National Parks - Amazing Canyon Hikes Out West

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I look forward to seeing you on the dusty National Park trail among the majestic vistas and symphony of wildlife that awaits! For an awesome how to preparedness guide visit my other site mentioned below with the name "magic moments".

Namaste~

From as far north as Masschusetts, as far south as Florida, and as far west as Arizona participants began arriving in Las Vegas to join on a hiking trip that will impact the rest of their lives. It is one of memories, experiences, adventures and breakthrough. Finding your courage, your inner strength and breaking though limiting beliefs to discover what is possible and leave behind what we throught impossible.

Las Vegas - wow, how do you top off something like this for decadence and just visual overload! Great place to visit if you don't mind tourist. Not sure if I would want to live here. This is a spectacular spectacle beyond words. The Pirate ship sinking, the pirate battles at Treasure Island to the Volcano erupting at The Mirage to the massive dancing waters in front of the Bellagio. Walking through this town is like a sugar crazed kid walking through a candy store. They have more shows and slot machines than you the stars above .. well perhaps an exaggeration but you get it :)

Rising at 5am we departed Las Vegas and headed to the east side of Utah to begin our adventure.

Stopping to pick up provisions at Walmart and feeding ourselves in their parking lot we continued several more long hours on a 75 mph road to meet our destination Arches National Park. After driving about 10 hours we arrived and began our first hike of many. It was an awesome day and a beautiful place to begin our journey. The arches here spanned hundreds of feet across and were as high as 200' above ground! I was even able to climb up on and have my photo taken of me waving from above.. anyone have vertigo?

Our stay in Moab, Utah was at the Red Cliffs Adventure Lodge. It boasts to be the sight of countless motion pictures mostly John Wayne such as Geronomo. They also filmed Indiana Jones near there among other notibles. It is said there are more acting opportunities there than any other place outside Hollywood and NYC!

They have the first experimental desert based winery on premise. The property is actually a horse ranch and the lodging supports the ranch. Inside the main building is a museum in the basement of the movies filmed there. They reside right along side the great Colorado River and between the massive mastifs of the red rock canyons. An inspiring place to be in dawn or dusk! The rooms have two levels, have private patios, and are equipped with kitchens! This place is a jewel among the hidden bends along the river and within the folds of the red rocks. Well worth staying in for any vacation near Moab.

The whole town was taken over by the annual antique car show.. although we were out hiking each day so it didn't effect us only in making reservations for dinner :)

Driving south to Canyonlands National Park it seemed like there could be nothing in the desolation of the desert that gave any credibility to what we were expecting to see and hike in from our trip planning photos.

We passed some place call Hole in the Rock.. there was a BIG arrow pointing to a little hole in the rock.. and around the back was of course a convenience and souvenir store :)

A sign on the main road told us we had arrived at the entrance to Canyonlands NP yet all I saw was desert prarie for as far as the eye could see. It was a drive from that point of at least 24 miles or more. Well as soon as drove down the side road we curved around a bend and dived deep into the landscape into a lower elevation.

The landscape almost seemed to open up to us as a new world.. something you couldn't see from the road. There were huge, I mean HUGE, red rock walls from a supine era, there were vast sprawling canyonscapes and awesome valley formations further than you could hike.

We hiked an area named Chesler Park.. a gigantic mile wide valley surrounded by hoodoos to the north and west. We arrived from behind the hoodoos and getting there was just as impressive!

The landscape changed colors, formations, and geology a number of times as we were hiking. It was truly an multi dimensional experience of vistas and sights.

After checking out of our hotel we were on our way to our next hike in Wildhorse Canyon. What an awesome premier on slot canyons.

There were a few scrambles as well as challenging narrow points, yet not as narrow as some canyons we visited later in our trip.

This was an awesome trip to the Goblin Valley State Park area. We didn't get to see the Goblins which has a fee if you enter into that part of the park. They are like huge mushrooms standing anywhere from 3' - 10' tall.. mini hoodoos on a Martian landscape. Other worldly would be a good description.

Getting to Wildhorse was one wild horse of a ride.. about 45 miles on a dirt road with cattle roaming here and there and then arriving near the trailhead was a dive into a crack in the Earth that swallows you and your vehicle whole to begin a memorable adventure in the canyon.

We had to negotiate a bit of a challenging climb to start the hike in the canyon.

Driving to Calf Creek, Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument, was an amazing thrill ride in our van. leaving an base elevation on about 6,000' in Torrey, Utah we ascended a mountain and drove a winding mountain road reaching an ear popping summit elevation at about 9,000'. Does Utah believe in guard rails? NO guard rails! Several hundred foot drops on this mountain road.. really a quicker waker upper. After coming off the mountain we soon entered the town of Devils Backbone.. I see what they meant.

