SW Trip 2014 - Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef National Park – Torrey, Utah

June 3 – 6

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Our drive up to Torrey Utah was amazing, as we drove the Scenic Byway 12. We were crossing over the top of the mountains of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. The views were spectacular of desert environments and eventually into the forests of the Dixie National Forest. Stopping at the various overlooks provided views up to 150 miles away.

We setup our RV in a very nice commercial RV Park, Thousand Lakes RV. This park was just west of Torrey in a beautiful, green valley; with all the amenities we could want. The location was great with the back of the park facing beautiful red rock cliffs with hoodoo-like formations. That afternoon we drove into Capitol Reef NP and stopped in the visitor center for detailed maps and advice. This park has some great hikes and a lot of scenic driving with overlooks. This park’s main feature is the Waterpocket Fold, a geologic formation of a giant buckle in the Earth’s crust stretching 100 miles north-south through the park. The park is filled with colorful cliffs, massive domes, soaring spires, monoliths, twisting canyons and graceful arches. The Fremont River flows through the park, providing a lovely green valley, where early Indians then Mormon pioneers settled and lived off the land. The pioneers were farmers and planted fruit orchards, which are still there today.  The town of Fruita is still present with some historical buildings and farmlands. There are petroglyphs left on canyon walls by the early Fremont Culture Indians.

The next day we headed back into the park for the scenic drive and a hike. We stopped in the historic town of Fruita to look at the pioneer buildings and learn about their existence. We also ate our lunch at shady, green picnic area in Fruita. The 16 mile drive through the valley was amazing. We also drove across the main road of the park and looked at petroglyphs, a historic cabin and a look into the Grand Wash canyon. We hiked a one mile trail back to the 133 foot Hickman Bridge natural arch. It was very warm and made the hike a little testy, with a climb back up to the arch, but it was beautiful.

The following day, we went back into Capitol Reef for a drive again down the scenic road and then a gravel road back into Capitol Gorge. The 2 mile gravel road actually wound back through the canyon walls until it stopped at a trailhead parking lot. Then we hiked back 1.5 miles back into the canyon to view the Pioneer Register wall and a short hike up to the Tanks (water filled holes in rocks). The register was filled with carved names of those pioneers that traveled this wash as a thoroughfare to get into the valley. There were even some names that were inscribed with gunshot! Also, unfortunately, there were the modern graffiti idiots that chose to add their names, uuugggh! There were also some petroglyphs added by the ancient Fremont Indians. The hike up to the tanks was steep, but had great views. There were two main potholes filled with water. On our way back to camp, we stopped at the Goosenecks overview (where the Fremont River flows through a deep canyon) and Sunset Point.

On our last day in this area, Kurt took Kody went on a hike to the Fremont River in the valley near the town of Torrey. They both had a great time and Kody got to get in the water and play. I stayed at the RV to catch up on some housekeeping before our next campground, which has limited water. I actually enjoyed the time to myself and with Kirby. Later in the evening, Kurt and I went out to dinner at a great Mexican restaurant in town. After that, we went to a country bar called “The Saddlery”. This was a very nice restaurant/bar with live country music, pools tables and great atmosphere. We sat at the bar on saddle bar stools and played some pool, it was awesome.

Our next stop will be near Canyonlands National Park and camping at Dead Horse Point State Park.

SW Trip 2014 - Escalante Petrified Forest State Park

Escalante Petrified Forest State Park – Wide Hollow Reservoir

May 30 – June 2

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This State Park is like an oasis in the desert. Near the town of Escalante, the park is adjacent to the Wide Hollow Reservoir. It was really nice to be near water again. The campground is excellent, with our site looking out to the lake. After setting up we drove into the town of Escalante to check it out and pick up a few groceries. We relaxed for the evening and enjoyed the sunset.

The next morning we got our kayaks on the lake for a paddle. The lake is not huge, but we enjoyed the paddle around it and looking at the surrounding views of the mountains and rock formations. After lunch, Kurt and I drove a gravel road (Hell’s Backbone) back to a hike called “The Box”. This canyon was green and lined with cottonwoods, with the creek flowing along the trail. We took Kody with us as he loves to hike along creeks.

