Cable Line Overlook

At Cable Line’s eastern terminus, a rusted cable-hoist tripod and pulley mark a small mesa-rim viewpoint above the Colorado River canyon. The river and bright potash evaporation ponds sit below. I’d keep it on the list if you have time for the far-east trails and like unusual industrial history; it’s a remote route, not a quick roadside pullout.

From the Visitor Center area, the route follows Intrepid and Great Pyramid to Big Chief and Miner’s Point, then connects to Upper Dark Horse and heads east on Cable Line. The main trailhead is a mile south of the Entrance Station; there’s also access from the north side of Visitor Center parking. The park treats all trails in this far-east section as difficult, with scattered obstacles. Know basic route-finding, check the junction maps, and plan for spotty cell reception. A park day-use fee applies, and dogs on the mountain-biking trails must stay leashed.

Cable Line changes from doubletrack to dirt singletrack and Kayenta slickrock. The marked line can take attention on the slickrock. Near the mesa end, follow the cable toward the support structure; a side path turns off to the right. Take care around the rim and leave the old hardware and wood where they are.

From the viewpoint, the rusted tripod and pulley sit above the Colorado River and potash ponds, with the La Sal, Abajo and Henry Mountains on the distant horizon. Put the hoist in the foreground and the ponds in the same frame to connect the old machinery to the landscape it served.

In the early 1950s, Americol Petroleum developed the Mason No. 1 well near the Colorado River. With no road to the site, a cable-hoisting system helped move equipment up to Big Flat Mesa. The company built a 16,000-foot flow line to storage tanks three miles away and 1,760 feet higher; tripods, pulleys and about 900 feet of braided cable helped with construction. The line was finished by spring 1951, became obsolete after Potash Road was completed that year, and the well was out of service by 1953. The pipe is gone, but the cable structure and fragments remain.