⚡ The Quick Scoop
The Vibe: Turning a corner in a quiet desert slot canyon and coming face-to-face with a wall of 1960s Detroit steel.
Must See: The ironic, perfectly preserved "Trucks Enter Here" sign shoved right into the middle of the rusty car pile.
The Inspiration: Realizing that even when we feel old, rusty, or forgotten, we all still have a vital purpose and can carry the weight for others.
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!
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 1960s automobiles holding up the earth above you. 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.
👇 Choose Your Path
The Quirky Discovery
I was so entirely charmed by this clever and funny piece of Utah ingenuity. My husband Todd actually knew about this place and casually mentioned it in passing one day. I immediately said, "Heck yeah, I want to see that!" Since that first trip, I've brought several friends back here, and it is always a delightful surprise, especially for anyone who loves vintage cars.
When you drop down from the highway into the wash, you can explore the small slot canyon in both directions. If you head to the right, it quickly dead-ends in a pretty, but completely impassable section of rock. But if you head to the left, the adventure begins. You'll hike past cool rock pillars and "wave-like" streaks in the sandstone before arriving at the main attraction: the towering wall of stacked cars.
When you get right up close to the wall, you can still clearly recognize many of the classic makes and models. They are packed in there incredibly tight to form a solid foundation. It is a fascinating look at what engineers will do to improvise when they don't have enough dirt or rock to work with in a barren desert area!
🌟 The Golden Nugget: A Touch of Irony
Don't Miss This: Once you reach the wall of cars, 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 that perfectly adds to the charm of this wonderfully strange roadside stop.
The perfectly placed "Trucks Enter Here" sign among the crushed 1960s steel.
The Beauty of Purpose
Seeing these old, rusted machines all piled up, still serving a vital purpose decades later, was surprisingly inspirational. It is crazy to head down into a natural slot canyon, turn a corner, and see a wall of stacked automobiles doing the heavy lifting for the modern world above.
"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..."
It was a powerful reminder for me. 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 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. All we have to do is ask the Lord how we can help, and the way will be shown.
Field Notes & Trail Guide
🗺️ Adventure at a Glance
Essential Helpful Hints
- 📍 Finding the Turnout (⚠️ 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. If they are not prepared, this is a prime spot for a severe rear-end accident. Be strategic and let people pass you before you slow down. One of the main reasons this post is so popular is because of this exact dropped pin, so don't lose it: Google Map Dropped Pin.
- 🥾 Explore the Wash: Don't just look at the cars and leave! The area around Catstair Canyon is a fun, short slot canyon with beautiful, wave-like rock formations. It's definitely worth spending a few extra minutes exploring the geology.
- 🛰️ Google Earth View: If you look closely, you can actually see the cars sticking out from the side of the road on Google Earth! It's a great way to get a sense of the layout before you go.
The beautiful, wave-like sandstone patterns waiting for you just down the wash from the cars.
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!
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 the Google Connect Live event, where they had gifted me a brand new Ricoh Theta 360 camera. But my whole workflow was suddenly thrown off! Instead of uploading high-res Photo Spheres like I was used to, the new pipeline required uploading video.
The most frustrating part? The app would literally block me from filming if Google didn't "need" that specific area for Street View! I was losing my embeds, and I felt like my creative control was being taken away. To make matters worse, I was pretty embarrassed by the bad video quality from that specific Theta. 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, and that doesn't even count the professional Pro 2s I've rented!).
✨ Ask the Highway Historian
Curious about what kind of cars are buried here? Want an uplifting thought about finding your purpose? Ask our AI Guide!
The Purpose Remains
You certainly can't say the engineers in Utah aren't resourceful! This wonderfully weird roadside stop is one of my 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 on your next Southwest adventure!
Happy Exploring,
Shauna @ VRGetaway
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