Hiking Cohab Canyon & Fruita Overlooks In Capitol Reef NP With Kala 30Sep18

Kevin & Karla rested and took care of biz while Kala & I set out again in Capitol Reef - this time to hike the Cohab Canyon and spurs to overlook Fruita. We did a 4 mi / 800 ft hike and found lost canyons, weird igneous rocks and great views. Above and at the end of Cohab Canyon we had direct view of the Capitol Gorge which we'd hiked yesterday. We started the hike with direct view of the iconic Capitol Dome and overlooks of the Fremont River valley.

Hiking Hickman Bridge In Capitol Reef NP 30Oct18

The team took to the trail again today - this time to Hickman Bridge in Cayonlands. A good hike with a fine bridge view at the terminus. We saw Capitol Dome (next post), keen vertical walls, and snakes along the way.

Hiking Capitol Gorge In Capitol Reef 29Sep18

On the drive from Moab we stopped in Hanksville for lunch and our first major taste of cowboy kitsch in the restaurant (it would not be our last). John Wayne images everywhere and spurs on every piece of hardware. Too, after Moab, we were out of alcohol and just expected to stop along the way to replenish... stop right there - Utah liquor laws are abnormal and little was available but 3.2 beer, except in restaurants. All this aside, the Capitol Gorge hike and hike up to the tanks was keen. A narrow gorge cut by a now dry tributary of the Freemont River was a pioneer road and we saw the Pioneer Register of travelers from the late 1800's and early 1900's along the way as well as views of the Golden Throne. At the end we went vert and climbed to The Tanks -  waterpockets in the rock above the gorge; we saw a small arch there too.

Wandering Goblin Valley 29Sep18

We stopped along the drive from Moab to Torrey (Capitol Reef) at an other-worldly place called Goblin Valley State Pk. We paid a fee to enter and wander among really weird rock formations. The park was first funded by the movie Galaxy Quest which paid to film here and used it (appropriately) as another planet. We really did just wander without restriction in this place - and saw all three of the valleys containing the goblins, spires, mushrooms, etc. found here.

Hiking Canyonlands NP @ Needles - Cave Spring & Slickrock 28Sep18

Today we finished in the Moab area with a drive south to the Needles entrance of Canyonlands. We stopped at Newspaper Rock - meh. It didn't tell a story to me and some folks had defaced it in the 50's with their names - assholes.

We first hiked Cave Spring where cowboys made a home in the caverns for shade and where water seeped from the walls into streams. Decent.

We also took the Slickrock Loop which overlooked deep canyons and provided distant but powerful views of the spires giving Needles its name.

For extra credit we headed to Elephant Hill on a dirt road. The colors were weird like red velvent cake with white icing. From the end of this road is where the TH to get into the Needles is located but we didn't have the time or inclination to hike more.

As we left the NP we needed air for one tire and stopped at a spot with a classic sign...

Hiking To Corona Arch & Morning Glory Bridge (BLM) 27Sep18

The team did the popular and slightly longer hike to Bowtie & Corona Arches, starting somewhat near Jeep Arch trail off the Colorado River Canyon. The Feds just acquired this area from Utah and it was an awesome hike and spectacular arch. The trail was pretty easy on mostly slickrock and the views were great... at the distant viewpoint there were many cairns. Crowds were modest but we did arrive early and parked as just the 3rd car of ultimately 20. I thought Bowtie should've been named Halo. I also climbed around a corner and observed a 2500 ft deep pit with many cool colors and vegetation. On the way out we saw another arch in the distance and we tried to push a boulder off the cliff.

In the afternoon we hiked up Grandstaff Canyon (formerly Negro Bill's Canyon) to the Morning Glory Bridge at the end. A good and different hike along a stream (and requiring a number of crossings). The hike and objective were both keen. We had a decision point of which canyon along the way and chose wisely, and when we arrived we observed a guided team rappel down 800 ft between the bridge and the sheer wall.

After getting back to the townhome I snapped a descent shot of the LaSals.