SW Trip 2014 - Canyonlands - Needles District & Needles Outpost

Canyonlands NP Needles District – Needles Outpost

June 18 – 19

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We had scheduled two nights of bookdock camping at the Needles Outpost. After a long drive back through amazing canyons, we arrived at the campground. Our campsite was nestled back in a box canyon surrounded by red slick rock cliffs. Amazing and simply beautiful! The Outpost provided water to fill our tank and we could run the generator as needed. It was so quiet and relaxing, we loved it immediately. Kurt rode his bike around the campground and found that there was only one other camper, in a tent at the far end of the campsites. We went for a drive around the area and go to the Visitor Center at the park. The area was surrounded by mesas and buttes in the distance. Wonderful views! Later, we sat back and enjoyed the views from the campsite and the sunset. Kurt made a nice campfire and we stayed up late by the fire and stargazing. It’s amazing how many stars are visible without any light pollution.

The next morning, we headed to Canyonlands – Needles District. This is a much less visited part of Canyonlands, especially that there is a 34 mile drive off the main highway to get to the park. This part of Canyonlands also continues with the views of the vastness of the park. We drove out to view points and also went hiking to some special features. From the viewpoints, we could see to the north the mesas of the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands. It’s so amazing the vastness and size of Canyonlands National Park. We hiked the Slickrock Trail, a 2.5 mile loop with various overlooks to see the canyons below and also the distant needles, mesas and buttes. We hiked Pothole Point, a very short loop also on slickrock. There was a really nice short hike out on a gravel road, Cave Spring. This hike was around rock formations that had caves where ancient peoples lived and also pioneer cowboys used as a camp. This hike also involved climbing a couple of ladders to get to the tops of the slickrock. It was an awesome hike. After a few hours, the heat was building and we decided to go back to camp and hang out in the shade with the dogs. Kurt hiked around the campground and up on the slickrock canyon walls, even Kody went with him and had so much fun!

The next morning, we packed up the camper and headed for our next destination, Bluff Utah. This is where Kurt will join my sisters, Teresa and Cindy, my nephew Cliff and two other friends for a 2 night  kayaking river trip on the San Juan River. Also on our drive out we stopped by an archaeological site, Newspaper Rock, where ancient Indians and also pioneers carved petroglyphs on a rock wall. Amazing!

SW Trip 2014 - Moab, Utah & Arches National Park

Moab, Utah – Arches National Park

June 11 – 17

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Moab, Utah is our primary destination. Upon arrival, we drove south through town and to the RV park. After setting up we went back to town for grocery shopping and go to the Visitor Center. Our first impression of Moab was that everyone we talked to was so friendly! I guess this town understands that tourism is their bread and butter! Kurt contacted a river outfitter to find out about how we could get our kayaks on the Colorado River. Rick and Debbie were already in Moab for a couple of days. Later in the afternoon we drove up the Colorado Riverway Recreation Area. This designated public land is setup for various camping sites along the river, boat ramps, a scenic drive along the river and a paved bicycle trail. We drove along the river to look at the possibilities of which section we would want to paddle.

The next morning, we all headed north of town to a great mountain biking trails area called MOAB Brands. There were several trails, rated from easy to very technical. Debbie and I rode the easier trails and the guys rode the more difficult trails. It was a fun day and great exercise. As the day got warmer, we headed back to camp. Later in the afternoon, Kurt took the dogs down to the Moab boat ramp so they could run and play in the water. They all had some fun.

The next morning we headed up to Arches National Park for the day. After stopping at the Visitor Center, we headed out to drive the scenic drive to first hike to Delicate Arch. The trailhead parking area was limited and we were lucky to find someone leaving their parking spot. We first stopped at the Wolfe Ranch historic area to view the remains of a settler’s small cabin and horse corrals. Along the way, there was also a wall with ancient Ute petroglyphs. The trail then crossed up and over slickrock to head to the arch. This was a fairly strenuous hike along cliff edges, climbs over large rocks, and to make conditions worse, there were high wind gusts. We did make it to the Delicate Arch area and enjoyed the views. The next stop was at the far end of the scenic drive, Devil’s Garden. Within the hikes here, there were several arches. We viewed the Pine Tree Arch, Tunnel Arch and Skyline Arch. After this, we headed to the Windows Section of the park. Here we saw Double Arch, North Window, South Window, Cove of Caves and Balanced Rock. The final section was on the drive out, the Petrified Dunes Viewpoint. After several hours of touring Arches, we headed back to town and camp.

