Swing Arm City: The Closest I’ve Ever Felt to Walking on the Moon.
If you've ever wondered what it would feel like to stand on the moon... Swing Arm City might be the closest you'll get.
We usually spend our birthday trip in Moab, Baja, or a combo of both. This past year we decided to try something different and finally explored Swing Arm City. We still couldn't resist sneaking a little Moab into the trip at the end though — old habits die hard.
Too close to Moab not to swing by for a couple nights.
Our first stop was actually Bentonite Hills. We'll share that adventure in a future video, but we did post a sunrise timelapse that captured the incredible colors as the morning light washed over the hills. If you haven't seen it yet, you can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/izXi8qy_4vE.
But this post is really about Swing Arm City. I can't believe we'd never explored it before. We had driven through the area plenty of times, but somehow never took the time to wander through it. The moment we arrived, it felt like we'd landed on another planet. Endless gray hills stretched in every direction, interrupted by towering ridges and strange rock formations that seemed to rise out of nowhere. There wasn't much vegetation, very little noise, and almost nothing familiar. It was beautiful in the strangest way.
One turn off Highway 24, and it feels like you’ve left Earth behind. Welcome to Swing Arm City.
Of course, Jim had the Talaria with him. It didn't take long before he suited up and disappeared over the hills to explore. The dogs and I stayed back at the van playing fetch while he rode farther into the maze of trails. After a while I started wondering if he'd drained the battery or gotten turned around, but eventually he rolled back into camp. Then we watched the footage. Wow!
One of my favorite memories happened after the sun went down. The full moon lit the entire landscape so brightly that we didn’t even need flashlights. The gray earth reflected the moonlight, and everything around us glowed with an almost surreal light. There wasn’t any wind, that night was very still. It was quiet, peaceful, and unlike anywhere I've ever been. It was also SO cold.
Moonlight shimmered across the gray shale, and the bitter cold only heightened the feeling that we were somewhere beyond Earth.
Anyone who knows me knows I'm obsessed with the moon, so it's probably no surprise that this quickly became one of my favorite places we've ever visited. There's even a nearby spot we visited called Moonscape Overlook, which I highly recommend. The moon was so bright we thought about trying to send the drone up, but it was too windy. There was plenty of light from the moon for photos of the area though.
The land surrounding Moonscape Overlook is BLM land, making it a spectacular place to camp for the night. Just remember that the overlook is completely unfenced, with nothing between you and a sheer drop down the cliff below. It's breathtaking in more ways than one.
I actually put making these videos off for six months or so because I couldn't decide how to edit them. I started over more times than I can count. Every version felt like it was trying too hard to tell the viewer what to think. Eventually I realized the best thing I could do was almost nothing.
You can watch the videos here:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6JgSkDjVdc
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u_gSn4J6Ac
There aren't any voiceovers. There's no script. No extreme riding. No flashy effects or on-screen text. Just a little music, a few simple transitions, and footage of Jim exploring an incredible place on the Talaria. Sometimes simple tells the story better. Some places just speak for themselves. Swing Arm City is undoubtedly one of those places.
I hope these videos give you even a small glimpse of what it felt like to be there. And if you ever find yourself traveling through Utah on Highway 24, I hope you'll make time to explore Swing Arm City for yourself. Until then, enjoy a few of our favorite photos from the trip. I hope they inspire you to get out there, find dirt, and explore somewhere you've never been.