The just before arriving at Calf Creek we had to drive up and over one of the most stomach dropping roads I've ever been on.. two lanes (one on each side) almost no shoulder, big signs saying absolutely no stopping or road, and of course NO guard rails.. well there was a long section of the road that had a sheer drop off on one side. That wasn't the scariest part.. it was the part where there was a sheer cliff drop off on BOTH sides of the road where the shoulders should have been! You better be in some adrenaline or caffeine alert state when driving this section.

We learned they had released River Otters into Calf Creek and so there were about three there. Having looked for them and without any luck locating them while hiking I did spy a huge population of Rainbow Trout! I could have jumped in and speared one the water was so clear and shallow. Wonder if fishing was allowed there.

If you ever go to Calf Creek the Ravens are fearless. They will hop into your back and take your lunch, come to think of it they are so enormous they could take off with your entire backpack and your first born!

Since we had to return to Torrey afterwards. .we had to drive that knife edge the opposite direction going back.. I wonder if that is wehre the term double jeapordy comes from?

Ever heard of a Water Pocket Fold? Neither did I until I arrived at this unbelieveable geologic location of folds, twists and upheavels of rocks in Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument, Utah.

I learned after the fact the backroad (all dirt!) we drove down for over 60 miles was an area known for petrified wood. It also has a huge Oyster Shell Reef shelf formation that spans dozens of miles along Grand Gulch. The water pocket folds span for several hundred miles. The road we turned up (Burr Trail) off the dirt road had one of the most knarly switchbacks designed by little people.. these twists were so tight the van was almost hanging off the edge making each turn going up this almost vertical ascent of switchbacks. The passengers wanted to get out and walk! Yes, it was a white knuckle armrest clenching ride all the way to the top.

Several arches to be seen and the climb to the the top of the cliff is well worth it (perhaps 600' - 800' vertical rise). If you have a 4x4 high clearance vehicle you'll save yourself about 2.6 miles of hiking to get the meat of the hike and views.

For those of you who take shots of scenery and mountains the photos here do no justice to the reality of the extreme vertical, expansiveness and wide scope as well as colors of what we experienced including the humbling awe you are subjected to when you stand among walls, cliffs and pillars reaching several hundred feet into the air.. sometimes higher than the Empire State building!

Traveling to Peekaboo and Spooky was an adventure in itself. This was part of Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument. To get there it was over 25 miles on a washboard dirt road. We felt like we had been operating a jack hammer for the past year after arriving at the parking area.

Hiking down to the Canyons was easily.. hiking back up in 90 degree weather was more of the challenge. The first canyon we got to was Peekaboo (there are at least four canyons and gulches in this area to hike). It required a 20' up-climb. For some it was difficult and almost impossible without a rope to assist them and for others it was not so bad.. and for 98% it was no walk in the woods getting up to the entrance to the Canyon.

We were greeted with an amazing formation of bowls and the entire interior is red sandstone. The bowls squished in every which way, the curves and slots went in any direction the water carved it out forced its grand design. There are NO straight and vertically 90 degree horizontal slots. Everything was either tilted, twisted or curved.. and of course as narrow as 18". Yes I said 18"! Better be on a diet to fit through here. The red sandstone was the most awesome shades and the walls were as smooth as fine sandpaper.

We hiked end to end to come out the back bushwhacked the back country to get to Spooky and walk through there. My favorite was Peekaboo and everyone 100% agreed. Spooky is wider and not as challenging yet also had its own beauty and personality.

Tip: don't go with a backpack or if you are not in shape. Definitely do NOT enter the canyon if it is or there is a threat of rain. This is the type of canyon where that hike had a rock fall on his arm and he had to cut it off to get out. We did have a few overhanging boulders that could have come down on us.. but I think they were secure for another 10,000 years.

This was, hands down, the most memorable and favored hike for 85% of the group.

Bryce Canyon National Park was our next destination after Escalante. We stayed at Ruby's. As promised it was a tourist trap that rivaled South of the Border. I can say it is however tastefully setup and was pleasant to be in. Let me add it was a surprise to finally receive a cell phone signal after having none since Moab.

The hoodoos here are everywhere and range to hundreds of feet spiralling into the air. The colors are a truly impressive and inspiring addition to these gigantic sentinals standing guard to the park. It was really inspiring to see solitary trees reaching up to the heavens seeking light where they were growing in the midst of these massive sandstone walls and hoodoos.

If you want to be inspired, humbled and moved this is a place you have to hike. By the way part of our hike shared the trail with horses on our trail so it was not so pleasant having to circumnavigate their gifts.. so when you go if you want to avoid this look for trails that do not allow equine.

