Driving Information:  The road was nothing but dirt and sand, but it was surprisingly in great condition. There were a few washboard parts, but overall, my 2-wheel drive car made it without high-centering or any sort of problems. I have read on other adventure websites that the Robbers Roost area was extremely difficult to traverse and it was just too dangerous to make it out here without a high-clearance Jeep or truck. I’m not sure the conditions these other people were experiencing, but on this particular trip, it was very easy and enjoyable. With that being said, make sure you are prepared for anything as there are no services out here whatsoever. I brought my SOS satellite messenger just in case anything bad happened too.

Fuel up, have extra water and food, and have full spare tire with tire changing equipment. As a rule though, I would highly recommend driving in a vehicle with 4-wheel drive and high-clearance.

It took about 1.5 hours to finally get to where I could see the canyon below where I envisioned Butch Cassidy and his gang would have hidden. This canyon had very wide spots that would be perfect for cattle and horses. I immediately saw evidence of water by the large water-loving cottonwood trees down the center of the canyon. I also saw a group of cows hanging out near a bucket. I parked my car in a flat spot and got out to inspect the nearby spring.

This area is very quiet and it would be easy to get lost and into trouble. If you do make it out here, please be very careful and smart about where you hike. One small step could put in you a slot canyon where you would wait for the inevitable. I was just glad I had my satellite messenger with me in hand!

The spring had actual flowing water coming from it. This would have been a literal lifesaver then as it is now. Imagine a desolate landscape with very little water and you come to this place and there was a spring with actual running water. You could live here for a very long time! Some websites believe that this was the place Butch Cassidy stayed after his train robbery in Castle Gate.

I walked down the canyon a little ways and it got narrower. I found many historical names carved on the rock including an N. Wolverton from August 19, 1912. Also a Christen Nelsen from Oct 26, 1905. A little ways from these I saw “RR” with an infinity symbol with an arrow pointing to the RR. What do you think these mean? “Robbers Roost”, perhaps? The canyon eventually narrows completely down to a slot canyon. This is a canyoneering route and one that would be fun doing if I had the proper gear and was with a group of people. Maybe next trip! I saw some other interesting inscriptions on the rocks and headed to the top of the canyon.

On top of the canyon I saw a few rusted metal cans and some small piles of rocks that made a square. Not sure what to make of these, but something was here. There was also an old fire ring made out of rocks. If you go on top of the canyon, you might find lots of old metal cans like I did.

I hiked up the canyon and eventually saw some bullet holes in the side of the rock wall that say “ROB” (?). This was near an old rock fireplace that was once part of a cabin here. The rock fireplace is all that’s left of the cabin. Was this cabin used by Butch Cassidy and his gang? Some people think yes. Others say no, but that he just used the nearby springs and corral. Near here I saw the name “Frenchy” engraved on a rock.

I continued up the canyon to find another spring that had a very small amount of water in it. This spring was surrounded by a fence to keep the cattle out.

I opened this lid up to see some water slowly bubbling up from the spring.

Up a little more ways was where some websites believe Butch Cassidy brought horses and cattle inside of this circular corral. The very old corral is in a complete circle with one entrance for them to enter. You would funnel the horses in and then seal off the entrance. The corral is made out of what appears to be cedar tree posts that must have came from on top of the canyons near the BlueJohn area. The corral posts are kept together by barbed wire still faithfully doing its job.

I climbed up on the hillside and imagined this place busy with Butch Cassidy and other outlaws running around down here. It would be the perfect place to hide and no one would have a clue you were here. This place is far enough away that most law enforcement wouldn’t dare to try and come.

From this vantage point, I saw what I thought was the third spring. I hiked straight to it and found a small grotto with the tiniest amount of water coming from it. I also saw fresh cougar (?) tracks and other small animal tracks. This amount of water from these springs is enough for many animals and birds in the area. It would be fun to set up a trail cam and see what animals visit!