In the morning, Kurt put his kayak back in the lake and went fishing. He did come back with a 3 pound bass. He filleted the fish and fried it up for lunch. It was very tasty. Later in early afternoon, Rick and Debbie went with us for a drive to Calf Creek Recreation Area and hike back to the falls. The drive was through the Escalante mountains on scenic drive Hwy 12; a very steep and mountainous road with amazing views. At Calf Creek Recreation Area, we hiked the 6 mile roundtrip to the Lower Calf Creek Falls, a 120 foot waterfall. The hike was along the creek through the canyon, with amazing cliffs and rock formations on each side. We saw some pictographs on one canyon wall. It was pretty warm, but when we got back to the falls, there was about a 20 degree drop in temps, it was actually chilly! The falls were beautiful and the water was ice cold. We relaxed with water and snacks, cooled off, then headed back to the trailhead.

Our last day in Escalante was spent with a sick Kurt. He was up all night with some kind of stomach bug. He slept and relaxed most of the day, but began to feel better by the evening. While he was resting, I went to town for groceries and fuel. We had to prepare for our departure the next day.

On to our next location, Torrey Utah and Capitol Reef National Park. We can’t wait to see the sights there!

SW Trip 2014 - Bryce Canyon and Kodachrome Basin State Park

Bryce Canyon National Park – Kodachrome Basin State Park

May 25 – 29

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After a beautiful drive through green meadows and mountain views, we arrived at Kodachrome Basin State Park. The park is tucked back into a box canyon, surrounded by high colorful eroded mountains. Within the park are many red stone eroded rock formations, mostly “spires” or chimneys of rock, known as sand pipes. These spires are thought to be solidified sediment that filled ancient springs or geysers, left standing after the softer surrounding Entrada sandstone rock weathered away. WOW, how beautiful and amazing! There are several great hiking and biking trails within the park. The campground is one of the nicest state parks we’ve ever stayed in, with spacious campsites and full hookups. We immediately felt at home.

That afternoon, we rode our bikes around one of the mountain biking trails, which wound through many rock formations and spires. The next day was Memorial Day, so we decided to avoid Bryce Canyon and the crowds. Instead, we biked and hiked another longer trail in the park, the Panorama Trail. It was challenging and fun, with side hikes back into special formations.

The next day we headed into Bryce Canyon. First we went to the Visitor Center to get trail maps and advice. We decided to first hike the Fairyland Trail, which meandered through spectacular and colorful spires called hoodoos. After that hike and lunch we headed to a loop trail, Queens Garden that connected to the Navajo Trail. This trail was even more spectacular, winding down into the valley floor then ascending up through an amazing slot canyon of spires, named Wall Street. Another great hike with sights like we have never seen.

After a day of two long hikes, we decided to take a down day to relax a little. We stayed in Kodachrome Park and hiked an easy trail, Angels Palace, up to a lookout point. Kody went with us and enjoyed the hike as well. The view from the top was wonderful; we could see far views of Bryce and south to Grand Staircase Escalante Monument. 

Our last day there, we headed back to Bryce to see more of the park. We hiked the Peekaboo trail, which was among spires and fins of ‘windows’. After the hike, we drove the park’s south road to all the viewpoints. The views were amazing with the surrounding Escalante mountains.

Our next destination is in the town of Escalante, which is within the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. We are anxious to see what awaits us there.

SW Trip 2014 - Zion National Park

Zion National Park, Utah

May 20 – 24

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The drive to Zion was easy with great views of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument to the north. We headed to the RV park in the little town of Mt. Carmel, which was just a mile north of the junction to Hwy 9 which heads into Zion. After setting up, we relaxed for the evening.

