The Icebox Foot Trail is a short interesting hike located near the Swasey Cabin in the San Rafael Swell, Utah, in the central area of the Swell known as the Sinbad Country. The nearest town is Green River, Utah (about 41 miles away). This hike is fairly easy to get to as long as the roads are dry, but you might benefit from at least having a high clearance vehicle (this is the rugged unpredictable Swell, after all…).
This mini hike leads to what’s known as the Icebox, a narrow cave-like formation, deep and tall with a shaft up top, where the Swasey brothers and other cowboys used to keep their perishables cool during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Between you and me, the Icebox itself isn’t anything to write home about, but the area is so picturesque it makes it well worth the short time it will take out of your day, and you’ll find some neat historical artifacts along the way.
Distance: 0.4 miles (round trip)
Difficulty: Easy
Fees/Permits: None
Trail map: View a map here
The Icebox Foot Trail starts near the Swasey cabin but isn’t marked.
To get to the Icebox you have two options:
- Follow an undefined path behind the cabin to the continuation of the road you came from (towards Eagle Canyon) and make a left once you’re on that road (walking away from the cabin); OR
- Start at the parking lot for the cabin and hike further down the access road (Eagle Canyon Road).
Either way, in under 0.2 miles, a couple of minutes of walk at the most, you’ll reach a wooden fence that’s marking the trailhead for the Icebox Foot Trail, with a large boulder with an alcove on the side.
At first I wrongly assumed for the fenced out alcove to be the actual Icebox, but looking at the information provided by the BLM, that is likely what’s known as Joe’s Office.
You can see the same alcove on one of the BLM images below, with the three hitched horses up front and someone (Joseph Swasey?) sitting on the alcove floor. This BLM info sheet is displayed at the Swasey Cabin parking lot.
We did eventually locate the cowboys’ Icebox – the path leading up to it just isn’t immediately obvious.
From the fenced-off boulder at the trailhead you’ll want to head south and descend to the cliff face for a distance of less than 0.1 mile. The path is primitive but somewhat defined.
On the way down you’ll walk past a weathered metal swinging gate to a watering trough with a tub.
The deep narrow Icebox is located at the end of the trail just past a lone Douglas Fir. There are several slots here to explore besides the Icebox.
For some reason I did not find a single good image of the Icebox… (Classic.) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Coordinates: 38.83504, -110.81055
DIRECTIONS:
To get to the trailhead, follow directions for the Swasey Cabin. (The shortest route starts off I-70 (exit 131), or you can take a scenic trip through the Swell starting at Temple Mountain.)
Know before you go:
- Make sure to have plenty of water, food, and gas – there are no services nearby for miles.
- The closest town is Green River (41 miles east on I-70).
- Some driving on primitive roads is necessary (the extent will depend on the route you choose).
- If you take the longer route through the Swell, 4WD is your best bet together with high clearance.
Also nearby:
- Lone Warrior Pictograph (a single image)
- Head of Sinbad (Locomotive Point) Pictographs (a few designs but very intriguing!)
