside Canyonlands NP, along the Green River >> Mineral Bottom Rd(sh) > down Ut313 > back to starting point: 78.1miles with 4830ft of climbing in 2:55hours (VDO MC1.0 m3:11.10.14).




Mineral Bottom Rd(sh)

Highest Point:
5960ft
Eastern Approach:

drop
from Colorado River Bridge north of Moab (3960ft) 2000ft 22+1/2miles
from jct US191 -Ut313 (4500ft) 1460ft 14miles
Western Approach:


from Saddle Horse Bottom (3980ft) 1980ft  miles ~100ft



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