MONTICELLO, UTAH
Monticello, Utah is a small town in southwest Utah with a population of 2,600. It was founded in 1887 by pioneers of the LDS church and, although it is named after Thomas Jefferson's Virginia estate pronounced mon-tih-CHEL-oh, this town is pronounced mon-tih-SELL-oh. Something I learned after the fact.
The county seat of San Juan County, it is a quaint town with a hospital, an 18-hole golf course (ranked #2 in Utah), a grocery store, a few churches, and a handful of restaurants and hotels.
Something about Monticello reminded me so much of the towns back home where people are friendly and take great pride in maintaining their homes. Even though Monticello is a bit bigger, it reminds me so much of De Smet, SD with similar amenities and businesses.
Here's a quick overview of what I did here:
Hiking
Bears Ears National Monument - I hiked here three different evening and hit the following:
Butler Wash
Monarch Cave
Double Stack
House on Fire
Things to Do
Hole N' the Rock -- a total roadside tourist trap just south of Moab, but it is actually pretty fascinating. The current site was homesteaded by the Christensen family in the early 1900's. For twelve years, Albert Christensen and his brother worked to hollow out a cave underneath a sandstone cliff to create a home for his family.
Albert and his wife, Gladys, first opened a diner in the space in 1945 and then actually moved into the 5,000 sq ft home in 1952. Albert died in 1957 and Gladys stayed there until her death in 1974. They are both buried on the grounds.
The house is exactly as is, with all their personal effects still inside, including two stuffed horses and a stuffed donkey. Yes, I said inside. That is true love when you let your husband bring something like that into the house. The house includes electricity and running water, all original to when Albert and Gladys lived there, and a working fireplace with a 65' chimney through the rock.
Today, it is owned by a couple in Salt Lake City who kept the house as-is, but added a gift shop and a petting zoo. They attract 500 visitors daily.
Do over - this is actually really close to Moab. I should have stopped here on the way to Monticello instead of backtracking.
Eating
Shake Shack - a tiny little café serving burgers and incredible ice cream desserts. I couldn't resist.
Grayson Ice Cream Shoppe - I drove by this every time I went to hike and finally stopped the last time through town. They serve ice cream, of course, but then also homemade brownies and other baked goods. I somehow managed to leave with only the ice cream.
Sleeping
From Moab, I moved south so I would be closer to the Bears Ears National Monument. I chose Monticello because it is located just east of the park and would save me two hours roundtrip from Moab for each hike.
What I didn't realize at the time is that all the trailheads I would be using are on the south side of the park, so I should have actually stayed in Blanding, which would have saved an additional 40 minutes round-trip per hike. But oh well, more audio book time each day!
I rented a small house near the golf course. On the day I was supposed to check in, I texted the owner and asked for check-in instructions. She said, "Oh, just go in. It's unlocked." Now Monticello reminds me even MORE of home!
The house itself is quaint, with its well-loved furniture and mismatched dishes. And I loved it. It was clean and didn't have any weird smells. What more can you ask for? :)
My workspace for the week was the little table and chairs to the left.
A newly updated bathroom was nice!
Things on My List I Didn't Do
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in southwest Colorado. The more than 600 cliff dwellings are the best preserved Puebloan archaeological sites in the U.S. I remember learning about this as a kid and wanting to visit it someday. I had it on my calendar all along, but didn't do my research early enough to realize I needed to reserve tickets in advance. I am soooo bummed! But at least I figured it out before I drove all the way out there.
Bears Ears National Monument
Grand Escalante
I stayed in towns literally on every side of this park and none of them were close enough to make this happen. I need to figure out how to do Grand Escalante and then come back and spend six months exploring this park alone.
Dry Fork Narrows, Peekaboo, and Spooky Slot Canyons - this will be #1 on my list when I come back
Lick Wash - this is technically located in White Cliffs, but I'm lumping it in with all the other hikes in this area that are too far from anything else
Adieu, Monticello!
Next Stop: Salt Lake City, UT. See you there!
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