Elevation gain: 1,300 ft (From 8,750ft to 10,050ft)
Distance: 3.1 miles, loop (Note the 2 ends of the loop are about a half mile apart)
Difficulty: Moderate ++, depending upon your fitness level and altitude acclimation, most of the incline is packed into the 1st mile either way you go.
This wonderful panoramic trail was the vision of former Forest Service Recreation Manager Jud Wiebe and it is indeed a vision—from the panoramic view of Telluride below, the mountains beyond, the aspen groves, the foresty vibes, and the wildflowers sprinkled along the trail. You’ll be breathless from the beauty and the thin air.
Ps. There’s a short offshoot waterfall trail here that’s a must do too. Post coming soon.
Getting there: S. Take UT-46 E, CO-90 E and CO-145 S to N Aspen St in Telluride
Lovely Lower Calf Falls, Grand Staircase Escalante, UT
Distance: 6 miles
Elevation: ~500 ft
Difficulty: Easy (with a fair amount of thick sand walking)
Highlights: 126-foot cascade into a shallow pool, giant petroglyphs in the distance
I was fortunate to return to Lower Calf Creek Falls in Autumn, and it was spectacular! Traces from the season’s first snow accented the gorgeous Fall colors and seeing the waterfall framed in golden leaves was glorious. So much beauty! And thankfully, with the cold, wet weather, there were only a handful of people on the trail. Can’t imagine a better way to experience this magical place!
As you can see, this amazing gem is definitely worth a visit. Lower Calf Falls cascades over a nearly vertical cliff face into a large pool that is enclosed on three sides by sheer Navajo sandstone walls. Pick up an interpretive pamphlet at the trailhead to learn about the flora along the trail and giant petroglyphs in the distance (too far in the distance to get a good pic).
Summer Slide Show
Without question, Grand Staircase Escalante is National Park caliber and deserves to be preserved and protected. Stay tuned for more posts on this area!
Notes: This is a very popular destination for obvious reasons. Go early / late to avoid the crowds. Off-season in stormy weather will deliver more solitude.
Soapbox: If you bring pets, please pick up their poop! This trail (single track in many spots) and the falls’ area are small and quickly becoming overrun and overused. One fellow watched me watching him after his Labrador left a big poop pile on the trail. He took out a poop bag, and then when I turned away, he tucked the bag back in his pocket and left the steaming pile! ARRRGH! No respect for fellow hikers or nature. They should permit this hike, at least on weekends, and fine those who litter and leave their dog’s poop. Don’t get me started about the imbeciles who bag poop and then leave the full bag. I can’t get my head around people who go somewhere to enjoy nature’s beauty and then defile it.
Getting there: Highway 12 to the BLM-managed Calf Creek Recreation Area. The parking lot has limited parking. Go early, or you may have to park along the highway.
Difficulty: Moderate to hard, depending on your fitness level and route-finding skills
Highlights: Forest, meadow, wildflowers, rock gardens, peaks with panoramic views
Terrain: At times sandy, rocky, sooty, deadfall hopping, and scrambly fun
I found the Gardner Peak Trail in Pine Valley quite grand. Indeed, it may be my new favorite Pine Valley hike. The Gardner Peak Trail delivers on several levels—it’s varied and interesting all the way to the top. It’s a steady, but fairly gentle climb (2k) through forest, through nature’s rock gardens, through a meadow, (and a recent burn area), and on up to a couple of peaks—2 rocky and the one, eponymous, taller tree-lined Gardner. Pick a peak, any peak, and play. Plenty of grippy, rock scrambling opportunities. The panoramic views are a delightful reward as well. The trail is easy to follow and trail run-able until you get to mile 3. After that, all bets are off. It quickly becomes a route-finding (or create your own route) obstacle -course challenge through deadfall, boulders, scratchy shrubs, and more. If you don’t have a Garmin or All Trails, you might settle for the beautiful “false peak” rock outcropping with panoramic views a I did my first time through.
