I’m always up for an adventure and looking for something outside of normal to do. Well, on this trip to Moab, I had a friend with me who’s stated goal was to, “climb every rock in Moab”. I know, it’s most impossible to climb every rock in Moab over one weekend, but we could at least check out the neater looking rocks.
This led us out past Hurrah Pass to Chicken Corners. To all that have ridden a UTV or Jeep out there, you know that Chicken Corners is a really narrow squeeze around a cliff edge across from Dead Horse Point State Park, many hundreds of feet above the Colorado River.
So sticking to our word, after hiking around Chicken Corners we climbed back up and over the rocks to get back to our UTV and we started the long ride back home. With so many rocks around we really felt like we were missing all of the good climbing rocks until we spotted this really huge pile of rocks out in the middle of the desert.
The rock pile is known as Catacomb Rock and I had been it before and thought it was really neat, so I suggested we go check it out. I knew we would have plenty of rocks to climb on there. There are many short little caves or tunnels in the rock that give the rock its name but I didn’t know there was actually a tunnel that would go all the way through the rock and come out on the other side.
To give you an idea of the size of the rock pile, think NFL stadium size. So after a few dead ends, we found one tunnel that just kept going and going. We thought it would surely dead end but it just kept going. The cave eventually got deep enough that you couldn’t see any light, but we just kept crawling. We eventually started to see some light and made it to the other side but not before scaring a bat, or maybe he scared us?
The far end of the cave is much different than the starting end. Instead of a huge opening, the far end is a jumbled mass of car-sized boulders you will have to crawl through. You will soon emerge from a small gap to an expansive view of the Chicken Corners area. It is important to remember where you emerged from as it is very easy to lose the spot. I would suggest marking your exit spot by leaving a hat or something behind that you can grab on your way back. The cave is a great place to take capable kids that like adventures.
Kids and adults for that matter will love exploring the cave and interesting rock formations. There are no big drop-offs, just be sure to bring a light with you, a cell phone light will work but I would suggest something brighter. The cave is also a great spot to stop for lunch on a hot day as it provides much needed shade.
If you are looking for a great location to go overlanding in Moab this might be the perfect spot. It is outside of Canyonlands National Park so you don't need to get any special passes. The rock has the same if not better views and the crowds are much less than in the National Park. This video is of my second trip to the Wind Caves with a group that was less adventurous, that is why this video is a solo adventure. If you are like me and always looking for just a little more odd adventure than the normal tourist sees, check out some of my other videos. My videos showcase many of the unknown adventures of the Moab area. Are you heading to Moab? Well, you are going to need a place to stay. Why not check out https://www.moabadventurecondo.com