Lake Powell/Navajo Bridge/North Rim/Kolob Canyon
We went to the Wahweap Area to see Lake Powell from the western side. Returning we stopped at the Carl Hayden Visitor Center to check out the dam and the Old Spanish Trail (OST) info. I have gotten real interested in the OST whose starting point is Sante Fe, NM and whose ending point is Los Angeles. We got a cancellation for the trail there based on the Crossing of the Fathers now under the waters of Lake Powell. Think about how you would get wagons from Sante Fe to L.A. if there were no bridges or ferries and you had to negotiate the Green and/or Colorado rivers and avoid the Grand Canyon and other canyons. I bought things I would not normally buy but AZ is being boycotted by the law-breaker sympathizers.
We could have spent several days in Page. There are water cruises, trails and many sights to see. A boat cruise to Rainbow Bridges would have been nice. Those with boats would love it here. Based on our time, I wanted to get underway because I hoped our schedule would allow us to go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon - we had spent a little time at the South Rim years earlier. So we headed south on Hwy 89 to access Marble Canyon so we could cross the Colorado at the Navajo Bridge on Hwy 89A. At the Vermilion (sure wasn't a Cajun that named this one) Cliffs Visitor Center just past the Navajo Bridge, we saw a California Condor. Neat! Neat! They are usually there in numbers in the spring.
Then off we went to the junction of US 89A and Hwy 67. We decided we had time for the one-hour trip to the North Rim. Whew!! So we drove toward the rim looking for wildlife but only saw trees and meadows. And as you would expect, we saw aspens. We checked out the Grand Canyon Lodge at the North Rim. It was one of Underwood's creations but was rebuilt after it burned. Now back to US 89A we were behind schedule because the side trip to the North Rim cost us 3 hours. So we skipped Pipe Springs NM and the OST cancellation that I could have gotten there. But I had Kolob Canyon in the northern part of Zion NP on my mind. We had done the southern park of the park with The Narrows experience but had not done Kolob Canyon in the northern part of the park. So we went through Hurricane, then LaVerkin, then I15 to Kolob. We did the Timber Creek Overlook Trail. I think we saw aspen but not sure since we seemed to see them everywhere. Anyway, the elevation was such that we saw the usual high-elevation trees and it was reasonably cool.
As we left the park for Cedar City, we felt like we had seen a lot in our 2,000+ trek through eastern Nevada, southern Utah and northern AZ.
The next day we drove the 290 miles up I15 to the airport area. We did a side trip to the Great Salt Lake Park (Marina) to walk out near the water where we experienced a strange feeling there for sure. Then we drove to the airport to turn in our H3. The trip home was uneventful until we hit the rain at DFW which cause a 1.5 hr delay getting into Monroe.
In summary:
We decided that Great Basin, Bryce Canyon and Arches were tied as our favorites. Then came Canyonlands followed by Capitol Reef. Our trip started in cool weather at Great Basin, Cedar Breaks and Bryce. Then it heated up the rest of the way until we hit the North Rim and Kolob. The most unexpected was seeing aspen each day except the Arches day. Had we gone to the nearby La Sal Mountains, we could have had a 7-day streak.
Things we regret:
Did not spend enough time in Great Basin;
Did not hike to Rock glacier at Great Basin (a little to far);
Did not do Lexington Arch at Great Basin (inaccessible);
Did not take bristlecone trail in Cedar Breaks(no time);
Did not get to do the Wall Street Trail(closed) at Bryce;
Did not ride the donkeys to Peekaboo Trail (no time);
Did not finish the Scenic Drive at Capitol Reef(rain);
Did not make the 3-mile hike to Delicate Arch(senior frailty);
Did not take the Fiery Furnace Tour(waited too late for tickets);
Did not go to Dead Horse Point SP(ignorance);
Did not walk the Mesa Arch Trail in Canyonlands - Island in the Sky;
Did not make the 11-mile hike to the confluence of Green & Colorado;
Did not take boat trip to Rainbow Bridges at Lake Powell (or any boat);
Did not go to Lake Powell Museum in Page(no time);
Did not go to Lee's Ferry(no time);
Did not stop at Pipe Springs NM(no time);
Did not spend more time at the North Rim(Kolob).
Other than the above, I think we did and saw a lot for just 6-days of viewing. After all, we now speak Wahweap and have a Moki swagger.
When we got back, someone had sent me a photo of The Wave, AZ. I had never heard of it. When I used the internet to check it out I found that it was in the Vermilion Bluffs N.M. where we had just left. I was sick until I found out how inaccessible it was and that one needed a GPS reading to find it since there is no trail. Bing (internet search) 'The Wave, AZ' to see this remarkable site. There are many other wonderous sights in and around this area.
Hopefully, if you are visiting any of these areas, our experiences will help to form your itinerary so you can do it better than we did.
Bill & Marilyn
