Roadside Attraction West Desert Sinkhole
House Range
Overview
|
Sun 89 | 62 |
Mon 93 | 64 |
Tue 93 | 66 |
Wed 92 | 66 |
Thu 89 | 65 |
| View Full Weather Details | ||||
|
Sun 89 | 62 |
Mon 93 | 64 |
Tue 93 | 66 |
Wed 92 | 66 |
Thu 89 | 65 |
| View Full Weather Details | ||||
The immense sinkhole!
West of the House Range, in unassuming flats, is an enormous sinkhole! The sinkhole, about 25 m in diameter and likely over 25 m deep, is a sight to behold. Legend has it that a local, Joseph Nielson, first noted the sinkhole in 1927. Likely water underground eroded a solution pocket, which caused the sinkhole. The House Range, just to the west, is partially made up of limestone, which is very prone to eroding caves and solution pockets from ground water.
Today, a barbed wire fence surrounds the sinkhole. It is easy enough to climb over the fence for a better look at the sinkhole, but it has very unstable and loose edges. Be sure to stay back from the edge. A fall in would likely be fatal.
Oddly, there appears to be an old wooden ladder at the bottom. I wonder if at some point someone tried to build a ladder to the sinkhole floor? A true oddity of the west desert to visit!
Vehicle for scale, west desert sinkhole
Getting There
From Delta, head west on US-50/US-6 for about 40 miles to just after mile post 48. The side road is on the north side of the road:
- Reset your odometer as you leave the highway. There are many side roads along the way. Stay on the main road, major junctions are specified. ( 12S 305376E 4325742N / 39°03'33"N 113°14'58"W )
- 4.35 miles - Miller Canyon on the left (Notch Peak Trailhead access road). Stay straight. ( 12S 308034E 4331647N / 39°06'46"N 113°13'13"W )
- 8.25 miles - Go left, off the main road, onto a smaller side road. ( 12S 309160E 4337738N / 39°10'05"N 113°12'32"W )
- 11.6 miles - Side road leaves on the left. Stay straight. The road begins heading north. ( 12S 304399E 4340069N / 39°11'16"N 113°15'53"W )
- 12.7 miles - Junction. Take the small side road on the right. It gets a bit rougher as it heads north. A wash crossing, in particular, can be a bit rough. ( 12S 303395E 4341291N / 39°11'55"N 113°16'36"W )
- 13.25 - Junction. Go right here, and right in a couple of hundred feet at the next junction. The road heads south east now. ( 12S 303486E 4342140N / 39°12'23"N 113°16'33"W )
- 13.6 miles - Sinkhole ( 12S 303927E 4341975N / 39°12'18"N 113°16'15"W )
The House Range from the sinkhole.
Route
The road ends at the sinkhole. This makes an excellent spot to have lunch and ponder the large hole in the ground.
Photos
Maps
| Sinkhole |
12S 303927E 4341976N 39°12'18"N 113°16'15"W |