The best place to start when visiting a National Park, Monument, etc. is the Visitor Center. Lots of wonderful history, unique features explained, telling of critters they protect and encourage us to, and personalized information to help us enjoy our stay. Who could ask for more? Here at Cedar Breaks the overlook behind the Visitor Center takes us to the view we came to see–the massive geologic amphitheater, 3 miles across and 2,500 feet deep called Cedar Breaks. Let’s go . . .
It is 6:45am, the sun is just coming over the mountains east of us and all I can say is WOW!
Looking straight ahead, which is northwest, we see the end of the Colorado Plateau. The hazy flatter land is actually another ecosystem altogether–the Great Basin. An area that is about the size of France and known for its contradictions. Take a look.
Oh wait. There is something on the other side we need to see closer. Thank goodness for zoom lenses! 😉
Bristlecone Pines! They are the oldest living organisms on Earth. There are three species, all having long lives, over 2,000 years. The specie here is Pinus longaeva which has the longest life of the three, some over 5,000 years. Boy would I have wrinkles! Anyway, there are many bristlecones along South Rim Trial. Problem is that trail is closed for repairs, or so the sign says. That may be partially true, but frankly there are so few rangers and support staff thanks to severe federal cuts, they can’t take the chance of needing to rescue someone. It has happened before so thanks to park staff for making our safety a priority.
South Rim is the longest trail in the park, but there are only three others. It is 2.5 miles one way dropping down 650 feel. A huffer-puffer getting back up for sure. But here we are with a zoom lens looking at a few bristlecones. One at right a “youngster” by all accounts. The other a great-grandpa at least.
The colors, the formations . . .
But wait, this is all grand, but pausing to look closer is what counts. Taking time to visually explore each unique area. True a zoom lens or binoculars help, but without them just pick out an area of interest and really see the many unique formations. What is that at top mid picture?
The cave, window, arch? Check out the obvious erosion and envision what is beneath all that sand. The incredibly steep drop allowing sand and boulders to crash altering what’s below. The colors of sandstone that tell of different mineral content and age. What will this formation look like in 1,000 years after decades of rain, snow, ice, erosion? Enjoy!
The fin (wall) pointing diagonally; eroding pillars (bottom right) to become distinct hoodoos.
A window in an eroding fin. Hoodoos, as we saw so dramatically in Bryce Canyon National Park, are eroding away here because the harder white sandstone or limestone “caps” (as above) are gone.
Looks like a trail down below. Are you asking why we don’t just go down for a better look–up-close awe!? There is one simple reason. There is no way down into this amphitheater.
Cedar Breaks National Monument is a rim experience only. Oh come on, isn’t there another way down? The answer is not really.
There are long hikes to the open end of the amphitheater, BUT it is not an “open” end. Getting IN involves steep, narrow, boulder-covered, twisty, dead end possibilities that are very dangerous. There are people who feel overcoming the tough entrances is a challenge, but the true challenge is staying alive.
If you find a way into any one of these canyons you are embarking on a long walk. Suddenly a storm comes out of nowhere. Flooding is inevitable and there is nowhere to go to escape the racing water. You see how steep the walls of these canyons are. Boulders dislodge from their formations racing down nearly vertical drops. Wait, see the rocks partially down hills in the pics? They aren’t too big. Hold on, we have no true perspective from here–remember many of those trees are 60-70+ feet tall. Landslides are common with unpredictable intensity. From up here we may get wet, but down there? We drown. My friend, Just bring your binoculars or zoom lens.
Here’s a map of Cedar Breaks which might help as we go. I love maps and use them all the time. Just ask my friends who pull out their phones. Nah, give me an atlas and maps like this. Then again I did consider changing my undergrad major to cartography so this love has been long in the making. Bear with me.
Lower left is the directional arrow. You can see the open end of the amphitheater is west. Right above where it says Markagunt Plateau bottom right, is Point Supreme. The Visitor Center is not noted but is right next to the yellow (not brick) road where it says Parking. Need a larger, clearer map? Go here. OK, perspective, now let’s go.
Heading back to the Visitor Center from Point Supreme there is another rim trail in the other direction, Sunset Trail. This takes us to Sunset View Overlook, about a mile walk and mostly flat. It does look west for sunset, but we have to settle for sunrise. Something tells me the view is much better than “settling”. There are beautiful views all along the trail.
We have a song for our walk, thanks to the White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys). You don’t get a picture showing the bird’s tongue very often! Yes, all birds have tongues, but there are six different types related to their food preferences. It is interesting.
Ooops, busted! He/she looked at me but hung around longer than I did, heading for the overlook. Adults all look identical.
Look over there, far left. The Visitor Center, a mile away. Oh, forgot to mention. There is one really super reason for visiting Cedar Breaks. It is NEVER crowded!
After walking back to the SUV by the Visitor Center, we drive about two miles to our next overlook, Chessman Ridge.
Why is it called Chessman? All the hoodoos and pillars that look like chess pieces. OK, squint a bit and they kind of look like chess men.
We have a visitor in front of the SUV. Don’t think hiding this way is overly effective. Chipmunk? Nope, a Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus lateralis). Chipmunks are in the squirrel family, but they all have stripes on their face and are usually smaller.
About three miles north is our last amphitheater overlook.
Walking to the overlook, the trees are filled with Pine Siskins (Spinus pinus). Males and females look identical and are often in small flocks as we see here. Some are giving us a nice pose . . .
. . . others are gathering nesting materials . . .
. . . some just appear to be relaxing a bit.
The colors never cease to amaze.
Looks like a trail down the hill. Nope, and happily no one was interested in jumping the railing to give it a try.
This is fascinating and different. Looks like castle walls each with a tower and even little rooms. What do you see?
A surprise as we head to the parking lot. A Yellow-bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventer). You may be more familiar with his relative in the east and midwest: the Groundhog (Marmota monax) also called Woodchuck. They are all in the squirrel family. How can you tell a marmot from a groundhog? It is all about ecosystems. Marmots live between 5,000 and 14,000 foot elevation in rocky, mountainous terrain. Groundhogs live in lowlands, open country and woodland edges. They both burrow, but it is problematic for farmers dealing with groundhogs.
Having an encounter with a marmot can be interesting. I was on a hike with a friend and we sat down to rest in a rocky open alpine area. A marmot popped up out of his/her den about 15 feet away. Standing on its rear feet as they often do, it just watched us literally looking back and forth at whoever was speaking. This went on about 15 minutes and all of a sudden our buddy started “screaming” at us. OK, OK, we got up and moved along. Looking back the marmot wandered across the trail right where we had been sitting. Only so much patience I guess.
Cedar Breaks is a beautiful yet tame adventure. Without the usual National Park crowds, it is a slow and quiet time with peaceful walks and stunning scenery. I’ll take it!!
Never stop exploring for the unique features were you live my friend!
Until next time . . .
