Santa Clara - Virgin River Confluence, Saint George, UT

Hiked September 23, 2024. I bought my Toyota Camry back in July, 2024. It comes with two years or 25,000 miles of free scheduled maintenance. So, as I was planning my Utah trip to support the Southwest Astronomy Festival, I calculated I would be rapidly approaching my 5,000 mile point for my first scheduled service. And, because of the way the service contract works, I figured it ends at 25,000 miles, no matter how many times you've serviced it. So I wanted to get my service appointmens in prior to each 5,000 miles, so my final service would be just before 25,000 miles. Obviously, given my driving habits, this isn't going to take two years. (As I write this, I'm now at about 16,500 miles. Fairly good chance I'll need my 20,000 mile service by early June, before 11 months have elapsed).

So, after figuring I'd break 5,000 miles before getting back to California, I arranged my first service for the tail end of my trip, on the return trip. Checked out of my motel room in La Verkin on Monday morning, drove down to Saint George's local Toyota Dealer (Stephen Wade), and got my car serviced. While waiting for that, I walked along the paved and unpaved, but hard-surfaced trails that run around and along the Virgin and Santa Clara Rivers, which meet near where the rivers pass under I-15.

Obviously, this was a hike of convenience, and not necessarily to see anything, although I had been told there were petroglyphs near the confluence of these rivers. Did not find any, so I'm not sure if that was correct. Had I known, I might have instead headed on a more southerly route, to the big rock in Bloomington, Utah, which is covered in petroglypths (and more recent markings, unfortunately). At 3.1 miles each way by foot, that would have been probably longer than I wanted, but, in theory, 2 1/2 hours or less, roundtrip, which is about how long my car was going to take. Been to that rock before, but not blogged, I think.

As it is, I walked downstream, to Crosby Family Confluence Park. Zigged-zagged around there, looking for where petroglyphs might be. Then headed, first downstream and up, to get an overview of the Virgin River, then back across the Virgin and upstream a bit up the Santa Clara River.

Only got a little that way before my phone rang to tell me my car was ready. Made my way back to the dealer, then continued my drive south, to Las Vegas, and, eventually, back to California.

Lots of joggers and bikers on these trails. It's a perfectly lovely way to wait for your car to be serviced, but not likely the sort of thing you'd otherwise plan to walk or run. In addition to folks visiting the Auto Mall, there are several hotels, as well as the convention center, which have easy walking access to this trail system, which links numerous parks along the two rivers. That makes this a good option for visitors looking for a morning or evening jog or walk.

As for myself, the trail system served its purpose of keeping me occupied and not just having a zero physical activity day on a mostly driving day. No significant wildlife sighted, but I did see a hot air balloon and an ultralight flying (propeller-driven) handglider. That was sufficiently amusing. About two hours of walking, probably about five miles, total walking.

I still miss my Prius. It was more practical for hauling me and my telescope stuff to various events. But the Camry has a much better suspension (also newer, so some might be that). The suspension will get a good workout in a few months, when my wife and I plan to visit Chaco Culture Historic Park.

Santa Clara River Reserve, near St George, Utah

Hiked September 21, 2024. This was a short hike, after a day of solar outreach as part of the Southwest Astronomy Festival. The NPS and the local St. George astronomy group (and I!) set up solar telescopes at the Red Hills Desert Garden, a demonstration garden for low-water and native plants acceptable for local landscaping. That was down in St. George, proper, adjacent to Pioneer Park (which I've hiked in the past -- In fact, I've hiked it at least twice, but I only see one post in my history; never blogged the other one, I guess), and not far from the Days Inn on Saint George Blvd, where I've stayed, in the past. (In fact, on my unblogged visit to Pioneer Park, I walked over there from the Days Inn).

The Santa Clara River Reserve (BLM) is actually near Ivins, Utah, but that's a pretty small place. From Saint George, get on Old Highway 91. If you stay on Old Highway 91 long enough, it's actually a bypass for the Virgin River Narrows, so if I-15 is closed (or, during the serious construction delays of past years), it's a viable shortcut for passenger vehicles, and only marginally longer in travel time. But I digress.

Heading north on Old Highway 91, past Pioneer Parkway, it's about two miles until you reach S. Anasazi Road. It'll be a dirt road on your left, and not necessarily signed for "Anasazi Valley Trailhead." There's a large dirt lot, less than 1000 feet in, on your right. Less than 1000 feet later, there's another parking area, on your left. Passenger vehicles can park in either lot. If you're an RV or towing a trailer, definitely try the first one. That one has room for you to turnaround. No significant difference in your hiking distance, either way.

The BLM website for the Santa Clara River Reserve is here. A copy of the paper map/brochure for the area is currently here.

From either trailhead, you're basically going to want to head uphill, towards the southwest. The trail weaves its way up the hill, as should you (no cutting of switchbacks!). At the first crest, there's the remains of an Ancestral Puebloan "farmstead." By remains, we mean just a few stones that would outline the base. Not a lot to see there, but a nice lesson in what archeologists can figure out.

