The Grand Canyon --- Crazy Jug and Jumpup Point

Backroads Adventure #11

Travel Stories and Photography by Doug Duncan

The Kaibab Plateau that provides the step-up southwestern horizon for Kanab, Utah is a backroaders paradise. An area of some 800 square miles of the Kaibab National Forest (most of the plateau) is criss-crossed by an intricate and seemingly endless network of primitive roads --- on the DeLorme Atlas, the red-marked roads look like a human body capillary map.

Fortunately, the Forest Service provides detailed maps and description sheets for a number of the major scenic attractions. Without these, I wouldn't try to offer a guide, even to those attractions that I have visited. The maps and descriptions are available (gratis) at the North Kaibab Ranger District Office in Fredonia, Arizona.

Last summer my "Backroads Buddy" Brick and I set out for Crazy Jug and Jumpup Points. The day proved to be a very full one, with lots of driving, some hiking, and a lot of photo taking.

First, we headed for Crazy Jug. The Ranger map selects a route from the Kaibab Visitor Center at Jakob Lake, on Highway 89A, and the description says, "32 miles of good gravel roads suitable for sedans.".We agreed that 'sedans' could make it, but we were in a 4x4 pickup to be ready for whatever conditions there were, and to be able to go on to jumpup.

We chose an alternate route, FR422, which exits Highway 89A just south of Fredonia, and followed that past the attractive Ranger Station at Big Springs, and for about 5 miles on from there to FR425, heading west and climbing. At about 10 miles more we turned south on FR292, for another mile and a half to the end of the road.

There are great, almost unworldly views from Crazy Jug Point, looking into Tapeats Ampitheatre and across into the Grand Canyon National Park, with prominent features such as Steamboat Mountain and Powell Plateau. Being semi-loners, as Backroaders tend to be, our only disappointment was that there were two other vehicles parked at the Point --- really not surprising, as the route is so "Passable".

Our destination from Crazy Jug was Jumpup Point, farther south and overlooking the Kanab Creek Wilderness. Again, the Ranger Map highlights a route from the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center. Our route, though, since we were ate Crazy Jug, was to backtrack FR292 and FR425 to its junction with FR427, which we then followed to FR236 --- then south to FR201, which led us southwest for about 11 miles to the point.

As the Ranger sheet says, "The last 11 miles are rough and not suitable for sedans." And I say the last 11 miles were rough even for our 4x4 and seemingly endless --- hill after hill. As we approached each crest, we thought we must be "there", but each time we would see another climb and crest. "Well, there certainly won't be anyone else at this one," we said. In that we were wrong. There were two bicyclists, a couple who had camped back at the start of FR201. Being disappointed at not finding it totally deserted, we drove on another mile over a very faint "trail" and reached an overlooked spot that was totally "our own."

The scenery was spectacularly unreal. We thought at first that we were looking directly into the Grand Canyon itself. It was an impressive gouge, but it was only what "little" Kanab Creek had done. The great canyon lay beyond. What our eyes took in from "our" overlook could have been the surface of the moon or another planet.

To the south, across the Kanab Creek Wilderness, was the mouth of Hack Canyon. Colors were varied and subtle --- a bit too much so for the camera lens to transmit to film, but we tried and shot a lot, and feasted our eyes. 

The water and lunch we thoughtfully and fortunately had brought were welcome before we threaded our way back, arriving finally in Fredonia via FR422 and Highway 89A. I plan to return to Jumpup to refill the mind's eye with the magnificent scenery. It will be worth the 22 miles of that hard road, once I work that out of my memory.

A word of caution --- Watch the weather, and don't go if the roads are wet or thunderstorms threaten!

For  maps, and more information, you can contact these folks at:
PO Box 248, Fredonia, Arizona 86022
(520) 643-7395