The hills and gullies between Barnhartvale and Juniper mostly have no names, except for Sunrise (Middle) Mountain and the Rio mountain bike trail. A series of trails starts at the end of Uplands-McLeod Road in Barnhartvale and leads west to gullies and ridges. A couple of older double tracks are now complemented by some newer single tracks and various combinations … Continue reading…
In the northwest corner of Zion National Park is an area of easy access to a cluster of hiking trails in canyons. Highway 15 connects St. George and Cedar City. A signed pulloff goes to a National Park entrance (pass required) and a road winds up through the hills, with several designated parking areas at viewpoints and trailheads. Two hikes … Continue reading…
The Narrows is one of the most famous "hikes" on the continent. For day-hikers, it starts at the end of the road. The Zion Canyon bus stops at the Temple of the Sinawava. A trail continues on in the narrowing canyon. At the end of the paved trail, any further progress is in the Virgin River. About 2/3 of the … Continue reading…
The Angels’ Landing Trail in Zion stands apart from other trails in many ways. First of all, it is very popular and it can have hordes of people going up to Scouts’ Landing. It is one of those trails that is a rite of passage, one from the Bucket List. Second, the route is surprising, engineered to provide a trail … Continue reading…
Mukuntuweap National Moument become Zion National Park in 1919. Part of the Colorado Plateau, the park's forested northern areas sit at 8700 feet and descend southward to the mouth of Zion Canyon at 3700 feet. From the Kolob Plateau, canyons descend to the rocky desert below. The deepest and widest canyons become the access routes among the bare rock cliffs, … Continue reading…
In the early spring this route has many seasonal marshes and ponds. Ducks and grassland birds can be seen along the whole route, 3.7 km each way. In the fall, aspen trees and edge of forest shrubs color the landscape. In winter, the ponds are frozen over, but the open grasslands makes a scenic route with broad views across the … Continue reading…
A series of tracks between Lac du Bois Road and Mount Mara can be linked up to create a hiking or biking loop. It is an area best suited to shoulder-season since there are no trees and can be very hot in summer. There are a number of junctions to interpret so it takes a couple of outings to recognize … Continue reading…
Without question, this hike is our favorite for 2012, and that is saying something. In this year, we also hiked the Kalalau Trail, Cirque Peak, Mount Temple, Angels’ Landing, Zion Narrows, Needle Peak, Assiniboine, Gibraltar on Jedediah Island, Waimea Rim Trail, and other wonderful routes. But the Fairyland Loop is as close to perfect as we can expect. It is … Continue reading…
The most hiked trail below the rim of Bryce Canyon is the Queen's Garden Trail, and for good reason. The trail starts at Sunrise Point and then drops 300 feet to gullies and ridges within the maze of hoodoos. Some of the route is cut through tunnels under the ridges, some sections wind down forested gullies, and new features are … Continue reading…
Even after reading the books beforehand, everything about Bryce Canyon surprised us. It is high and remote. If not for the road section on Highway 12 through Red Canyon, we would have found the route through the Dixie Forest unimpressive. Even after leaving Red Canyon, the high plateau is simply meadows and forest. Not until you reach the actual brink … Continue reading…
A single track route has been in place all the way from Peterson Creek to Barnhartvale for many years, long before the first house was built in Juniper. The west end has a piece of private land and fences, so it is less used. The eastern end now has a gravel pit and a private home to steer around, but … Continue reading…
Few people know about this excellent trail system in Barnhartvale. About 12 km of trails can be found just off Barnhartvale Road. The lower trails are in the open grasslands on double tracks. The upper trails wind through the forest. All trails are marked with numbered signs. On the snow, we hiked the main Bunchgrass Trail (#1), then veered off … Continue reading…
Our area doesn't have many well-established snowshoe trails. Sun Peaks has developed some trails (link), but we find these trails so stomped in that they become hard-packed hiking trails. Put the snowshoes away unless you arrive right after a snowfall. Overlander Ski Club has also established 8km of trails in the Stake Lake system. Overlander Ski Club and the Kamloops … Continue reading…
On the first day of hiking on the snow, we chose to climb Sunrise Mountain, sometimes called Middle Mountain. This steep ridge looms over the west side of Barnhartvale. It can be hiked from different starting points, but the classic route is on a good single track from the north side. From Todd Road, turn onto Ronde Lane and park … Continue reading…
For many years, we hiked in behind the University, following the bench as it wound through the hills above Mission Flats. Most of this trail was a single track following the edge of the fence line. It led to the gully and up the other side to the slopes of Mount Dufferin, coming around three sides of the bunker property. … Continue reading…
I have been hiking the area above Pineview Valley for 35 years. In the 1970s, there was little development below and the Pineview Valley had a horse corral at the top of what is now Copperhead Drive and Python Lake sat in a bowl on the east side. The double tracks went up the hill above, access routes from one … Continue reading…