Ouray, Utah: Fantasy Canyon

Isolated, but not hard to get to. Roads everywhere from the oil field work but improvements have been made. The average SUV will have no trouble getting there. Signage to find it was good. The grandkids loved it! We even saw wild horses.

Doable but mildly terrifying in a 2WD normal clearance car. Take the Roadside-recommended route from Vernal; approaching from the east (64 to 45 to South Deseret Power Plant Rd E.) is much more confusing and difficult. No signs to Fantasy Canyon from this side and many, many small oil service roads to choose from (i.e. get lost on). These roads consist of coarse gravel with car-scraping rocky washes. Some contained flowing water and soft sand even though the rest of the area was dry, so beware. Eventually made it to the western side and followed signs, at which point driving was a relative breeze. Good news is most of the area has some cell phone service due to the industry presence, so despite the hell-on-earth appearance, it could be a lot more dangerous.

Bring lots of water and positive thinking about your tires, and I strongly recommend against locking yourself out of your car. I tried that version of the experience once; did not enjoy.

Fantasy Canyon is literally the most terrifying place I've ever been, by the way.

Fantasy Canyon is a one city block size area of sandstone sculptured by time and weather into giant teapots, camels, and almost anything else you can imagine. Located on the corner of an Indian reservation, it is best reached in a high clearance vehicle following signs on the oilfield dirt roads.