The next morning we drove 20 miles into Zion NP. We really had no idea what to expect, but were we ever surprised. This park is different in that you drive down into the bottom of the canyon, where all the facilities and trailheads are. The Virgin River runs through a lush, green river corridor, surrounded by high canyon walls and massive rock peaks that mostly are straight up! The park runs a free shuttle to alleviate all the cars driving through the park and eliminating massive parking lots. What a great concept. The shuttle runs every 7 – 10 minutes, so there is easy access to all the facilities and hiking trailheads. We went to the Visitor Center to get maps and info on the park.

Our first hike was to Weeping Rock, where a seep spring continually rains water down over the rocks and eventually to the river. This trailhead also provided access to the East Rim Trail, which we took upward, then branched off to the Hidden Canyon Trail. Along the way we encountered two young bighorn sheep running down the trail, then they jumped down and ran to the next lower level of the trail. Wow, it was exciting to see these animals up close and in action! We then watched them head across the canyon and back up the rocks on the other side. The Hidden Canyon trail ended at narrow canyon walls with chains along the trail edge to hang on to. I did not go up that far, but Kurt did!

We were excited to head back to Zion the next morning, as our plan was to hike “The Narrows”. This hike is IN the Virgin River, heading upstream, several crossings over the river and making our way through the rocky, swift shallow waters. This was an EPIC hike, as we had never hiked in a river before.  Also the canyon walls are up to 2000 feet and become narrower as you go up the river. We went back in 2 miles, and decided to turn around there as I realized that we had to hike back to the trailhead. The trail was actually 10 miles back to a primitive campground. It was a long haul back, but very exciting. We were very glad that this hike was part of our plan. We may never do another hike like this again (unless we come back to Zion).

After a long, strenuous hiking day, we decided the next day to go to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. This is a national shelter that rescues animals from rabbits to horses. The property is 7 miles north of Kanab, Utah and consists of 21,000 acres in Angel Canyon. It’s an amazing and beautiful place. There are over 1700 animals in this sanctuary on any given day. We took a 2 hour free tour of the property, which went through the canyon and showed the different animal communities. We went inside Cat World and Dog Town. This organization was the one that rescued Michael Vicks dogs to rehabilitate them. This prompted National Geographic to run a series called “Dog Town”. We had watched this show a couple of years ago and were hooked. Such a great organization that believes that they can “Save Them All”.  We donated to become members and will continue to keep in touch via internet and Facebook. We also would love to come back here some day and volunteer. It would be our honor to assist with the efforts to save these animals. If you want to learn more about the organization, go to www.bestfriends.org or look them up on Facebook.

Our last day was spent back in Zion. There were still some hikes we wanted to do. Kurt hiked the West Rim Trail, which connects to Angel’s Landing. There was no way I was going on that one, as the last mile of the hike goes up a narrow path to the final peak, which has chains to hang onto while negotiating the very narrow trail on slickrock! I hiked the Emerald Pools Trail. We both enjoyed the hikes and were still awed by the amazing rock formations, canyon walls and views of the canyon.

After spending three full days in Zion, we wished we had another day. This place is special and amazing! It’s so different from other canyons since you visit to canyon floor and look upward at the magnificent rock walls. We hope to come back some day and experience more!

Now, on to our next destination, Bryce Canyon NP and camping at Kodachrome Basin State Park.

SW Trip 2014 - North Rim Grand Canyon

North Rim Grand Canyon, Arizona

May 15 – 19

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Upon arrival at the North Rim Grand Canyon campground, we setup our rig and then headed out for a hike along the canyon rim on the Transcept Trail. We watched sunset from the rim, which was beautiful! The North Rim is much higher elevation than the South Rim and also has about 10% of the visitors. However, the campground was mostly full.  We discovered that the North Rim has many more side canyons, as this side is still eroding unlike the South Rim.

The next morning we hiked the Uncle Jim Trail to an overlook of the canyon. Uncle Jim was an original settler/ranger of the park. This was mostly a hike through the Kaibab Forest, but ended up at an incredible viewpoint of the Roaring Springs Canyon. After lunch back at camp, we drove out to the east side to several overlook points. Point Imperial overlooks the eastern side of the canyon, looking toward the Navajo Nation, Echo Cliffs and the Painted Desert. The pictures of these views do not even begin to show how beautiful the landscape is. We then headed back to camp for the evening.