Second time is a charm of sorts. Went back to find the “real peak” —this time with my friend and extraordinary explorumentary blogger, Sue Birnbaum and her husband, who were nice enough to guide me and my friend Robin to Gardner Peak. It’s another mile or so from the false peak and about 800 feet higher. It involves some serious scrambling, deadfall and boulder obstacle course maneuvering, and some fancy footwork. Fun times for sure. (No major exposure or technical areas per se.) Would I do it again? Not so sure. There aren’t any panoramic views from the peak so when I do the hike next, I’ll be shooting for my preferred false peak – see slide show above. I did sign in to make the peak bag official. Interestingly enough, we came across another sign in “station”—one with rock mound around a encapsulated plastic container of old loose pages- – the other with an intact notebook. So I guess that makes 2 false peaks-lol. The next slide show is from my Gardner Peak take 2 . Extra bonus—lots of wildflowers from the recent rains and little Zen streams along the way. Nice to see the area green and thriving after the past fire.
Notes: If you’re going to the peak, I suggest using a GPS or the AllTrails app. Also, be sure to check out Sue’s blog for more detailed notes on this hike. Your feet and ankles might be happier in hiking boots. If you’re peak-bound, pants are recommended to spare the skin on your legs from scratches, scars, and impalement from errant branches, rocks, foreign objects – you get the idea. Mine looked like I had a brawl with a mountain lion and it won. If you have tender knees, a pole or 2 might come in handy on the descent. Dogs & horses are allowed.
At about .75 the Gardner Peak trail connects with the Canal Trail, which is both run-able and mountain bike-able.
Distance: ~8-10 Miles Out & Back ~16-20 Total Difficulty: Easy Terrain: Flat, friendly(pine-needle cushy single-track) Usage: Hikers, mountain bikers horses, leashed dogs Caution: Cougar and bear country
If you’re in the Port Angeles area, a visit to lovely Lake Crescent is a must do. It just a scenic 20-mile drive out of town. There you’ll find a delightful trail that meanders along the shore and through the forest on a pine-needle path lined with ferns. This is the splendid Spruce Railroad Trail, great for hiking, running, or mountain biking.
The trail is part of the 134-mile-long Olympic Discovery Trail, a mountain bike-able route that crosses the northern part of the Olympic Peninsula. The trail follows the former Port Angeles Western Railroad route.
The trail begins with a short paved section. Scenic views of Barnes Point and Mount Storm King (post coming soon) loom above the lake.
At ~ 2.5 miles in, you’ll traverse a short bridge and have a gander at the spectacular, “Punch bowl” of Lake Crescent—crystal clear as far 40 feet down.
Spent a lovely morning exploring this spectacularly scenic Snow Canyon State Park near St. George, Utah. With dramatic, diverse scenery everywhere you turn, this park does not disappoint. If this epic landscape seems vaguely familiar, it’s because it was the backdrop for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Electric Horseman, and Jeremiah Johnson..
This 7,400 acre park has everything from black lava flows with tubes that you can crawl into to red rock and sandstone cliffs that you can scramble up. Here you’ll find 38 miles of hiking trails, a 3 mile paved trail, technical climbing (170 designated sport routes) and ~15 miles of equestrian trails. If that’s not enough for ya, there’s some mountain biking and road biking with great climbs here too. Oh, and there’s also a 33 unit campground.
Wildflowers, black lava rocks, and stunning red cliff vistas
Photo Credit: Ken Wells captured this spot much better than I did.
Into the lava tubes
Amazing textures
On top of the world in Snow Canyon
My attempt at dancer pose – a long way to go, I know
Black lava rocks, desert vegetation, and white sandstone cliffs – oh my!
The park is actually inside of the 62k acre Red Cliffs Desert Reserve that I romped around on my first day in town. Note, these areas are all exposed so not recommended in the summer heat. Be sure to bring water, sunscreen, and a hat.
I just had time for a quick stroll as I’d already visited Gunlock State Park earlier in the morning and still had more sights to see and things to do. (Mountain bike ride planned for the afternoon.) The trail I took by the lava flows was more suited to a stroll versus hiking at pace or trail running due to the sharp rocks. Not sure if all the trails in the park are like this, or if it’s just near the lava flows. If you’ve been here and hiked around let me know. Otherwise, I’ll update on my next trip to St, George.
You know me, trying to pack as much into my short Utah road trip as possible.
On the Loose Live 