The Wedge and Good Water Rim trail

 

The Wedge, also called The Little Grand Canyon, is located in Eastern Utah and despite its amazing beauty is relatively unknown. It is on BLM land, 20 miles east of Castle Dale and about three hours from Salt Lake City. 

It’s so special to camp (for free!) right on the rim of this spectacular canyon. We were afraid it was going to be crowded but there was almost no one there. The area is so large that we could not see any other campers from our spot. 

The Good Water Rim bike trail starts and ends here.
It’s a 21,5 mile loop.

This unique trail is a singletrack that parallels the contours of ‘The Wedge’ in the San Rafael Swell. If you do only choose to do a portion of the Good Water Rim Trail, I recommend to ride the west side where the views are more impressive.

The trail hugs the rim most of the way. The views are simply incredible.

Note that the wedge campgrounds are divided into two separate areas. Sites 1-7 fork left as you drive in (we picked site 7B which was huge). These sites generally do not have access to the stunning rim views that most people are after. 
Even though you are not really on the "Little Grand Canyon", Site 1 is gorgeous and remote. It's at the end of the road and has a nice view since it is "perched" on a little outcropping.

View from the East trailhead Overlook. We were completely alone for miles.

I’m sure it gets busier during the shoulder season when the weather is perfect, but I wouldn’t want to be here in the summer as there is no shade. It was pretty cold at night in November, but the days were perfect (for us northerners, at least) to hike and bike. Hey, there’s a reason it’s called the off-season and we had the place to ourselves!

Little Grand Canyon Overlook with the San Rafael River a the bottom.

What we discovered is that the most amazing sites right on the rim are directly AFTER site 9. These are not official BLM spots, but as long as you stay in the boundaries and camp on a designated site that has a fire ring, it is OK.

People with small children or pets might not want to camp on the ledge as there is obviously no fencing whatsoever.

One of the many amazing campsites along the canyon. If you sleepwalk, don’t camp here!

Many spots have been closed off and there is lots of cryptobiotic soil, so stay off and watch your step.

There is no water and no garbage cans, but there are very clean pit toilets at the trailheads and overlooks.

The dirt road is well graded all the way to the campsites. You won’t need a high clearance vehicle to get to them.

It’s pretty high (6,200 feet), so the nights are cold.