Cape Royal was one destination the next day, which has a great view of the South Rim and below to the Colorado River. We ate our lunch at the Vista Encantada sitting at a picnic table right on the canyon rim. The Roosevelt Point was the next overlook with views of the Navajo Nation and the Painted Desert. We then drove to the Grand Canyon Lodge to check it out and see the views from there. The Bright Angel Point and the lodge overlook the Bright Angel Canyon. The hike out to the point was pretty scary, with some narrow areas and steep drop offs.

The next day, we drove to the North Kaibab Trailhead to hike down into the Roaring Springs Canyon. Kurt was determined to make it down a 10 mile round trip to Roaring Springs. My goal was to make it to the Supai Tunnel at 4 miles round trip. I made it to the Tunnel then turned around to go back up to the trailhead. It was a very steep and strenuous trail. The park supplied water fill stations at several points along the trail, including Supai Tunnel and Roaring Springs. This was crucial as the temperatures get higher as you go down into the canyon. Kurt did make it to the springs and back as planned. This trail does continue down across the canyon, over the Colorado River and back up the South Kaibab Trail to the South Rim, 26 miles one way with a 5000’ elevation change both ways. We met several runners who came up to the North Trailhead who had completed the whole rim to rim in 9 – 10 hours! Crazy!

Our last day at the North Rim was spent in a relaxed mode. We rode our bikes to the Lodge and had lunch there. We also enjoyed sitting on the back patio and relaxing while looking at the amazing Grand Canyon. Later we prepared to head out to our next destination, Zion National Park in Utah!

SW Trip 2014 - Page/Lake Powell, Arizona

Page, Arizona – Lake Powell

May 10 – 14

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The drive from Sedona to Page was fairly easy, other than a major temporary road detour. Two years ago the main highway, 89, suffered a landslide about 20 miles south of Page. The temporary road was recently paved and was actually a good road; it just took a little more drive time. We arrived at the Page-Lake Powell RV Park, just on the south side of town. This park is very nice with full hookups and all the amenities that one would want. Also, the park’s backdrop is an eroded beautiful sandstone hill with a peak at the top. We had been in Page in 2003 and it had changed a lot.

The next morning we headed towards Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam. The Visitors Center was a must stop to get more info on the area. We drove out to the marina and campground area on the lake. On the way back, we hiked a trail called Hanging Gardens. This trail wrapped around the rock formations and ended up at a small weeping spring grotto. It was a nice hike with beautiful views of the lake and the surrounding area.  After that, we drove out to the Antelope Point Marina. There we spoke with some marina crew regarding getting our kayaks on the lake.  Since the public boat ramp was closed due to low water, the marina would haul us, our kayaks and gear on electric carts down to the marina docks. We were very excited about that and made plans to do this paddle on our last day in Page.  We then headed back to camp for the evening.

The next morning, we headed out to hike the Lower Antelope Slot Canyon on the Navajo land. We paid the Navajos and they provided a guide to take our group through the canyon. We were in the slot about an hour and 15 minutes. It was so amazing and beautiful, with eroded canyon walls that were in so many shapes, with the sunlight creating different colors on the walls. We took so many pictures and the young Navajo guide even changed settings on our camera to allow for the most colorful photos. He even took some pics of us. We were sad when the hike was over, we could have stayed in the canyon for another hour, but now they limit the time down in the canyon. What an amazing experience, like no other hike one would ever see.

After the slot canyon, we drove west of Page and hiked up to the Horseshoe Bend overlook. This is where the Colorado River makes a horseshoe shape path through the canyon. It was a spectacular site with the colorful, high canyon walls and rock formations all around the ground level. After heading back to camp, Kurt took the dogs up to the red rock area behind the campground to watch sunset. The sunset was beautiful and the dogs had a great run.

