July 2015: A Quick Stop in New Mexico Before Exploring Utah in Depth (page 9 of 15)

Hi Peggy,

I admit I haven’t read everything yet, but I came across your start to the day at Ship Rock and couldn’t resist leaving a message about this place, which is often overlooked by travelers but is truly an exceptional spot for photography.

We were a bit more prepared than you when we went in 2013, and I knew we had to take the South trail, which is very easy and offers fabulous photographic opportunities with the miles-long lava wall. The view from the South is, in my opinion, the best, along with the one from the West. After that, you can drive right up to Ship Rock and continue on the trail heading West, which is rougher with some deep ruts. There’s also a lava wall extending in that direction. We did this at sunset and had a pro photographer as a neighbor, who was spending the night in his vehicle—probably to catch the sunrise as well.

Ship Rock is one of the most sacred mountains for the Navajo, and when you stand in front of it, you can easily understand the significance this volcanic plug had for them.

The most impressive photos I’ve seen were taken from the air, and I’d love to go back one day with a drone. It must be an incredible experience!

See you around,

Olivier

Day 15 Tuesday, July 21 A relaxed wake-up, packing our bags, and we fill up the tank before hitting the road again. Gas isn’t as expensive as in Hanksville, but it’s still pretty close! Once we’re ready to leave, it’s already 10:00 AM—we’re really not early this morning…

I had planned to visit Mossy Cave, which we hadn’t seen during our two previous trips near Bryce Canyon, but since we left late this morning, we’d decided to skip the hike. However, when we drove past the parking lot, we changed our minds. It had rained in the past few days, so the waterfall must be flowing well, and with the sun out right now, it’s the perfect time to go. Hugo and Calista are surprised by the stop because we hadn’t warned them, and at first, they’re not too excited about walking… But in the end, the place is so beautiful, the hike is really short (1.5 km), and we spot some chipmunks, so everyone’s thrilled. We would’ve been wrong to miss it! Even Chocolate the bear gets his photo taken!

Then we continue our drive toward Panguitch (and yes, no hike in Bryce Canyon this year…) where we eat at an Arby’s. And guess what—when we walk out of Arby’s? Yep, it’s pouring rain! We just can’t seem to escape it this year! As we head up to Cedar Breaks NM, the rain eases off, but the temperature drops. We spot some sheep roaming freely on the road. Some are being herded by a cowboy.

Continuation of Day 15, Tuesday, July 21

Once we arrived, we did a big unpacking of our suitcases to pull out pants and vests or jackets—we hadn’t thought of that this morning, and we really needed them at Cedar Breaks! After a quick stop at the Visitor Center, we tackled the Ramparts trail. The first part up to Spectra Point was no problem, and there were quite a few people. The colors were stunning.

Then we started the second part up to Ramparts Overlook, and things got tougher—it was all downhill, so the climb back was going to be rough. Not many people ventured that far, actually! From here, we could see Spectra Point, where we’d have to climb back up now...

The out-and-back trail was 5.4 km, so I’d thought it would be an easy walk… but no way! The GPS showed we’d gone from 3,186 m in altitude to 3,015 m, with an “altitude gain” of 219 m. Not so bad when you look at the numbers, but maybe the altitude made the hike harder… Either way, we didn’t feel like tackling the Alpine Pond trail I’d also planned.

We headed to the hotel, which was only 10 minutes away since it was in Brian Head. Initially, we’d booked a budget motel in Cedar City for about 55 €, but Yannick wasn’t feeling it at all, and we’d been burned by the Super 8 in Willcox… So a few days earlier, he found a deal at a resort in Brian Head, and we didn’t regret it one bit: a nice room with real plates and cutlery, beautiful glasses (which made us want to buy a bottle of wine😛), placemats… and then a gorgeous indoor pool with a jacuzzi, sauna, and huge, thick, super-soft towels. Pure luxury tonight!

Hotel: Cedar Breaks Lodge in Brian Head 84.75 € Day’s Summary: What an amazing day today! Mossy Cave and Cedar Breaks NM enchanted us, and the evening at the hotel is a fantastic memory.

The rest is here!

+1 We stopped by Shiprock in August just to pay homage to the Tony Hillerman novels I'm a fan of (novels set in the Four Corners region, within the Navajo tribal police).

We stopped by Shiprock in August just to pay homage to the Tony Hillerman novels I'm a fan of (novels set in the Four Corners, within the Navajo tribal police)

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I'm a fan too. I'd read (almost all of) them before my first trip to the US. And I saw Ship Rock from the road. At the time, I didn't know it was possible to get closer to it

We stopped by Shiprock in August just to pay homage to Tony Hillerman’s novels, which I’m a fan of (they’re set in the Four Corners area, within the Navajo tribal police).

