Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
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Grand Wash Capitol Reef National Park, Utah |
October 13, 2018
Best of the Best Tour: Day-5
Having just completed a trek up to the wonderful Hickman Natural Bridge, Gary and I will finish the day with a canyon exploration similar to what we did yesterday over at Capitol Gorge. The difference is that today we actually can drive all the way to the trailhead.
Getting started
Mini-arch
Into the wash
Around the next corner is the trail up to the huge Cassidy Arch. It's an
outstanding destination, but I already did that on Hike #239.
A hiker points to a formation above us and identifies it:
The Crocodile
Plugging on
Squeezing through
Interesting
I don't need any help identifying the next one:
The Anaconda
Sheer canyon walls are beautiful
Approaching the narrows
The walls are closing in
Nice patterns
The wash is opening up again
No more narrows. Pshaw. Continuing for another half-mile or so
would get us to the other end of the wash, which terminates right at
Highway-24. That's not an exciting destination, however; so Gary and I opt
to turn around here.
End of the line for us
Shortly after starting back, a ranger passes us, walking up the wash itself instead of on the side trail.
That looks like the woman I spoke to earlier at the Visitor Center
Back into the narrows
Up ahead, Dad is letting his three very young kids do their thing.
That's what I was doing, 73 years ago
The ranger is back, and it is the same one I had spoken to earlier at the Visitor Center, about the road conditions over at Capitol Gorge. She must have turned around near the far end of the narrows.
On her lunch break. What a deal.
After leaving the slot, it's just a slog from here.
It isn't long before we are back at the trailhead ourselves.
Finishing up
§: Well, this was a bucket-list item, and I'm glad that I did it; but as
canyon walks go, this one was unremarkable. All of my other hikes in this park
have been much nicer.
If all you desire is an introduction to slot canyons, it would be much shorter to start
this one at the other end, at Highway-24.
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