Canyon Adventures out West 4/16/06-4/19/06

[jessbee]

PART 1

Aah yes, April vacation. As much as I love the Whites, this year I decided to head west to check out completely new territory (to me) on foot and by car. For 4 days, Anthony and I explored the deserts and canyons of southern Utah and northern Arizona. The long trip report follows...

Sunday: Canyonlands N.P., Utah
What better way to spend an Easter Sunday than hiking through a beautiful desert? Anthony and I drove 5 hours north from our hotel in Flagstaff, AZ to Canyonlands N.P. in southeastern Utah. We arrived in the Needles District of the park at approximately 1 pm and we were both excited to get on our feet and explore this new environment. Since the trails were not nearly as well identified as they are in the Whites, we got lost almost immediately and ended up hiking an 8 mile loop through Big Spring Canyon and Squaw Canyon. Both were spectacular washes of yellows and reds, dotted with tough desert plants and enlivened by small, darting lizards.

The hike was a mix of slickrock, flat sand, and minor ups and downs. The sky was a brilliant blue and the sun shone down warmly. We walked along at a comfortable pace, allowing us to soak in the sights and enjoy the easy trails while getting a feel for what the hiking would be like on this trip. Although we would hike up no mountains, we were afforded several views of the many snow-capped mountain ranges in the area. The white snow provided great contrast for the dusty, red desert sand and yellow-green grasses in our immediate area.

Along the way we observed a variety of interesting rock formations that Anthony could describe much more readily than I since he is the geology nerd. Meanwhile, my eyes scanned the landscape for reptiles, insects and other wildlife although I was rewarded only with scattering, tiny lizards and the occasional sparrow song. Aside from the ubiquitous crow, I was unable to identify any of these new, foreign birds by sight but I did notice that their songs were uncannily similar to several birds we have back East.

We arrived back at the parking lot a mere 3.5 hours later. Not a bad pace for day 1. We’d plan a more ambitious day tomorrow. It’s notable that we only ran into one other couple on the trails this day. I wonder if the Easter holiday keeps folks indoors? If so I’ll plan another canyon trip next Easter!

Monday: Canyonlands N.P, Utah
We drove back in to the Needles District to start from the same trailhead as the previous day. The initial goal was to hike approximately 21 miles, hitting Druid Arch, Elephant Canyon, Chesler Park and Devil’s Pocket. A slight change of plans due to evil blisters and a forgotten first aid kit meant we would skip Devil’s Pocket and chop a few miles off the route. But at least we got to spend 8 hours on the trails rather than only 3. It would turn out to be a windy, but spectacular day.

The first leg of the trip was a 7 mile hike out to Druid Arch, a popular rock formation in the park. After following a series of cairns leading us across the slickrock, we dipped down and followed several switchbacks leading us to the dusty canyon floor. Although it was just as warm as yesterday, the winds were strong and fairly constant for much of the day. The occasional 30mph gust would send pellets of sand driving into our legs, eyes, and faces. I stopped several times to empty out my shoes and turn my socks inside out because they felt like sandpaper grinding into my heels.

We stopped for occasional snack breaks in the hard-to-find shady spots that occasionally popped up along the way. Before long, however, we split up. Anthony took a quicker pace while I dropped back to look around and take lots of pictures. My eyes widened as I approached what looked like a slide and I was excited to do a little scrambling. In a few minutes I’d reached the top, saw the arch to my right and Anthony sunning himself on a rock platform to the left. I joined him for lunch and to gawk at the arch. Several other hikers were settled down across the surrounding rocks.

We then retraced our steps for 2 miles and set off towards Chesler Park. This is an expansive meadow surrounded by stately, striated, rock needles on almost all sides. The wind did not rest here and I held on to my hat most of the way. Our pace slowed, we took another nice long break somewhat out of the wind, and simply absorbed the beauty of the day. The sky began to cloud over a little bit so I put on a jacket and we took it easy hiking back out to the trailhead.

This would end our visit to Canyonlands. The 45 minute drive out of the park and back to the motel in Monticello is almost as breathtaking as the actual walk out on the trail. In all directions there are vast fields, canyons, and mountains. It feels like you are driving through a never-ending panoramic postcard. We saw several herds of cattle as well as horses and sheep. We also passed a couple of large groups of deer far off in the meadows lining the roadway. Whether exploring this place by foot, car, bike or off-road vehicle, it is definitely rewarding.

Stay tuned for Part 2 and pictures...

 

[jessbee]

PART 2

Tuesday: Church Rock, Utah and Canyon de Chelly, Arizona
Today would be a day of driving. Before leaving Utah we decided to head up the street to an unusual local attraction, Church Rock. It is perhaps more adequately described as a beehive or fortress due to its isolated location and rounded shape. It is essentially a giant rock mound at the junction of routes 191 and 211 (to Canyonlands) with a small dirt path leading out to an opening in its side. We wanted to check out the “cave” and see how far it went, so we pulled off the road, slipped through the gate (avoiding the barbed wire) and walked across the field. To our disappointment, the opening only went into the rock about 10 feet before dead ending. We snapped some pictures and drove south to find lodging in the area of the Grand Canyon.

