Round Trip Distance: 0.4 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 7119 - 7250 feet
Cellphone: 1-4 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: Salvation Knoll
Fee: none
Attractions: Historic point of interest, scenic views
Salvation Knoll is a high point of ground located along Highway 95 between Blanding, Utah and Natural Bridges National Monument. The location gets its name from a story about 4 Mormon pioneer scouts who had become lost in the area. One of them climbed the knoll on Christmas morning in 1879 to see if he could get their bearings. From the top he was able to see the Blue Mountains about 10 miles away. As they were lost and out of food it is understandable how he would have referred to the spot as Salvation Knoll.
The trailhead for Salvation Knoll is a large pullout along Highway 95 about 27 miles west of Blanding, Utah.
The short picturesque trail begins climbing immediately to gain the top of the knoll.
As the trail climbs it wraps around the mountain to make the ascent more gradual.
From the summit you can look off to the northeast and indeed see the Blue Mountains. Since it was Christmas morning when George Hobbs made his ascent the mountains probably had a good covering of snow which may have made them stand out even more. Other than that the seen probably hasn't changed at all since 1879. As long as you don't look down at the highway that is.
Looking out from the summit of Salvation Knoll it is hard to recognize and appreciate all of the deep canyons with their twists and turns and hundreds of hidden ruins.
The big reason we climbed to the top of Salvation Knoll was that some hikers that we had encountered earlier in the day had mentioned an arch near this spot that they thought might have some cliff dwellings nearby. The climb was surely much easier for us than it was for George Hobbs since his descendants have gone through the trouble of constructing a very nice trail up the mountain. We never did spot the arch but the hike was nonetheless a pleasant one. If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.