The next morning, we took some time to relax around the camper and get some chores done. Kurt was working on his mountain bike, which needed some repairs. We had scheduled a boat tour on Lake Powell and we headed out to the marina around noon. We chose to take the 3 hour tour on the lake, which traveled back into Antelope Canyon and Navajo Canyon. At the end of the tour, the captain took us near the Glen Canyon dam to get a water side view. The whole tour was great and we were very glad we took the time and money for this experience.

The following morning, we had already prepared our kayaks and gear for our paddle on Antelope Canyon.  We drove out to Antelope Marina and the crew there took us and our kayaks down to the marina docks. From there, we put in the water and headed toward Antelope Canyon. It was so exciting; we never dreamed we would be able to paddle the lake side of this canyon. From the marina, we had to paddle on the Colorado River to get to the canyon. It’s very difficult to describe in words how amazing to be at water level and see the towering canyon walls up so close. We were able to see so much more of the canyon than when we took the boat tour. We paddled all the way back until the canyon narrowed and the water reached a sandy beach. After securing our kayaks, we hiked back in the sandy bottomed canyon for about a ¼ mile, as the canyon walls narrowed. We returned to our kayaks, ate some lunch and began the paddle back to the marina. This was a kayak experience that tops them all, another check off our bucket list!

Back at camp, we prepared our camper to head out the next day for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

SW Trip 2014 - Sedona Arizona

Sedona Arizona – Dead Horse Ranch State Park (Cottonwood)

May 6 – 9

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Our visit to the Sedona area included camping at Dead Horse Ranch State Park, which is located in Cottonwood about 20 miles south of Sedona. The campground was very nice, on a hillside with miles of hiking/biking trails. The Verde River also flows through the town; however it was not very good for kayaking. Our activities in this area were mostly hiking and mountain biking (all in Sedona).

The second day, we drove into Sedona to find the hiking trails that were recommended to us. What an amazing change as we drove into the Sedona valley. Red rock cliffs and green everywhere! We headed to the Red Rock Country of the Coconino National Forest. We found the trailhead for the Devil’s Bridge hike. This hike was about 2 miles up to the red rock cliffs of the natural bridge formation, with about 300 feet elevation gain. Kurt actually walked onto the bridge, which made us all very nervous. The strenuous hike was wonderful, with amazing views and red rock formations. It’s very hard to describe the beauty of this place; even the pictures don’t convey the spectacular natural structures and views. After some lunch, we headed to the trailhead for the Bell Rock Pathway. This red rock formation resembles a bell shape. The trail wound around the base of the rock with some other side trails, including one loop that winds up one side of the rock. After a few hours of hiking, we were all tired and headed back to camp.

The next day, we headed north to Tozigoot, the remnants of an ancient Southern Sinagua Village built between 1000 and 1400 AD. When this monument was discovered it was then excavated and rebuilt. Most of the ruins were gone, except for the base of the walls, which were rebuilt to show visitors how the village was formed with over 100 rooms for families. Then we drove up to a small mountain town of Jerome. This town was founded as a copper mining town, but eventually the copper mining ended. What a neat little place, with historical buildings perched on the side of the mountain. The town is filled with art galleries, restaurants, wine and retail stores. We also had a wonderful lunch at a Mexican cafe. After returning to camp, Kurt decided to go back to Sedona and hike the Cathedral Trail. He took some amazing pictures on that hike.

Our last day was spent back in Red Rock Country of Sedona. We brought our mountain bikes and decided to ride the trails around the Bell Rock Pathway. Most of the trails were fairly moderate, but many were challenging at different levels for each of us. After about 2 hours of biking the trails, we were tired and headed back to camp.

What a beautiful, amazing place of Sedona. It would have been nice to have a couple of more days to enjoy the numerous trails and the natural beauty of the area. Hopefully, we can return someday and spend more time here.

On to our next destination, Page Arizona. This town borders Lake Powell and the Navajo Nation. There will be many adventures is this area.