Yeah, I love Hillerman’s novels too! 😎

We tried Zebra slot in April and October before. This year, it was May (the awful weather made us completely avoid the HITRR... Missed it again!

Perfect weather for Mossy Cave and the squirrels: so cute. Great job on the lovely photos. Beautiful photos at Cedar Breaks too (missed it because of snow). The play of light on those colorful rocks is stunning.

Hi Peggy,

I'm still under the spell. UT95, Little White Horse Canyon, and Capitol Reef are making me dream. Well, with your adventures in Sulphur Creek, I admit I was a bit stressed, but everything turned out fine, and that's what matters 😉.

And then there's UT12, the long canyon, Calf Creek, Cedar Breaks (Mossy Cave, I know it—I’m crossing that one off) ... Oh dear, I'm off dreaming again ... I already have a project up north, another one down south, and now I’ll have to come back "to the middle" to explore all this ! We should make loyalty cards for the US West with bonus points and discounts 😛

Thanks for sharing—it’s really great to experience these trips vicariously!

See you, Laure

In Sulfur Creek, I know others who got caught off guard by a crazy storm

But you had started at VC if I remember correctly? How far did you end up going?

Yes, we started at VC because we’d been warned about storms and figured we wouldn’t have time to do the whole thing. So, as a one-way, it was a bit risky—we could’ve ended up soaked and without a car at one end of the canyon.

But in good weather, it’s probably the option you went with—a one-way starting from the Chimney Rock parking lot, which is the best.

We should make loyalty cards for the US West with bonus points and discounts as rewards 😇😛

Great idea!!! 😛

Hello Peggy,

I’m completely smitten with this UT 12 and all the backroads! I *really* need to go there!! Until then, I’m loving following along with you... Thanks 😎

Hi Valérie,

We tried Zebra slot in April and again in October. This year, it was May (the awful weather made us completely avoid the HITRR... Missed it again!)

So, we can conclude that between April and October, it’s flooded all the time... Someone should test it in winter and let us know...

Great photos at Cedar Breaks too (missed it because of snow). The light effects are really beautiful on those colorful rocks.

Haven’t you been to Cedar Breaks yet? Even if there are more tourists than on the long hikes you do off the beaten path, I think you’d still love it. The colors are truly stunning! Something to add to your list!

Hi Laure,

I already have a plan further north, another one further south, and now I’ve got to come back "in the middle" to explore all this 😏😏😏 !

Do you have any idea when you’ll be able to put your plans into action?

We should make loyalty cards for the US West with bonus points and discounts 😇😛

Oh yes, that’d be really useful... especially this year when hotel prices seem to be skyrocketing...

Hi Laure,

In the meantime, I’m loving following your adventures...😎

I really enjoyed your travel journal too! 😉

Day 16 Wednesday, July 22

It was tough waking up this morning… We’ve been here for two weeks now, and the fatigue is really starting to hit in the mornings.



We checked out of the hotel at 9:30 AM. The drive to Parowan is a mountain road, and we spotted two does and a deer along the way. Parowan seems like a really charming little town. After that, we took the Highway to the exit for Kanarraville.

We hesitated about parking at the church and walking to avoid paying for parking, but it was still a bit too far. Oh well, we paid the $10 to put in an envelope in the collection box.

We started the hike at 10:45 AM. It got steep right from the start—no time to warm up!

We quickly passed some access points to the river, but as long as there was a trail running alongside it, we stayed dry. The water was *freezing*—we wouldn’t have guessed it’d be that cold in the middle of July!

At one point, we couldn’t avoid taking a dip, but there were often sections of trail that let us get out of the water for a minute or two.

There were a lot of people, but the first ladder already weeded out most of them.

Then there was a waterfall you could go around (some people were sliding down it like a waterslide,

And then we reached the second ladder.

After that, we barely saw anyone—it felt like we had the place to ourselves.



We kept going in the river for a while, but it started to feel less scenic, so we turned back. The return trip was much faster—the ladders were actually easier going down than up, and the water felt way more pleasant this way, even though it had seemed icy on the way up!

We got back to the car 3 hours later after a 7.6 km hike—it was an amazing walk! The GPS showed we went from 1,720 m to 1,937 m in elevation, with a total "altitude gain" of 325 m.

Continuation of Day 16, Wednesday, July 22

We quickly ate in the parking lot in the shade of the car, then headed to Zion NP, but on the Kolob Canyons side, which is about twenty minutes away.

First stop at the small Visitor Center. Then a few photo stops along the road, which we covered very quickly up to the Viewpoint.

From the Viewpoint, there’s a short hike: the Timber Creek Overlook trail. But our hiking shoes are soaked after Kanarra Creek Falls, and we’ve put on our flip-flops. We don’t have the right footwear and aren’t too keen on putting on wet shoes.

