Around Mexican Hat, the San Juan River is slow-moving and flows through a relatively shallow canyon with many wide curves; more of these convolutions can be seen in the nearby Goosenecks State Park, reached by a 4 mile paved side road (UT 316) off UT 261. The park, to which entry is free, has just one extended viewpoint of several huge river bends, now flowing one thousand feet below ground level in a deep canyon with a series of stepped cliffs and terraces; this is recognised as one of the best examples of entrenched river meanders in the world.
Beyond this, the river continues to twist and turn as the canyon deepens, before joining Lake Powell after about 35 miles. Camping is allowed free of charge at the viewpoint, and although there are few facilities, this is a great place to spend the night - visitors can park just a few feet away from the cliff edge and gaze down onto rafters taking the long boat trip to the lake, or in evening watch the effect of the setting sun on the far canyon walls. There are no official trails, and it is certainly not possible to climb down to the river but the canyon can be followed at rim level in either direction for as far as desired. An unpaved 4WD track (FR 244, Johns Canyon Road) leaves UT 316 and heads northwest across the plateau between the ever deepening river canyon and nearby Cedar Mesa, eventually leading far into the Glen Canyon NRA and reaching the banks of the river. This passes several remote side canyons with ruins of Anasazi cliff dwellings.
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