The San Rafael Swell has many incredible views, The Wedge Overlook, Pinnacle #1, The San Rafael Knob, and others, but Train Robbers Mesa has to be at or near the top of the list. The mesa, situated in the center of the Swell, gives a 360 degree view of the northern and southern areas of the Swell, and offers the desert aficionado a elegant route to its summit. Seemingly most have deemed to mesa insurmountable without technical climbing gear, and have passed it by. There is, however, a route to its summit that does not require technical climbing, but does have just enough 4th class scrambling to make interesting. Suitable for most hikers, this is a very accessible mesa that requires a bit of route finding.

Interestingly enough, the summit has signs it was visited by the USGS survey team in the 1930's. It is impressive they found routes to such imposing looking places! This is a hike to pack a lunch on, and wander the mesa top while taking in the views.

Full Details