Beef Basin in one of the special places you just have to see in
person. If this area was not 50 miles from the nearest
paved road it would most likely be a National Park. Even
while cruising on our dirt bikes we were able to spot over a
dozen Indian structures.
As you enter the Beef Basin area you will notice many side roads
going off the main trail. Most end at interesting Indian
ruins however this one ended at a pioneers' cabin. It is
amazing to look at the size of the logs in the cabin then
compare the log to trees in the area. The logs in the
cabin are much larger, it make you wander how far they had to
move them to get them here.
Many of the Anasazi ruins are unmarked, I think this was called
Fortress Ruin.
Tower Ruin is one of the larger ruins and is easily viewed from
the main trail.
Beef basin has one of the largest collections of ruins you can
see in Utah. When viewing the ruins do not alter them in
anyway. Though it is difficult is best to not even touch
them.
Beef Basin is just west of the
Abajo Mountains. There are many trails in this part of the
Manti-La Sal National Forest that are best accessed from
Monticello Utah.
It is amazing that in this day of land closures that you can
ride you ATV right up to many of these structure. Be
responsible when traveling in this area so we do not loose this
privilege.
This sign tells some of the history of the people who once lived
in this area.
Farm House Ruin in Ruin Park. This is just about the end
of the trail for non-street legal vehicles. If you don't
have a tag you can't complete the loop through Canyonlands
National Park. It is a minimum of 93 miles round trip to
return back to UT-211.