We began hiking at about 7 a.m. at about 50 degrees in the shade. By mid day it was about 70 degrees at which time we had a snow storm hit us even in the 70 degree weather. The best photos are taken in the morning to avoid washed out colors as well as sunset when you can see the rays or the sun make the hoodoos glow with an erie red orange hue that will stop any skeptic in their tracks to take note and take note.

The next three days were were in Zion National Park. We stayed in Springdale, Utah which was a populated well equipped tourist town along with high prices on everything including groceries. There is a free bus that runs through town that even takes you to the park so leave you car at the hotel and bus it. Its great for the environment and is easier than looking for parking in the peak period.

In town there is a land owner who has a heard of Elk, two Bison, two tempermental long horn steer along with a new born, two of the cutest tiny bouroughs, and a horse. All visible from the main street. You can go in a feed them if you want. The owner I believe raises the Elk and Bison for meat to be sold.. although with only two Bison you would wonder how long he could stay in business! He is fighting the town and neighbors to keep his lot and animals.. as most neighbors would be in an urban setting they do not appreciate an animal farm so close and in town.

Our first hike was Angel's Landing. The adventure began on the park shuttle where the driver gave us a hysterical accounting of the history and a enlightening story of the sights .. including how most people get off the see Angels Landing then get back on the bus after seeing how high up they have to hike it. He said he been, there, done that and for anyone you'd have to have a deathwish and nuts to want to negotiate its knife edge.

Well hiking up Walter's Wiggles - all 22 or so and then a few miles in we arrive at the "chains". Yes I said chains! Let me explain this knife edge goes up hill, and of course its DOWNHILL coming back along a knife edge that has a 1,400' drop on one side of the 3' wide trail. Oh if you try to stay against the other side of the trail coming down so you don't have to look down a 1,400' cliff fall don't bother looking for security the other side of the trail has a 1,600' cliff fall!

This was an amazing hike with a fantastic reward of 270 degree views on top. Well worth it if you are sure footed and not fearful of heights.

On this second day at Zion National Park after the harrowing knife edge of Angels Landing we hiked Hidden and Echo Canyons to exercise our climbing skills.

These are awesome canyons and .. you bet more chains. Although this time no knife edge the chain was bolted to the side of the cliff face and you had about a two to three foot trail where the drop off was only on oneside of the trail.

Hidden Canyon was an impressive hike around the face of the cliff and then into a "Hidden Canyon".. this is where the fun began. Lots of scrambling within the canyon.. and a few big non technical climbs.

We asked the Ranger when planning our hikes how far in you can go in Hidden Canyon and he said "you go in as far as you can then you just turn around and come back out". We learned what he meant since the climbs got more difficult as you went deeper.

Entering into Echo Canyon was yet another different scene and experience. Here is where we were either at canyon top looking down or at near top. It is where we encountered all the canyoneers who were climbing in the flooded canyons down below.

There was a controlled burn that took place a few days before we arrived and so a few trails were closed. We were instructed the burns were finished a day or so earlier and they were just observing the area to make sure nothing flamed up. The trails were scheduled to reopen although we were already at the junction so we decided to continue on past the orange tape since there was no threat according to the Ranger.

We hiked along a frightfully vertical cliffside trail to pass through the burn out and then an amazing overlook called Observation Point. It was our turn around point and well worth every bit of our 14 mile hike for that day (which included our canyon scrambling and climbs)

Well that was our trip to Utah covering hundreds of miles over washboard roads, switchbacks, knife edges, verticals, cliff side trails, pre historic geologic areas, vistas further than the minds eye could see, hidden wonders, psychological and physical challenges, stimulating scenery, tons of lizards, some elk, black tailed deer, wild turkey, snakes, swallows, ravens, hawks, and other varmits.

It was by far an experience if you are an adventurer and a hiker with a hunger for challenge a lover of life who wants to capture the most amazing experience you can see and be part of the trek across southern Utah will deliver what the doctor ordered. I have led hikes worldwide and have explored canyons, caves and hidden treasures throughout the northeast and without question this is one I will never forget and it will be hard topping as far as wealth of varied scenic and jaw dropping experiences, challenges and panoramic indulgence.

You have one life to live and if you are going to visit 1,000 places before you die.. this is a area you owe your life to go experience and become part of as part of this spiritual and physical journey. Hike On!

Namaste~

This awesome how to lens is for day hikers (some tips useful for backpackers). It is about weather, map and compass, physical expectations, the appropriate clothing and foot gear to wear, etc. A nut to bolts primer on preparing for day hikes in the great outdoors!

Here is the lens URL to view detailed and useful information:

http://www.squidoo.com/magicmoments/