Along the way we stopped at Canyon de Chelly in Arizona. This was an unplanned stop so we drove through the park aimlessly, stopping at a few random viewpoints here and there. Eventually we found a hiking trail leading down into the canyon which terminated at some Anasazi ruins. The sign at the trailhead said there was a 1.5 mile (one-way) walk down to the ruins. A subsequent sign indicated that the round trip was 2.5 miles. Either the Park Service has some funny math or the sign maker didn’t have his mind on the job that day. Regardless, we survived the easy trek down the road-like trail and took a moment to ooh and aah at the carefully crafted rock buildings located in the canyon wall, several yards above ground level.

After this brief diversion we hit the road yet again and drove through some Navajo communities right into the setting sun. We stopped within the boundaries of the Navajo reservation to stay in lovely Tuba City, which, unlike the rest of Arizona (and like the rest of us) observes Daylight Savings time. Apparently, Arizonians are too good for Daylight Savings; this confused the hell out of me and I was an hour behind for the next day and a half.

Wednesday: Grand finale at the Grand Canyon, Arizona
We slept in and had a lazy morning before driving out to the Grand Canyon. After a healthy breakfast at McDonald’s and loading up with trail food in Cameron, we finally reached the entrance to the mother of all canyons. Along the way, I spotted a coyote trotting along the side of the road. Our progression slowed as we became trapped in the throngs of people visiting the Canyon. After negotiating the parking lots, bus routes and shopping areas within the park we packed our bags for the day and hit the Bright Angel trail around noon.

The top of the Canyon was crawling with tourists. Mobs of people loitered about the top, peering over the rails at the depths below. Most of the conversations I overheard went something like this:

“Look, honey, people are hiking in there!”​

“Wow, that looks like a lot of work. Let’s go shopping and have a beer.”​

I was glad these fine folks would not be joining us on the trails. There were quite a few hikers out, and since we got such a late start we saw many people returning from their morning walks. The looks on the faces of most people epitomized agony in every way. They were huffing and puffing, sweating, and gripping bottles of water. Many people were wearing hats and appropriate clothing. Many wore jeans, black cotton t-shirts, and even skirts. It was an amusing people zoo.

We pleasantly decended the trail at a slow pace, following in the footsteps of many others. We were content to enjoy the scenery and take in all the majestic beauty of the rocks, flowers, and birds. We passed the 1.5 mile and 3 mile rest houses and continued on our way. The crowds had thinned significantly and the walking became more sublime. Soon we began to cross mule trains heading back up to the rim and decided we’d have to turn around shortly. It would have been nice to walk all the way to the river and back, however, our noontime start made that impossible. We stopped at the Indian Garden, 4.6 miles down the trail. Here we rested in the shade, ate lunch, tormented the begging squirrels and filled up with water. After a half hour we began the return to the trailhead.

It felt much hotter coming up than going down. We cruised along at a quick and steady pace, giving little thought to the impressive scenery to our backs. The Bright Angel trail offers views for its entire length so at this point we’d seen it all anyways. Before long we’d already reached the 3 mile trailhead and realized this would be another short hiking day. We both observed the rank, steaming piles (and ponds) left behind by the mules as well as by fellow hikers and Anthony commented quite poetically that this was like walking through a sewer. Escaping the stench was motivation enough to walk faster. Anthony overtook me in the last couple of miles, which encouraged me to pick up the pace a little. We reached the rim by 4:40 and were snacking peacefully in the car by 5 pm.

I was glad to have seen the Grand Canyon but I must say that I was much more impressed by Canyonlands for a few reasons. It was less crowded, more varied, more interesting, and had more easily accessible hiking options. If I had more time to plan a backpacking trip into the wilds of the Grand Canyon I think I would have enjoyed it more. Canyonlands also has a variety of other entrance points and trails that are conducive to long backpacking trips. I hope that I will have the opportunity to visit both of these places again, as there is infinitely more exploring to do!

Friday: Back home
Looking back at this trip, I feel immensely satisfied that I was able to explore by foot some different types of areas in this gigantic country. My eyes were opened to an entirely new type of hiking. It was a peakbagger’s bane, with nothing to scratch off a list. It was like bliss to me! The potential for hours upon hours of fumbling about through a network of trails…gentle ups and downs mixed in with short rock scrambles…new and exciting flora and fauna…and of course, great company! This was a fabulous trip and I’d recommend something similar to anyone. There is so much to see and do in this world. As much as I love the White Mountains, it was great to experience a dramatic change of pace and change of scenery.

Photos are here.

 

[sleeping bear]

Sweet, frickin sweet!

Pictures are fantastic, really like 43, 52, and 55.

 

[lx93]

Hm, so while it's mud season here, there are still great hikes to be had. Thanx for the report!

 

[danno]

great trip report and nice photos, thanks!

 

[Artex]

Aren't canyons the antithesis of peakbagging?

Great report and pictures. Deserts really are awesome. Desserts are even more awesome.

 

[roadtripper]

Awesome!

Looks like you had a great time. I have a trip planned to Canyonlands next month. It'll be my first time there -- can't wait!!

How tough was it following the trails in Big Elephant Canyon?

- Greg