170. Natural Beauty around Kanab, UT

Kanab is a small town situated in the “Grand circle” area. Nearby attractions include Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. I have been there before, briefly. It is such an amazing area that I even considered this time to rent an apartment or a room so that I could spend more time there.

Well, actually, I am now glad I didn’t stay there as I originally thought. Not because the area isn’t wonderful, but due to lack of good road leading to those areas! Most of the areas are so remote and wild, it requires a four-wheel drive to get in. “Even a four-wheel drive may get in trouble”, a ranger at the visitor center said as he shook his head looking at my car. The roads are mostly muddy or icy. It is really a shame. Even from far, I can imagine how spectacular the areas are. “The Wave”, one of very famous natural wonders in the southwest, is amongst the area, yet too far away for me to reach.

The pictures here are taken from the side of the road, not too far away from Kanab.

PS. my photo website: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/qing-yang.html

169. No Snow in Snow Canyon State Park

Located at the southwest corner of Utah, Snow Canyon is one of my favorite state parks in the country (the very first one on my list is Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada —  http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/qing-yang.html?tab=artworkgalleries&artworkgalleryid=271289).

I am not so sure why it is named as “Snow Canyon” since it hardly ever snows over there. I have been there a couple of times before, yet I still can’t resist the urge of going there again this time. Needless to say, I had a great time, spending a whole day hiking everywhere in this amazing park with colorful rocks.

168. Unexpected wonder: Angel Canyon Road

Angel Canyon Rd is about five miles north of Kanab on UT-89. I didn’t know anything about this area as I was just passing by. However, when I saw the colorful rocky wilderness, even without seeing a name for the place, I decided to take a look.

I drove as far as there was pavement and then started walking along the dirt road. As you can see from the pictures, it is actually a pretty amazing place. I have only hiked for several hours, most walked along the dirt road, only once in a while went off road. However, it you have a four wheel drive, there are a number of trail off the main road.

In UT, it seems common that you can find pretty spectacular area without a name. I guess there are simply too many wonderful spots in this state to give every single one a proper name.

PS. my photo website: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/qing-yang.html

 

 

 

167. Amazing Kodachrome Basin State Park!

Kodachrome Basin is a stunning State Park only about 25 miles away from Bryce Canyon National Park. Probably for this same reason, not many people visit this state park, me included. Although I have been to Bryce several times, only during this trip, I was able to venture into this lesser known state park.

I have got to say first, don’t judge this park based on my pictures here! It was such a foggy, cloudy day that I don’t have a single good shot. In fact, I debated whether I should post it without any good photo. Obviously I made up my mind – I am telling you, rather than showing you that it is an astonishing place which truly worth your attention and definitely will make you in awe if you get a chance to be there. With all the odd rock formations (67 monolithic stone spires), it is a place will make you feel you are on another planet, certainly I did.

Also, if you are looking for solitude, most likely you will find it there. The day I visited, I didn’t see another human being, not while I hiked more than 10 miles there, not even in the parking lot! No one, absolute no one was there. I guess, I was a little “crazy” to hike at temperature below 20. 🙂 It was so cold that I only felt a little warmer when I was close to finish the hike after several hours. Amazing place, though, well worth to brave the cold!

PS. my photo website: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/qing-yang.html

166. Rocky Magical Land: Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon is another favorite National Park of mine. Since it is only an hour and a half away from Zion, I have been to both places the same number of time (this is my fourth). However, since Bryce is in much higher altitude, it is so much colder than Zion. It dropped to lower teens in the morning while I was there. The cold weather forced me to spend less time in this amazing rocky wonderland. I am not a big fan of freezing temperature. 🙂

Yet, I still managed to hike a couple of days there. The trails were snow packed. It wasn’t so bad if it was just snow. But as people walked on it, some places became very icy. A loop trail combined with “Queens Garden” and “Navajo” is the most popular trail in the park. With extravagant rock formations, hoodoos and pinnacles, it is named “the most beautiful 3 miles of trail on earth”! I have hiked this trail once in the summer many years ago, then partially in the winter a few years back.

