Valley of Fire State Park

Happy Campers

I am catching up on the blog since the past couple of months have been a happy whirlwind. Getting back out and exploring has been breath of fresh air. Traveling is a little different than in the past but still good.

Heading west from St George, Utah, we would be passing the 40,000 acres of Valley of Fire State Park. The bright red Aztec sandstone outcrops contain petrified trees 

and petroglyphs from the Basket makers era about 2,500 years ago, followed later by the early Puebloans and then Paiutes living in this area in 1865 when Mormons settled. 

As we descended into the valley, it was 10 degrees warmer than when we left St George.

There are two campgrounds with a combined total of 72 units, a handful with water and electric. Both are first come first serve and very popular. We arrived by 8:30 am and snagged a great spot and were fine using our solar. Then headed out for some hiking. 

Another interesting campsite.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area was our back up plan for boondocking if we weren't able to get a campsite. We preferred the east entrance but there is plenty of room on the west and not far from Las Vegas. There is a lot to explore in the recreation area to keep us happy for quite a few days.

Rainbow Vista Trail to the Fire Canyon Overlook leads through a narrow canyon, over sand and rock, to a drop-off that looks out over the red, bowl-shaped Fire Canyon. Jagged red rocks rise above and fall off below from the viewpoint. Along the way are a number of small arches.

Beehives

The petroglyphs at Atlatl Rock are worth seeing. A long set of metal stairs has been installed along the rock face to allow visitors to reach the petroglyphs. Not many people were out and about when we stopped.  Everyone gave each other plenty of space to be on the rock.

Cell coverage is non-existent in most of the park.

Our stop in Valley of Fire was far too brief with so many interesting trails to explore. But I am glad we made the stop.

Snow Canyon State Park

 An Amazing Park!

This is our final post of our busy 3 weeks in Utah's southwest corner and could have gladly stayed a month to enjoy the hiking and cycle trails. We had several trails to explore on our last day. 

Petrified Dunes Trail

Petrified Dunes in Snow Canyon State Park is right in the heart of the park and are incredible rolling mounds of petrified Navajo Sandstone. No need not worry about staying on the trail and this hike provided some of the most incredible views in the park, and is one of the most photographed places in the area!

Butterfly Trail

The Butterfly Trail begins at the same trailhead as the Petrified Dunes and got us to the Lava Flow Trail. 

Lava Flow Trail

The Lava Tube Trail, is a relatively flat, 2.3-mile hike within Snow Canyon State Park.

We put on our trusty headlamps before descending, because it's dark down there.

Jenny's Canyon Trail

Jenny’s Canyon is a nice short walk up into a slot canyon and an overlook. There is also climbing available up the slot canyon walls. The trail winds down a path and crosses a dry wash. A few steps up to the left take you into the canyon. To the right is a nice overlook where you can see the Snow Canyon Sand Dunes across the way. Because of endangered habitat this trail is closed seasonally from March 15 – June 1.

White Rocks Natural Amphitheater 

White Rocks Amphitheater Trail is a short hike that features some beautiful views, impressive petrified white sandstone mountains.

These weren't difficult trails. But by the end of the day, I didn't feel like walking to the picnic tables and voted to have lunch in the truck with a big view.

We see a return visit in the future but would probably stay closer to St George's trails at the new Southern Utah RV Park.

Zion National Park

Zion

 Zion National Park was Utah's first National Park and a 20 minute drive from Hurricane. It was the off season so the shuttles weren't running, so we drove right in. 

The town of Springdale outside of the Park was still sleepy. 

The parking lot for the Emerald Pools Trail was empty when we arrived. Score! We had hiked this trail on a previous visit and it was still a nice walk.

Emerald Pools is a Zion classic. The hike is a collection of short trails that meander past a small, lushly-vegetated stream that rolls down from the cliffs and forms several interesting "pools." 

MIDDLE EMERALD POOLS: Beyond the alcove, the trail gets more difficult and steps up and around to bring you on top of the cliff that you just walked under. The middle "pools" are the streams that form the waterfalls.

LOWER EMERALD POOLS: The trail makes its way along a tall alcove under two tall waterfalls and the pools below. 

UPPER EMERALD POOL: The final stretch is a sandy quarter mile to get to the final pool at the base of the 300-foot cliffs above. Most of the time, you can usually see a faint waterfall coming from the mouth of Heaps Canyon far above. But not today.

Standing above lower pools.

Pioneer Park

Across the highway north of St George is the 52 acre Pioneer Park popular with rock climbers and mountain bikers. But it gave us an easy 5 mile walk above the city and plenty of picture taking options.

Tortoises are hibernating right now but are protected when they are out and about march thru December.