The next morning we took our kayaks to the put in and met the outfitter for the shuttle. The previous day we had visited the outfitter to discuss our paddle of the Colorado River. After some discussion and looking at river maps and conditions, we decided to paddle the section from Moab downstream for about 18 miles to a boat ramp. This was the safest and easiest paddle for us. We then headed down the Colorado for a wonderful paddle with amazing views of the canyons. With the current being very swift and the occasional winds, the entire trip took us about 3.5 hours. We had a great time, even though the wind was testy and the skies were overcast.

The next day, we were ready for some more mountain biking and headed out to the Slickrock Trail, adjacent to the town of Moab. We understood that this was a difficult and technical trail, but we wanted to try at least the practice loop. We headed up to the practice loop and we very intimidated by the large rocky area with the marked trails on the slickrock. We took off on the loop and we both quickly realized the difficulty. I was on the trail about 5 minutes, when I crashed on a large rock. I fell on my right elbow/arm and left a good amount of skin on the rock. My biking was over for the day! Kurt continued to finish the 1.5 mile practice loop, but decided the remaining trails would have to wait for another time. After that we headed north to the Klondike Bluffs area. This was another set of trails that are rated easy to technical. We did ride there, but my ride was not as long as I wanted due to the increasing heat. Kurt continued to ride for another hour, and he really enjoyed these trails. After riding, we went back to camp and gathered the dogs and happy hour supplies and headed to the Moab boat ramp on the Colorado River. The dogs really enjoyed running free and playing in the water.

The following day, we decided to curb our activities and take care of some chores; shopping, laundry and grocery. After getting back to camp, Kurt decided he really needed some more mountain biking and headed out to the Moab Brands trails.

Our final day was spent on a great hike in Negro Bill Canyon. This canyon north of town was originally settled by a black homesteader. The 5 mile round trip hike followed the canyon with a flowing creek and a lot of green shade. We took Kody with us as he really enjoys hiking, especially along creeks. The hike was very beautiful and ended at the end of a secondary canyon with a large natural bridge, Morning Glory Bridge. After the hike, we went back to camp, fed the dogs and then drove back to the Colorado Riverway and drove about 20 miles back to a town called Castle Valley. This was an old town originally founded by Mormons in a beautiful valley. What a surprise to find such a beautiful area in a remote wilderness!

After heading back to camp, we had some dinner and began preparing for our move the next day to Canyonlands – Needles District. This will be a boondock camping event, but we are looking forward to being in the wilderness!

SW Trip 2014 - Canyonlands NP, Dead Horse Point State Park

Canyonlands NP - Dead Horse Point State Park

June 7- 10

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The drive from Torrey to Dead Horse was mostly stark desert with some mountains and cliffs, rock formations and some green areas along creeks. There is a lot of agriculture in this area, amazingly! After arriving at Dead Horse Point S.P., we drove out to the main overlook, Dead Horse Point. WOW, were we surprised! This view of the Colorado River and Canyonlands was more amazing than we imagined. We settled in for the evening for dinner and rest.

We were up fairly early the next morning and rode our bikes on the mountain bike trails within the State Park. The trails were great, with levels from easy to technical. Some of the trails were along the canyon rim, which provided great views of the canyons below.  After lunch, we hiked the West Rim Trail within the park, which also viewed a few canyon overlooks. In the evening, we took the dogs with us to Dead Horse Point, so they could get out for a walk.

Canyonlands National Park was our destination for the next day. This district of the park is called Island in the Sky, since it is a large plateau overlooking the canyons. The Colorado River flows along the east rim and the Green River flows along the west rim. The confluence of the two rivers is within the park.  The park is very large and has long drives to amazing overlooks. There were various hikes and some are short hikes from overlooks to special features or canyon views. Other hikes were extensive backcountry hikes to the lower canyons or the rivers. We hiked a one mile loop out to Mesa Arch. This arch is on a cliff edge and provided views through the arch into the canyons of the Colorado River.  Another geological feature, the Upheaval Dome, included a 2 mile round trip hike back to two overlooks to view the unusual collapsed dome filled with various rocks and minerals, which is an anomaly in the relative geologic order of canyon country. Rock layers are dramatically deformed in a roughly circular or “bull’s-eye” pattern nearly three miles across. Some geologists believe it is a meteor crater, while others think it’s a collapsed salt dome. The debate goes on….  We also took a short hike back to the White Rim Overlook, which provided great views of the lower canyon and the Colorado River.

The following day we decided to stay in Dead Horse Park. We rode the mountain bike trails in the park for one last time. Kurt decided to go back into Canyonlands and hike the Gooseberry Trail, a 5.5 mile round trip going down to the White Rim along the lower canyons. I decided to stay at camp and hang out with the dogs. Later we made our preparations for moving the next day.

Our next destination is Moab and Arches National Park. Can’t wait to see this area!

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.