So we hit the road again toward Kanab, where a room is waiting for us for two nights. There are two options: either take the fastest route with fewer people (Hurricane, Colorado City, and Fredonia), or drive through Zion Park (fewer kilometers and much more scenic). We’ve already driven this stretch at least four times, but we still love it just as much, so of course we choose the latter!

Around 6:00 PM, we arrive in Kanab, check in at the Comfort Inn, and head to Pizza Hut for dinner. Unfortunately, the buffet deal is only at lunchtime, so it’s inevitably more expensive. We end the evening at the pool.

Hotel: Comfort Inn in Kanab 98.25 € with breakfast Kanarra Creek Falls: $10 Day’s summary: Kanarra Creek Falls was absolutely amazing—it’s one of the best memories from our trip this year! A big thank you to Jean-Philippe (Orionide) on whose blog I discovered this hike.

And there we go, Kanarra Creek is on my list for next time 😎

Beautiful photos!

Gorgeous photos! They really make me want to do the "Kanarra Creek Trail".

The following photos are really beautiful too. I love scenic route 9 south of Zion NP. I didn’t know about Kolob Canyons.

Thanks so much for sharing!

See you soon! !

Day 17 Thursday, July 23

Today’s a surprise day! On paper, we’d planned to visit Buckskin Gulch, but the ranger from Escalante we’d talked to had kind of scared us off, saying summer isn’t the best time to go. The weather can be gorgeous on-site, yet if there’s a storm 40 miles away, water can suddenly rush into the canyon and sweep everything away. According to him, it’s one of the most dangerous hikes in the Southwest—he even repeated several times that if a flash flood hits Buckskin Gulch, there’s “no chance.”

That morning, we decided to ask the rangers at the Kanab Visitor Center for their opinion too. No luck—we arrived just as a ranger was giving a talk about the lottery for The Wave. So we waited patiently until she finished and people moved to the next room. Once we asked, we learned that right now, there’s water up to chest height in Buckskin Gulch… Well, that definitely won’t be today’s outing!

We chatted with the ranger—who was really friendly—about several Plan B options, and then, just in case, we asked if there were any spots left for CBS. Yes! Turns out we got lucky! Last year, we’d been to Cottonwood Cove and White Pocket with Paria Outpost, but we hadn’t made it to Paw Hole. Since it’s the most accessible part of CBS and we have a 4x4 this year, we decided to focus on that today.

House Rock Valley Road is easy to drive until the Wire Pass parking lot, and a little trickier after that. Things get really tough when you turn onto Road 1079—it becomes a proper off-road track, very sandy in places. In fact, 2WD vehicles are asked to park at the intersection of House Rock Valley Road and Road 1079. We kept going: there were some really sandy sections where I closed my eyes, but Yannick handled it like a pro!

After 3 km, we managed to get through some really deep sand, but it made us nervous for the return trip. Yannick preferred to turn around right away and park the car further down, so we wouldn’t have to tackle that deep sand at the end of the day—otherwise, he’d be thinking about it the whole hike. So we parked about 3 km from House Rock Valley Road, with about 1 km left to walk to the Paw Hole trailhead.

We started at 10:45 AM and stayed for a little over 3 hours. We explored, climbed (and struggled to come back down…😉), took a little tour of the site, and walked a lot in the sand. One of my favorite photos...

Continuation of Day 17, Thursday, July 23

Even though we only covered 5 km, it was really tiring. Calista and I are exhausted, but everyone’s thrilled!

We get back to the car around 2:00 PM and shake kilos of sand out of our shoes. The drive back to House Rock Valley Road takes 5 minutes (weirdly, it’s easier this way), and the return to Highway 89 takes 40 minutes. Another 40 minutes to reach Kanab, during which I doze off while Hugo and Calista actually fall asleep! It’s the first time on the trip—proof it was exhausting...

We quickly eat in our room at 3:30 PM, then head to the pool to finish off the day—once again, we have it all to ourselves. Dinner is at a fast-food place in the evening (by the time we’re served at McDonald’s, we have plenty of time to watch a local family: the parents look like they’ve just left their teens, and they have three little ones with them at the table, around 1 to 2 years old. We think they’re really close in age, but we’re stunned when we see the parents take two infants out of their strollers).

Tonight, we’re going to bed without being sure what we’ll do tomorrow: we’d planned White Domes, but that means getting up at 6:00 AM, leaving the hotel at 7:00 AM, and then... probably more than 6 hours of hiking. But are we still up for it at this stage of the trip?

Hotel: Comfort Inn in Kanab, 13.65 € with breakfast (using a free night from Hotels.com) Day’s summary: It was an unexpected and amazing day!

The rest is here!