The Armchair Traveler Ritual
Before we step off the highway, set the scene: Roll down your windows to feel the hot desert highway wind, imagine the smell of old iron mixing with desert sagebrush, and prepare to see something crazy unique!
🎵 Shauna's Soundtrack
To truly capture the gritty, open-road feel of discovering classic Detroit steel in the desert, I highly recommend playing "Chasing Daylight" by Scott Buckley right here in the background while you read!
⚡ The Quick Scoop
The Vibe: Turning a corner in a quiet desert slot canyon and coming face-to-face with a massive, rusted wall of 1960s Detroit steel holding up the highway.
Must See: The ironic, perfectly preserved "Trucks Enter Here" sign shoved right into the middle of the rusty car pile.
Accessibility: ♿ Not wheelchair friendly. Sorry, Daniel Sunshine and friends! You have to climb down into a sandy wash from the highway, so you will just have to throw on a VR Headset and transport here with me instead!
Shauna's Rating: 💎💎💎💎💎 (5 out of 5 Diamonds for absolute uniqueness!)
Just past the turn-off for House Rock Valley Road on Highway 89, there is a quirky, clever, and downright bizarre piece of Utah history hiding in plain sight.
To bridge a massive gap over Catstair Canyon, highway engineers in the 1960s came up with a wildly resourceful solution: they filled the canyon with a massive collection of old junk cars, stacked them high like rusty building blocks, covered them with dirt, and built the modern highway directly on top!
👇 Choose Your Path
The Classic Car Graveyard
I was so entirely charmed by this clever and funny piece of Utah ingenuity. It is a wild sight to behold. You are hiking through a typical, beautiful sandstone wash, you turn a corner, and suddenly you are face-to-face with an impenetrable wall of stacked automobiles holding up the earth above you!
🔧 The Car Experts
Since my first trip, I've brought several friends back here, and it is always a delightful surprise. Recently, I brought some friends who happen to be old car experts! They were going through the stacks, pointing out bumpers and headlights, trying to identify each specific make and model crushed in the pile.
They even tried to see if they could pull off any vintage parts as souvenirs, but those cars were wedged in there good! The sheer weight of the highway pressing down on them for the last sixty years has locked them into a solid wall of steel.
🌟 A Touch of Irony
Don't Miss This: When you get to the wall, look closely near the top of the pile. Someone, at some point, shoved an old, ironic sign right into the middle of the crushed metal that reads: "Trucks Enter Here." It is such a funny, quirky detail!
The perfectly placed "Trucks Enter Here" sign among the crushed 1960s steel.
The Beauty of Purpose
As I stood there looking at these vintage beauties, I couldn't help but want to sneak one out and fix it up! But beyond the novelty, I was struck by a powerful metaphor about life and purpose that I couldn't wait to share.
"Sometimes we think we are old and not very useful in life, but just like these cars being crucial for tons of people who drive this road daily, we ALL have a purpose..."
Sometimes, as we get older, or when we feel broken down or "past our prime," we think our best days are behind us. We might feel like junk left out in the desert. But just like these cars, which are still holding up a major highway that thousands of people rely on every single day, we all still have a purpose.
We can still be a crucial support system for others on their journey. Even when we feel rusty, we can carry the weight for others. All we have to do is ask the Lord how we can help, and the way will be shown.
Step Under the Highway (360° VR)
This VR Getaway is part of a larger road trip compilation through some of the most magical places in the Southwest. The journey includes this unique canyon of cars, the fairy-tale landscapes of Sedona, and the epic grandeur of the Grand Canyon!
The First Reaction!
It is always so much fun bringing friends here for the first time! In this second 360° video, you can ride along and see their genuine surprise and delight when they turn the corner and spot the stacked cars.
📷 The 360 Camera Rebellion
When I first mapped this trail for Google Earth, I had just returned home from a Google event with a brand new Ricoh Theta 360 camera. But the new app workflow was awful! The app would literally block me from filming if Google didn't "need" that specific area for Street View! I felt like my creative control was being taken away.
To make matters worse, the video quality was terrible. I got so fed up that I abandoned the free camera, bought a brand new Insta360 to get my control back, and came back to reshoot this entire canyon! (I am probably up to owning about ten 360 cameras now!)
Field Notes & The Safety Warning
⚠️ HUGE SAFETY WARNING
This spot is located just past the House Rock Valley Road turnoff on Highway 89, right on a tight, blind corner curve. You MUST put your blinker on early to let the person behind you know you are turning.
A Real World Tip: When we went, we actually had to pass it the first time because we knew the guy behind us wasn't paying attention and was following way too close. If we had slowed down to turn, we would have been rear-ended! We drove past, waited until we didn't have anyone behind us, turned around, and safely made it into the dirt pull-off on the second pass. Be strategic and let people pass you!
🎒 Helpful Hints for the Wash
- Keep Going: Some people stop at the first stacks of cars they see, but there are more! Keep going further into the wash to see the full collection.
- Explore the Geology: If you head to the left, past the cars, you'll hike past cool rock pillars and "wave-like" streaks in the sandstone. It is a beautiful mini slot canyon!
- The Steep Drop-offs: Some people follow this slot all the way down to the lower road because it keeps going. Be warned: there are some steep drop-offs further down that I was absolutely not interested in doing! Know your limits.
One of the main reasons this post is so popular is because of this exact dropped pin, so don't lose it!
📍 Open Google Maps Pin
The beautiful, wave-like sandstone patterns waiting for you just down the wash from the cars.
✨ Ask the Highway Historian
Curious about the blind curve safety warning, the car expert friends, or the 'Trucks Enter Here' sign? Ask our AI Guide!
The Purpose Remains
This wonderfully weird roadside stop is one of my absolute favorites. It's a piece of history, a work of unintentional art, and a powerful metaphor all rolled into one. It's a testament to the idea that with a little creativity, even old, broken, and forgotten things can find a new and vital purpose. I hope you get a chance to visit this fun and inspiring spot safely on your next Southwest adventure!
🚘 Easter Egg Hunt: Did you spot the hidden Classic Car emoji in today's story? Tell me where you found it in the comments!
Sending Love and Positive Vibes,
Shauna @ VRGetaway
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