Off-Season Off-Roading in Ticaboo

Familiar freedoms in a new kind of winter wonderland.

Written By Brian Higgins

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area | Jeremiah Watt

Winter sports are all about freedom. Freedom from limitations as you charge your skis or snowmobile through a blank canvas of untouched powder. Freedom from stress as you gently glide through quiet Nordic trails. Freedom from gravity (if only for a moment) as a terrain park booter sends you into the stratosphere. Even freedom from choice as you careen down a sled hill, leaving your fate in the hands of the universe. Yes, for the truly enlightened, sledding is a zen practice.

If freedom is what we crave in our winter sports (blame the stir crazy energy), off-roading in Southern Utah definitely deserves a spot on your cold weather calendar this season. Because when you’re speeding through the desert on a UTV that can handle every bump, rock and rut with unbelievable ease, you’ll feel that familiar winter urge to let out a big old “Yew!”, “Woo-Hoo!” or whatever else you yell when you’re having the time of your life.

There are few better places for a winter off-roading adventure than Ticaboo and North Lake Powell. You might know the area more from your summer sojourns — days on the water, camping beneath desert skies or hiking through shadowy slot canyons — but it’s got plenty to offer in the off-season too. (Read: Winter in Lake Powell)

Off-roading in Southern Utah definitely deserves a spot on your cold weather calendar this season.

Photo: Jeremiah Watt

You might know the Lake Powell area more for summer sojourns, but it’s got plenty to offer in the off-season too.

Photo: Jeremiah Watt

Where Serenity Meets Adventure

Gone are the houseboaters, the “Are we there yet?” road trippers and the golden years go-getters. North Lake Powell is a quieter scene come winter, but that’s just perfect, right? Because winter is all about chasing that elusive combination of total freedom and quiet serenity. Here in Ticaboo, you’ll find that, along with mild temperatures that help you warm up without sacrificing too much winter warrior street cred. (Read: Winter in Southern Utah)

“Quiet serenity” might not be the right phrase, though. As you rev up your engine and charge onto the trail, you won’t be thinking, “Ah, finally! Some peace and quiet.” But the deep desert of North Lake Powell has a stillness to it that’s hard to find in many other places. And that stillness will only get more pronounced as you speed right into the scenery and realize you and your crew might be the only things moving out there.

Which is exactly what I was lucky enough to do on a recent trip to the area. With the help of expert guides Ray Golden and Mike Palmquist from Ticaboo Adventure Center, I was able to have a blast on the trail and take in some of the wonderful geologic quirks that North Lake Powell has to offer, all from the seat of my comfortable and capable off-highway vehicle.

The deep desert of North Lake Powell has a stillness to it that’s hard to find in many other places.

Photo: Jeremiah Watt

Winter is all about chasing that elusive combination of total freedom and quiet serenity.

Photo: Jeremiah Watt

"The deep desert of North Lake Powell has a stillness to it that’s hard to find in many other places. And that stillness will only get more pronounced as you speed right into the scenery and realize you and your crew might be the only things moving out there."

Follow the Leader

With guided hikes, canyoneering trips, off-road outings and boat trips, Ticaboo Adventure Center offers plenty of ways to explore the region with an expert by your side, along with a variety of rentals (Read: Blazing Sandals in North Lake Powell). Whether you’re on your own or not, be sure to pack out trash and gear, stay on trail and avoid disturbing any archeological or cultural sites you find. (See more responsible travel tips.)

As a novice off-road operator, I was happy to go with guides. They provided the expert navigation needed to access Ticaboo’s hidden gems, the insider knowledge to bring the landscape to life and the good-natured teasing I needed to finally find the gas pedal on my two-seat Polaris RZR XP 1000.

With guided hikes, canyoneering trips, off-road outings and boat trips, Ticaboo Adventure Center offers plenty of ways to explore the region with an expert by your side.

Photo: Jeremiah Watt

Beauty in the Canyons

First up was a ride to Lake Powell. Not down to the lake itself (I was careful to avoid a Thelma and Louise moment as we neared our overlook), but to some hand-picked viewpoints that showcased the breathtaking juxtaposition of this western waterway.

Before we left the lodge, Mike had promised some of the best views in the state. Anyone who’s spent some time in Utah knows that’s a big statement, but the great part about Utah’s views is that they all have their own case to make. It’s almost impossible to compare a snow-capped mountain range with a maze of red-rock spires or the quiet calm of an alpine lake.

