Boulder

Take a good look before landing. South end is smoother than the north end and where the road crosses has some good bumps. North end has a rut pretty much right down the middle.

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I stopped in to see if the strip had been graded yet. The county was supposed to touch it up this spring as well as add some filler to smooth out where the road crossed the strip. So far it’s not been done and I’ve put a call in to make sure they are still planning in it. Overall the strip is in good shape. Some vehicles have been on it and left some ruts on the north end, but they are on the edges and the few that are in the middle are minor. Locals continue to use the strip for camping, horseback riding, shooting, and ATV activity, so make sure to give it a good look before landing.

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The BLM rec planner sent me the following email. We are working with them to get the strip graded. He had this report on the strip condition. I did fly over it a week or two ago and it was covered in snow. Not sure if it’s completely dried out or not. Use caution for the north end where ATVs have torn it up, which is common. “ I did take a drive out to the Airstrip today to assess the current condition. The south end appears to be in excellent shape. Yes the vehicle two track is well worn and it seems like the surface is well in line with the unused space of the airstrip. In the middle where the road crosses the airstrip there needs to be some work done to this area to level it out. I know this is always a problem site. The north side was in great shape, however someone has decided to use it for playing in the mud and has torn it up. This does need to be addressed. Unfortunately this airstrip has become more of a playground by locals so we are seeing some new impacts on the airstrip.”

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Stopped by for a short hike. Runway in decent condition. Would use a grader.

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I made a trip down to Boulder to replace the windsock and do some camping earlier this week. We got the sock replaced and it was a long time coming…and badly needed. I was surprised to see two other aircraft come and go while we were there. It was good to see it getting used. The strip is in need of being bladed. When I was last there in April 2018, it had been recently bladed. It’s become somewhat overgrown by 6-8” small bushes. The surface is otherwise pretty good and landable. There is a two track road going down the strip and it seems to get a bit of traffic. With the exception of a 200-300’ stretch towards the north end that has some minor rutting, it’s currently the preferred option for landing. The strip is a bit rough at the intersection. Luckily, there is enough length on either side of the intersection for landing or taking off so you don’t need to roll through the intersection with any amount of speed. Quite a bit of traffic going to the trailhead so watch for vehicles. I've included two pics of the airstrip from April 2018 when it had been recently bladed for reference and comparison. This strip has excellent access to the trailhead for hiking. We hiked the Boulder Mail Trail. The trailhead is right at the strip and is roughly 15 miles to Escalante if you do it as a one way hike. Local vendors will bring you back to the strip for $60 a person (we didn't do this but got the info from some people being dropped off). We did an out and back for the day, going just under 9 miles in. It's 11 miles round trip to the top of Death Hollow. We also hiked to Upper Calf Creek Falls. It's 2.4 miles from the parking spot on the strip south on the highway to the trailhead. Then it's just a little over a mile to the falls. Both are moderate to difficult hikes. Our hike to Death Hollow was 17.2 miles and 2400'+ of vertical. The hike to the falls was 7.2 round trip and 900' vertical. I'm in contact with Wayne Loeber with the RAF as well as the UBCP board to see what we can do to get the strip bladed as well as some signage put up to make vehicle traffic aware of the strip.

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Beginning in 1902, pack mules clattered along a carved sandstone trail, hauling letters and packages between Escalante and Boulder Town. The Boulder Mail Trail was a vital link between Boulder and the outside world until 1940 when Highway 12 was completed. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/boulder-mail-trail

Boulder Mail Trail is a 15.4 mile moderately trafficked point-to-point trail located near Escalante, Utah that features a river and is rated as difficult. Upper Calf Creek Falls Trail is a 2.1 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Boulder, Utah that features a waterfall. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/upper-calf-creek-falls-trail