This time, as much as I tried, I made another partial hike. The trail is a piece of cake in warm days. However, with icy snow, it was a totally different story. I walked down from one end until it was too steep and too slippery. Not willing to give up, once I hiked up, I tried to hike from the opposite direction. Same condition, it was very slippery. But by then I was about a mile into the trail. The stunning rock formations were already made me in awe and quenched the hunger of my camera. 🙂

More than half of the pictures posted here were taken from this loop trail at sunset.

 

 

165. Dixie National Forest in Red Canyon

Dixie National Forest is the largest national forest in Utah, occupying almost two million acres and stretching for about 170 miles. What I am posting here is from a small but amazing part of the National Forest. Red Canyon is only a little more than 10 miles northwest of Bryce Canyon National Park which has strikingly similar landscapes. In fact, the first time I was there, I thought this was part of Bryce Canyon.

I only had a little more than half a day to hike in the area as I only planned to stay two days in the area. I had to spend more time in Bryce Canyon (coming soon).

On my day leaving the area, though, I got up early in the morning. It was still completely dark when I reached the Red Canyon. I was hoping to capture some sunrise pictures, even though the forecast wasn’t favorable. But who knows? The weathermen are known to be wrong, more than once or twice. I was willing to take the chance.

I waited, anxiously, in the dark, for half an hour. The sun did come up! Through cracks of dark clouds, it shone brightly on only very small area of the rocks (title picture). It was so pretty! The color of the rocks under the sunlight was so vibrant. Needless to say, I was ready for it. After taking only half a dozen shots, the sunlight was gone! This was it, a few minutes, the only sunlight I got. But it was so worthy getting up early and the wait. That brilliant and luminous color will stay forever with me!

PS. my photo website: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/qing-yang.html

 

164. Cedar Break National Monument and Beyond

Cedar Break National Monument isn’t too far from Zion. I have been there before, in the summer. This time, I was hoping to visit it in the winter.

However, I didn’t know it is closed in the winter until I got there. Since there are two entrances, once I found out one was closed, I drove to the other, hoping I would be luckier. Yet, it was closed as well. The only way in, if I had to do, is to walk on a snow packed road.

So I did, for more than a couple of hours. Still, I couldn’t see much other than the first two pictures I post below. At least I tried and I did see it before in warmer season. It is a very unique area, similar to Bryce Canyon National Park (I will post about it soon). That is why I was hoping to hike there again.

On my way back, though, I stopped at a rocky area. To this day, I don’t know whether there is a specific name for the place, but it is on UT-143, just few miles north of Brian Head Ski Area. As you can see from the rest of the pictures here, there are lots of tall, strange shaped rocks.

As a fan of rocks, I had to stop and to explore, even without information. I walked around for more than a couple of hours, totally amazed by the bizarre looking rocks. At times, I felt like I was on another rocky planet, especially with no one or any man-made things around. Totally amazing! I am so glad I stopped there, a place without a name.

PS. my photo website: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/qing-yang.html

163. Zion National Park (5): Kolob Canyons

Zion’s Kolob Canyons section is like a park within a park. It even has its own visitor center. This less visited destination also features dramatic, narrow canyons and towering vertical cliffs. But unlike, trails along Kolob Terrance Rd (last post), “Kolob Canyons” require a fee to enter as the main park.

I hiked the 2 of the 3 trails there. The third one is too long when it was covered by snow. Even the 5 mile “Taylor Creek Trail” wasn’t that easy because of the snow. I was lucky, though, as I was told the snow was up to knees just a week before I got there!

PS. my photo website: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/qing-yang.html

162. Zion National Park (4): Kolob Terrance Road

This narrow, steep and rough pioneer ranch road follows ancient lava flows, meanders through pinyon and juniper forests, and overlooks stunning salmon-colored cliffs. Located outside of the main park near Virgin, the trails along the road are less traveled, but equally spectacular! On one trail I took, I have only seen one couple for the four hours I was there.

PS. my photo website: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/qing-yang.html