Here in Ticaboo, I was treated to a brand new kind of view. Hundreds of feet below me, I saw sheer canyon walls slice sharply into Lake Powell, their vibrant red meeting its cool, deep blue. I looked beyond that and saw how it was all placed so improbably amid endless miles of rock and sand. I looked behind me, and instead of seeing more desert, I saw the shadowy Henry Mountains, dotted with resilient pines and juniper. I could only imagine what all this would look like with a fresh coating of snow, which Mike told me was not uncommon in the winter.

Despite the majesty of this and other viewpoints, many visitors are likely to miss out on such places.

“Most people come for the lake and never see any of this,” Mike said.

It’s hard to fault them too much. We were pretty far off the beaten track, and without a guide it would be pretty hard to get here. Besides, it’s not like those boat-bound visitors are exactly hurting. The view from within a canyon can be pretty special, too.

I soon learned that firsthand. In contrast to the wide open views of the day before, the following morning started with an up-close and personal look at the cliffs and canyons of Ticaboo. From Ticaboo Lodge, our comfy overnight accommodations, Ray led me and some other guests to a choice canyon nearby that offered some seriously fun riding, with a capital F-U-N R-I-D-I-N-G. The winding walls revealed a new world behind every turn while staying wide enough to keep us loose and playful.

From there, we traveled past Ticaboo’s old uranium mine. Ray gave us a brief history lesson on the mine, which helped create Ticaboo’s modern township and may soon become active again, as well as some of the other boom times in Ticaboo’s history. This included the story of Cass Hite, the friendly and eccentric prospector who kicked off the region’s gold rush.

As Ray took us further up the ridgelines outside of town, he also took us further back into Ticaboo’s past, noting the layers of rock in these cliffs, talking a bit of paleontology and finding us some petrified wood (Read: How to Visit Rock Imagery Sites Like an Archaeologist). The colors and texture of the petrified wood were exquisite, and I was impressed with the relationships the adventure center had with local paleontologists. Dr. Josh Lively at the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum in Price often joins for a paleontology tour at Ticaboo’s annual rally, which donates half of its registration fees to the museum.

People have thrived in Utah for 13,000 years and left behind an incredible array of archaeological sites.

Photo: Jeremiah Watt

Guides know Utah’s lands intimately, offering local perspectives and geological insights.

Photo: Jeremiah Watt

Friendly by Name, Friendly by Nature

But it was something in Ticaboo’s more recent history that stuck with me, a fact both Ray and Mike were keen to share. It was about the name Ticaboo, which was chosen by Cass Hite. It’s the Paiute word for “friendly.”

Almost 150 years later, that spirit is still alive and well among the folks of Ticaboo who are eager to show off their unique corner of the world.

“Whether you rent with us or not, we just want you to see what we’ve got,” Mike told me on our ride.

Ray and Mike are humble guys like that, but Wade, one of the other guests, felt OK about bragging on their behalf. “We wouldn’t have seen any of that on our own,” he admitted.

The folks of Ticaboo are eager to show off their unique corner of the world.

Photo: Jeremiah Watt

Glen Canyon and Lake Powell Region

About the Author – Brian Higgins

Brian Higgins is a writer and comedian based in Salt Lake City.

Guides and Outfitters

Guides and outfitters allow you to deeply experience the outdoors, without any planning or wayfinding stressors. They also know Utah’s lands intimately, offer local perspectives and geological insights, and make sure your trip follows the ethic of Forever Mighty. Not only can guides get you somewhere safely, they often take you and your family to places only accessible with a permit and the right gear. Guided trips can vary in length from half-day to multi-day adventures, and can include hiking and backpacking clinics, stargazing, petroglyph tours, river rafting trips, technical canyoneering, or bikepacking and mountain biking.

Go with a Guide

6 Days

Hidden Secrets

For the soul who wants to venture off the beaten path and explore hidden gems, we’ve got you covered. From stand-up paddleboarding through the tranquil, narrow slot canyons of Lake Powell to browsing through a massive vinyl collection at a small town record store, with this six-day itinerary you’ll find hidden gems all over Southern Utah.

Camping & Backpacking, Cycling, Hiking, History and Heritage, Native American, Scenic Drives/Road Trips, Solitude

Highlights