Information
Landmark: Temple MountainCity: Green River
Country: USA Utah
Continent: North America
Temple Mountain, Green River, USA Utah, North America
Overview
At the southern edge of Utah’s San Rafael Swell, Temple Mountain lifts its rust-red slopes into the sky, a bold landmark and a quiet keeper of the region’s layered human past.It’s named for its likeness to a grand sandstone temple-tiered and symmetrical, with a broad summit that catches the desert sun and burns in shades of red and gold.Just north of Capitol Reef’s entrance and a short drive from Goblin Valley State Park, the mountain stands like a gateway, opening onto some of the Southwest’s wildest, most breathtaking country-red cliffs, deep canyons, and open sky.Temple Mountain rises sharply against the horizon, its cliffs of red Wingate and pale Navajo sandstone carved by wind and time over millions of years.Layer upon layer of rock reveals the sweep of deep time, where bands of vermilion, orange, and tan rise like stacked pages, marking long-vanished dunes and winding riverbeds.The cliffs shoot up from their base, sheer and sudden, their rough faces streaked with minerals that flash from bronze to silver as the light changes.Around the mountain stretches a maze of sandy washes, sun-baked slickrock domes, and shadowed slot canyons, all deepening its air of grandeur.Temple Mountain might seem quiet and untouched now, but years ago its slopes buzzed with the grit and clatter of a uranium mining boom.Through the early and mid-20th century, miners carved deep into the slopes for radioactive ore, abandoning narrow shafts, rusted gears, and sun-bleached cabins that still cling stubbornly to the rock.Weathered bones whisper of backbreaking work and fierce ambition, etched deep into the dust and wind of a harsh land.At the foot of the mountain lies the old Temple Mountain Mining Area, still open to visitors, where hikers can wander past rusted ore bins, weathered tools, and crumbling stone foundations, each one slowly giving in to the sting of sand and the push of the wind.These days, Temple Mountain draws hikers, climbers, and curious wanderers, its trails winding past sun‑baked rock and wide, open sky.Just down the road, Temple Mountain Campground and its web of trails draw hikers, off-roaders, and rock climbers chasing the Swell’s rugged beauty, where red cliffs glow in the late sun.Jeep and ATV trails twist through narrow canyons and across sun-warmed slickrock, revealing wide-open views of the Henry Mountains to the south and the jagged spine of the San Rafael Reef to the north.You can hike up the mountain’s lower slopes or wander along trails that pass rusted mining gear and open onto sweeping cliffside views.At sunrise, the mountain’s slopes flare crimson at the base, then melt into soft apricot and pale gold as they climb toward the summit.The desert air smells of sagebrush and dry dust, while wind whispers through the rocks and a lone raven cries high above the cliffs.Evening settles in, shadows gathering in the canyon depths while the summit catches a gentle glow under a violet sky.At night, the isolation here unveils a sky so deep and shadowed that the Milky Way feels close enough to brush with your hand, sweeping in a bright arc above the mountain’s temple-shaped peak.Beyond its sweeping views, Temple Mountain captures the spirit of the San Rafael Swell-a place where sandstone cliffs tell stories of ancient seas, history lingers in weathered trails, and quiet stretches invite solitude.The mountain stands as proof of nature’s relentless strength, yet it still holds the faint, weathered marks left by human hands.Standing at its base, you sense the desert’s split character-endless but close, hushed yet brimming with old, wind-carved tales.Temple Mountain is still one of Utah’s hidden treasures-a place where time seems to pause, rock faces hold a hush of old secrets, and the past drifts on the warm, dusty wind.
