Moab, Goosenecks State Park, and the Grand Gulch, Utah - Biking and Hiking

Rob and I headed down to the Moab area Thursday afternoon for a weekend of biking and hiking to celebrate his birthday. Because it was a random Thursday, I didn't expect we'd have a difficult time finding a camping spot along the Colorado. Of course I was wrong. I should have know better - the crowds flock to my peaceful desert during those few months between the extreme heat and the extreme cold. Luckily we explored a place called Onion Creek a few years ago and remembered that there were some camping spots not too far up the road. We had the place to ourselves Thursday night- everything worked out perfectly. We always camp by the Colorado, and while nice and convenient, it's right by the road and not very peaceful. The spot we found was dark, quiet, and right next to the creek. The sound of running water is so relaxing. Sometimes I have a hard time sleeping on camping trips because I'm too busy enjoying the experience to waste it on sleep.


Onion Creek in the morning

Looking toward Fisher Towers from Onion Creek

After our traditional breakfast at Eklectic Cafe in Moab, we got the bikes ready for a ride through Castle Valley and into the La Sal Mountains. The weather had changed overnight, and the usual hot, sunny weather of Moab in June was replaced with cool temperatures, gusty winds, and cloudy skies. The cooler temperatures were nice, but the gusty winds made for a brutal bike ride. We started at the road leading into Castle Valley (my future retirement home!) and headed east towards the La Sal Mountains. We average about 6 miles per hour as we ascended the La Sals with a stiff headwind. It felt like we had ridden 50 miles, but after about 15 miles we were exhausted. We had climbed 3,8000 feet from our starting point and the view of Castle Valley far below was amazing. The ride back to the car was all downhill, and with a strong tailwind those 15 miles flew by in what seemed like a matter of minutes. We rewarded ourselves with some tasty beer by the Colorado River.


Getting ready to ride into Castle Valley

Rob riding through Castle Valley

Rob biking in the La Sal Mountains

Taking a break in the La Sal Mountains

Colorado River and Fisher Towers in a thundershower

After relaxing a bit in Moab, we headed south to camp at Goosenecks State Park near Mexican Hat. The wind had gotten stronger all day and I was a little worried that camping was going to be an unpleasant experience on Friday night. We managed to get the tent set up near the canyon rim (with the help of large rocks to keep the tent from blowing away). The stormy sunset was unbelievable. Cooking in the windstorm was near impossible, but after getting in the tent for the night the wind began to die down and the nearly full moon made an appearance. It was peaceful and quiet late into the night.

Camping near the canyon

The bikes at sunset

Beautiful sunset at Goosenecks State Park

Goosenecks State Park

Goosenecks State Park

The next morning we headed north to the Grand Gulch - a large canyon that drains into Lake Powell and is full of Ancestral Puebloan ruins and artifacts. You could spend weeks or months exploring this area, but we planned a quick day trip into the gulch to see the famous Big Man pictograph panel. Rob drive his car as far as he could on the rough road (almost to the trail head) and then we set off across the plateau. The Grand Gulch appears suddenly and the flat terrain falls into the deep canyon. The hike through the Gulch was beautiful with lots of green cottonwood trees and patches of water. It's easy to see why the Grand Gulch was such a popular place for the Ancestral Puebloans. Along the way we saw a few small ruins high on the canyon walls. After a couple miles we reached the Big Man pictograph panel and spent a long time enjoying the peaceful canyon and the beautiful rock art.


Small ruin in the Grand Gulch

A ruin near the canyon rim

Big Man pictograph panel

Big Man pictograph panel

Cedar Mesa near the Grand Gulch

We decided to camp at Natural Bridges National Monument instead of staying near the Grand Gulch because the wind was so strong and there was a lot of blowing dust. Of course Natural Bridges was full, so we ended up finding a nice site nearby on BLM land. We were surrounded by a nice forest and a pretty canyon where we watched the sun set.

Rob setting up camp

Rob watching the sun set

Watching the sun set near our camp for Saturday night

We took our time heading back to Salt Lake on Sunday. We spent some time near the spot where the Colorado flows into Lake Powell, and then a brief stop in quaint little Hanksville for some food.

Bridge over the Colorado

Dirty Devil River and Colorado River merge

Canyonlands National Park - Needles District, Utah - Backpacking

The perfect day in the desert starts long before sunrise at Dead Horse Point State Park. It's easy to wake up at this hour because sleep was intermittent at best all night. It's hard to sleep with a full moon shining like a spotlight into the tent. Besides, who wants to sleep through such a beautiful night? The neighbors in the camp site next door are stirring and making a lot of noise - they have the same plan in mind.


Walking to Dead Horse Point from the campsite

Dawn must be the desert's favorite time of the day - everything seems peaceful and content. Just enough light to see the beautiful canyons in every direction but dark enough to see the setting moon and dimming stars and planets. No wind. No noise. No heat. Everything seems to silently waiting for the inevitable - the scorching sun of another July day in the desert. It doesn't take long for the sun to make it's appearance over the canyon and even less time for the temperature to spike from cool to hot. It's amazing that such a common, regular event can feel so momentous.


The sun rising over Dead Horse Point

Sunrise at Dead Horse Point

Looking into the canyon after sunrise

The shadow of Dead Horse Point

The perfect day in the desert continues in Moab, at a hole in the wall cafe with funky art, great vegan food, and customers speaking every language but English. Europeans pay good money to get to the Moab area, while many Utahns ignore this amazing place right in their own backyards.


Breakfast at Eklectic Cafe in Moab

The perfect day in the deserts means getting to Canyonlands National Park - Needles Distrcit and finding nearly every backcountry permit available for the entire park, including the coveted Chesler Park 4 spot. The intense heat, while making backpacking a challenge, also keeps the riff-raff out. An occasional car of French or German tourists stops and it's occupants climb out. After a few seconds they exchange very, very concerned looks. A few pictures are snapped and they crawl back into their air conditoned car. Peace returns.


Me in the Needles

The Needles

The Needles

Elephant Canyon

Our tent in Chesler Park

The perfect day in the desert means experiencing what it's like to hike in a furnace. Your bag of water, such a simple thing, is now the difference between life and death. You feel like you are wandering through an alien world where you don't belong. The reward is absolute solitude with incredible scenery. Seeing a sight that few people get to experience makes the challenge worth it.


Druid Arch

Druid Arch

The perfect day in the desert ends without a sunset to compliment the morning sunrise. Instead, the small amount of moisture along with the intense heat of the day combine to create a few thunderstorms that slowly crawl across the deeper canyons in the distance. Just far enough away to keep the lightning and floods over someone else, but close enough to put on an amazing show while you eat your dinner. Later that night, the desert reminds you that the beauty can mask the danger by rattling your nerves just a bit. Benign this time, but maybe not next time. Gusty winds carrying a sandblast into the tent. Lightning flashing overhead. A big spider on the tent. A few drops of rain.

Southern Utah - Hiking and Camping

I spent Thanksgiving weekend camping and hiking in southeast Utah with Rob. We covered a lot of ground and managed to see Fisher Towers, Onion Creek, Moab, Valley of the Gods, Goosenecks State Park, Natural Bridges National Monument, and Capitol Reef National Park. I'll be asking Santa for a winter sleeping bag and tent because waking up covered in frost just isn't my thing. Aside from the cold, it was an awesome trip.