Black Dragon Canyon
- Alex Cabrero
- Sep 4
- 5 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
(near Green River) You can’t help but feel small out here. Not in a bad way... but more in a “wow, humans really are just a blip” kind of way. Black Dragon Canyon near Green River is one of those Utah places that makes time feel like it’s standing still.
My friend Mark Wetzel and I had the day off and decided to check it out one afternoon. Dogs included. Gertie, his steady and patient dog, and Aspen, my 1-year-old Borador puppy who still thinks every moment is playtime, packed into my Jeep and headed toward Green River. I felt bad for Gertie. She's smaller and incredibly patient, but Aspen is a ball of energy who loves wrestling other dogs.
We drove right off I-70, yes off the interstate, onto a dirt road that looks like you shouldn’t be on it. There’s no exit sign or anything official-looking. It's just a dirt turnoff right off the interstate pavement. You'll immediately come to a gate, which should be closed. You're allowed to open it to pass through. Just make sure you close it behind you. I'm pretty sure it's to keep cows from walking onto the interstate (which would be disastrous at 80 mph), so please close the gate behind you.
Follow the dirt road and keep toward the left (west) when you come to a split. You'll know you're going the right way when you see signs for Mexican Mountain Wilderness and Black Canyon Wash. Basically, just head toward the rocky mountains and you'll be fine.
Mark and I got excited as we got closer to the towering canyon walls and saw the dirt road going between them. Mark is usually loud all the time, but even he was quiet to take in the views we were seeing. I should bring him here more often :) Some online info suggests you park at one of the pullouts before the canyon and hike in. However, we found driving into the canyon to be pretty easy... at least up to the popular pictographs. The dirt road wasn't bad at all, just a little bumpy in some spots.
Eventually, we reached a little pullout at the base of the cliffs. It's easy to spot because there is a wooden fence there. From that point, you walk through the fence and look up onto the canyon wall. You'll start to see red figures painted high on the sandstone. You can even scramble up some rocks to be face-to-face with the ancient art.
The pictographs here are incredible. They're also taller than you would expect until you get close to them. Sadly, someone once outlined a few of them in white chalk. I'm sure whoever did this thought they were "helping" by making them easier to see, but it's not something that should've been done. From what I have read, these figures date back thousands of years and are painted in what is known as the Barrier Canyon Style. It's a type of rock art seen throughout this region and beyond.
Mark and I stood there quietly for a while, staring at the wall. It’s humbling to think about the people who painted those figures. Why here? What were they saying? What do the figures and shapes represent? One looks like a robot. Others resemble a bat, an alien, and maybe even a dog or a dragon. I love pictographs because if you stop for a little bit and ponder, it's pretty cool to think of the ancient people who once stood in the very same spot and looking at the same cliffs. I bet they haven't changed much. What were they thinking? Maybe they felt safe in this canyon surrounded by these towering red walls and silence so deep it almost hums.
Please don't touch the pictographs if you visit. Just take pictures of them. You can see signs of damage from visitors over the years, including modern carvings. These days, there are cameras mounted nearby to discourage vandalism. It's a good reminder that sacred places deserve respect.
This is one of those places where you could spend hours just existing. If you brought a lunch, you could sit in some camping chairs and just listen to the silence. It's a special place. Having Aspen and Gertie made it even better. They sniffed, explored, and played in the sand while Mark and I took pictures and smiled at how fortunate we were to experience this.
Eventually, we drove farther down the rocky road, poking around a few turns before heading back. It gets a little rougher the further you go. It was dry when we went, but I imagine if it was raining or had recently rained, the muddy roads could present challenges to regular 2-wheel drive cars. The canyon winds back and forth... kind of like the tail of a dragon... but I'm not sure if that's where the canyon gets its name from. On the drive out, I noticed how the light had changed. The color on the cliffs shifted from deep red to burnt orange to soft pink. It really is beautiful.
To get back to I-70, go out the way you came. When you get near the gate again, look to the right and you'll see where you drive under the interstate through a tunnel. On the other side, turn left up a small hill to another gate. Open it, close it behind you, and merge back onto the interstate. Of course, only go through the tunnel if you want to head back toward Green River (eastbound I-70). If you want to go westbound on I-70 toward Salina and Richfield, just go back out the first gate and hop on the interstate. Just be careful merging onto I-70 because cars and 18-wheelers fly by! It’s a strange transition because one minute you’re surrounded by ancient art and stillness, and the next you’re back on asphalt doing 80 mph. Or faster ;)
You can easily spend about an hour or more exploring Black Dragon Canyon. It's not a long stop, but if you have the time, don't rush it. With as busy as the world seems to be these days, this place feels like hitting a giant pause button.
Getting There:
- Turnoff from I-70 (coming from Green River) is around mile-marker 147.
- After passing through the gate, head north about 0.1 mile and turn left across a wash.
- Continue toward the mountains for less than two miles.
GPS Coordinates:
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