Tag: geology

Leprechaun Canyon Adventure

Posted on by Joy

Let’s go for a hike to a little known canyon in the Irish Canyon area along UT-95 in Utah. No, I’m not kidding. Leprechaun Canyon is part of the Irish Canyon area 28 miles south of Hanksville. You must carefully count the miles because there are no signs and the unpaved parking area is easy to miss. Ooops, have to back up, I just missed it. Luckily there are no cars on UT-95 as far as the eye can see in either direction. Ahh, wilderness.

Although this area is known for full-geared climbing and rappelling, only walking and a tiny bit of scrambling is needed to explore Leprechaun Canyon. Just my kind of “challenge”, so let’s go!

Yup, sand will give us an extra workout

Fire Wave/Seven Wonders Trail

Posted on by Joy

Valley of Fire State Park

Here we are at the Fire Wave/Seven Wonders Trailhead. Well, actually we couldn’t find the Fire Wave Trailhead, so we are across the street to do the 1.8 mile loop in the other direction. It is about 8am and only two other cars in the large parking lot. Fire Wave is a major feature here in Valley of Fire. We will get there toward the end of our hike. Here we go!

Watch your step!

Canyon Walk: Cottonwood Narrows

Posted on by Joy

Exploring Cottonwood Canyon Road in April 2017, I could find no way down into the Cottonwood Narrows at this northern end. No signs, no trails, just wandering around finding four to six foot drops into the canyon. I can jump down, BUT how do I get back up? Good to think ahead. Hoping the access they created for us is easy. Come on along into the Narrows!

Here we go . . .

Cottonwood Canyon Road, Utah’s Geologic Rainbow

Posted on by Joy

About 20 miles southeast of Bryce Canyon National Park is a 40-mile road that will take your breath away: Cottonwood Canyon Road. It is in the southwest part of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, a rugged, remote 1.87 million acre wilderness and a Utah jewel. The landscape has unique geologic formations of red, white, pink, blue, green, yellow, and more. Coming up out of the sagebrush valley, we are south of Kodachrome Basin State Park. Our “kodachrome” colors will only get better! The first six miles of Cottonwood Canyon Road is paved, but then we adventure on a graded dirt and clay surface with warnings to never travel when raining. Well, it is a beautiful day with no rain forecast so off we go!

Look, the colors are changing . . .