South Willow Lake - Deseret Peak Wilderness, Utah - Hiking

With a hot, dry weekend in store for Salt Lake City, Shawn and I decided to make a quick overnight camping trip to the Deseret Peak Wilderness to cool off in the higher elevations.  We left Salt Lake on Saturday morning and headed west for the 1 hour drive to Grantsville, UT.  Leaving Grantsville, we made our way up South Willow Canyon Road, looking for a camping spot along the way.  Despite the fact that there were many campgrounds along the road, we found all of them to be completely full.  After chatting with a ranger, we learned that many people were camping from the previous night and would be departing by early afternoon.  We found a nice camp site in the Loop Campground and confirmed that the occupants were leaving. We paid our camping fee and wandered off the enjoy beer by the river while we waited for our site to clear.  We set up camp by mid afternoon and spent the rest of the day and evening relaxing by a beautiful campfire and enjoying great food.  We decided to wake up well before sunrise the next morning to hike to South Willow Lake.  In the cool darkness of early morning we set off, watching the sun illuminate the surrounding canyon as it rose.

Hiking to South Willow Lake

The views were truly spectacular as we made our way from the Deseret Peak trail head to an open valley full of lush grasses and wildflowers.  It felt like a scene from Switzerland.  Patches of snow clung to the rocks below Deseret Peak, and cascading streams of snowmelt crossed our path several times.

Columbine

Remaining patches of snow

Fields of wildflowers

Deseret Peak

We made our way over a ridge and into an adjacent valley containing South Willow Lake.  The views continued to be spectacular, and even larger streams of snowmelt crashed down from above.  We reached our destination after about 3.5 miles and spent an hour relaxing at gorgeous South Willow Lake, just thawing out from a long, cold winter.

Just below South Willow Lake

South Willow Lake

South Willow Lake

Shawn at South Willow Lake

South Willow Lake

Cedar Mountain Recreation Area, Utah - Camping

With springtime arriving in the Utah desert and excellent weather expected for the upcoming weekend, Tim and Brett invited me to join them for a quick camping trip to the San Rafael Swell.  We left Salt Lake City on Friday afternoon and made our way south, passing through Price and Wellington before exiting the highway near Woodside.  We headed west on the Green River Cutoff Road with no specific destination in mind.  An interesting rock formation caught Tim's eye, and after some debate, we decided to check it out.  Just above a rocky wash, with excellent views of Chimney Rock, we set up camp.  The view to our southeast was open desert, all the way to Green River.  We were surrounded by silence, far from pavement and other people.

Camping near Chimney Rock

Before sunset, we explored the wash that cut through the rocks just below our campsite.  A few places had characteristics of a slot canyon, with smooth, water carved waves of sandstone.

Exploring the wash below Chimney Rock

Water carved stone

Looking east from camp at sunset

Brett and Tim at camp

The wind really picked up during the night, but the morning was calm and sunny when I awoke.  The sun felt strong, and signs of spring were everywhere.  I love knowing that winter is over.  After breakfast in the sunshine, we decided to hike up the wash and explore the area above Chimney Rock.  Wildflowers were abundant and made for a striking contrast to the rugged landscape.

Dwarf Evening Primrose

Paintbrush

Hiking around Chimney Rock

Hiking around Chimney Rock

Tim above Chimney Rock

Enjoying the warm desert sunshine

Whipple's  Fishhook

Claretcup

After a few hours of hiking around Chimney Rock, we headed back to camp to relax.  The stillness of the desert, the complete lack of sound, is one of my favorite aspects of camping.  The warm sunshine after a long, cold winter, adds another level of perfection to the experience.

Camping with a view

We packed up camp on Sunday morning and headed back to Salt Lake.  Along the way, we stopped to view some roadside petroglyphs.  Farther north, we took the scenic route through Huntington Canyon where winter was still lingering.

Molen Reef Snake

Petroglyphs at Molen Reef

Molen Reef Snake

Ouray, Colorado - Hiking

After leaving Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park on Thursday morning, we made the drive south through the towns of Montrose and Ridgway on the way to Ouray.  I've enjoyed blog postings on boxcanyonblog.blogspot.com about the town of Ouray and the beautiful surroundings, and it seemed liked the perfect destination to end our Colorado trip and enjoy an epic 4th of July celebration.

Ouray, Colorado

We arrived before our room was ready at the Hot Springs Inn, so we decided to check out two waterfalls in close proximity to the town.  The short hike into Box Canyon Waterfall was incredible - the thunderous roar of the partially hidden waterfall shook the entire canyon.  A trail leading across the "high bridge" over Box Canyon provides spectacular views and a case of vertigo for anyone uneasy with heights.  The hike to Cascade Falls, visible from Main Street, was also quick and provided access to the base of the falls.

Box Canyon Waterfall

View from the bridge over Box Canyon

Cascade Falls

We planned Friday to be our hiking day and we were overwhelmed with the choices available in the Ouray area.  Mt. Sneffels, a famous 14er near Ouray, seemed particularly awesome, but we figured it was too early in the season and we weren't equipped with good snow climbing gear.  Roger picked the hike to Ice Lake and we headed south on Friday morning to the trailhead near South Mineral Campground between Ouray and Silverton.  We were greeted with low clouds and rain as we began the hike, but no lightning to turn us back.  The trail emerged from the pine forest into a grassy meadow filled with flowers, waterfalls, and patches of snow.

Rainy hike to Ice Lake

Waterfalls in every direction on the way to Ice Lake

Columbines on the way to Ice Lake

As we reached Ice Lake, just under 4 miles from the trailhead, the skies began to clear.  The scenery was quintessential Colorado - absolutely spectacular.  We spent quite a bit of time at the lake enjoying the sunshine and the spectacular views before heading back down the trail.  Along the way, we were passed by a parade a backpackers heading up to the lake.  I imagine it was quite a crowd up at Ice Lake for the 4th of July weekend, and the campgrounds around the trailhead were overflowing when we returned.

Approaching Ice Lake

Approaching Ice Lake

We made it to Ice Lake

Ice Lake - full of ice

Views around Ice Lake

River crossing on the Ice Lake Trail

We had a good dinner at one of the livelier places on Main Street, the Ouray Brewery, and I was particularly excited about the quart sized beer cans available for purchase - the perfect size for post-adventure refreshment.  Wholesome Roger is not interested in beer, but he could not resist the sweet temptations of Mouse's Chocolates across the street!

Hiking reward

The 4th of July is a big deal in Ouray, like Christmas Day in Whoville.  The day started with a fundraising pancake breakfast and the Ourayce 10K, followed by a parade and water fights in the street, music in the park, and a great fireworks display to finish off the evening.  It was a fun way to celebrate the 4th of July and a fantastic finish to our trip through Colorado.

Finishing the Ourayce 10K

Happy Birthday America and Roger!

Ouray 4th of July parade

Ouray 4th of July parade

Ouray water fights

Ouray water fights

Ouray water fights

Albion Basin, Utah - Hiking

The wildflowers of northern Utah have been spectacular this year.  One of the more popular places to view the colorful array of flowers is in Albion Basin at Alta ski resort, although the flowers have been equally spectacular all over Big and Little Cottonwoods Canyons.  Huge crowds have packed  the trails each weekend near Alta as many of the hikes are short and offer easy access to the fields of wildflowers.  Roger and I had a few hours on Saturday morning and did a quick hike through the basin and up to Catherine's Pass before the crowds got too thick.  Time was short and we didn't make it to Sunset Peak, but the views along the way were excellent nonetheless.

Albion Basin wildflowers

Splitleaf Paintbrush

Paintbrush

Sunflower

Lupine

Fireweed