Continue on up, past the "farmstead," but keeping the cliff on your right, and you'll start encountering both modern signs telling you to respect and protect the evidence of prehistoric residents of the area, and the evidence, itself. Walk carefully around the area to find additional petroglyphs, but don't walk on the actually marked rocks; you'll speed erosion and loss of these ancient artifacts.

From the petroglyphs, you overlook the Santa Clara River, and, at the time I was there, some nice, green cottonwood trees. The trees would preseumably be nicely colored in another month or two.

I continued somewhat past the signed petroglyphs I saw, to see if there were more, further along the ridge. I didn't see any, which doesn't necessarily mean there weren't any. But I didn't find them. Turned around when I felt I had passed the main concentration.

All told, about three miles roundtrip. I can't say for sure, because I botched my Alltrails recording.

Since it's not a national park or national monument, dogs would presumably be allowed on this trail. At least, I did not see any indication that they were not permitted. There are some sharp volcanic rocks, but it isn't too hard for you or your hypothetical dog to avoid those rocks. Obviously, if you do bring a dog, bring a bag and clean up after them!

Fish Slough Petroglyphs, Near Bishop, CA, August 5, 2024

As noted in the previous post, this was a "hike" I took last August, during my mostly-annual trip to the Owens Valley. The BLM description and driving directions are here. I could have sworn I drove further along on US 6 before turning, to minimize my dirt driving. But I don't see on the satellite view where I would have turned.

In any event, there was some dirt driving, but nothing my Camry couldn't handle. It's less than ten miles north of Bishop, and the dirt was pretty well graded, so it's easy to get to, even with more dirt driving.

The petroglyphs are on a volcanic outcropping. Several parking areas are nearby, along with (as I recall) some interpretive signs.

No shade in the area, so if you go in the summer, you'll want to go early or late, and bring something to drink, even though you won't be walking long.

I walked around the entire outcropping, and hit some of the cliff tops and pockets, just looking for petroglyphs. Most were pretty obvious, and I don't recall finding any hidden treasures. The petroglyphs were not as intricate as some I have seen.

If you see circular indentations in the face of the volcanic rock, they're not historic. Apparently, geologists drilled them to get samples to calculate the age of the rocks. Yes, seriously.

Undoubtedly under three miles to walk around the rocks, so this would not have made my original cut for a "hike," but it was something interesting I saw on a trip to the Owens Valley, and something I could share with my non-hiking wife.

Not a lot of plant or animal life visible in the immediate area. I saw a few lizards, and a few crows hung out on the rocks, until I got too close.

I think, technically, since it isn't a developed area, nor a national park or national monument, you can bring your dogs, though I'd likely want to keep them close, in the event that rattlesnakes are in the area. Didn't see any, but I'd be surprised if they weren't around. Volcanic rocks could be tough on their feet, too.

All in all, it was a nice little drive. Not big or dramatic enough to be a trip destination, but if you're already in Bishop and have an hour or so to kill, definitely worth your consideration.

Tyee Lakes Trail, Inyo National Forest, CA, Hiked August 4, 2024

Over the past few years, I've had the pleasure of making near-annual trips into the Owens Valley, with dark sky observing with friends at the Cedar Flats group campground, in the White Mountains of Inyo National Forest, on the east side of the Owens Valley. During these forays, I often head down from my observing location after I'm done to sleep down in Bishop. Then, the next day, I'll try to get a hike or two fit in (usually on the west side of the Owens Valley), before heading back up to Cedar Flats after dark. This hike was during that last trip, the same one where I posted some astrophotos, last summer.

I can't guarantee, because of the passage of time, but it's likely these photos are in reverse order on that hike, from the end to the beginning. I can tell you that the start of this hike is along the small road off of CA-164, heading towards South Lake. Fairly large parking area, and the trail starts near the northern end of that lot, crossing Bishop Creek via a bridge. The last shot in this post is from that bridge.

Steep climb in parts, and a few small seeps cross the trail. A creek also occasionally runs along the trail. But, at least in August, there were no significant water crossings. Some nice flowers along the water, though.

I had never hiked this trail, and didn't study it too carefully ahead of time, because I like being surprised by what I see. And, indeed, the first lake did sort of sneak up on me.

Tyee Lakes is a string of beautiful alpine lakes, all beautiful. Lots of fish visible in the lakes, though I can't tell you how easy or hard they would be to catch.

Total distance on the Alltrails entry for Tyee Lakes trail is about 6 1/4 mile, with about 2,000 feet of vertical gain. My own recording (discussed later) shows a slightly longer distance.

In addition to the lakes and mountains, you're also rewarded with views across and down Bishop Canyon, down into the Owens Valley.

Last year was relatively dry, so by August there was little snow in the area. It could be wetter and more mosquitoed earlier in the season. But I didn't notice many bugs on this hike, albeit I wear long sleeves and a floppy hat around my ears.

Looking at my Alltrails recording, it shows I walked 3.56 miles and gained 1,991 feet, spending 2:24:19 moving. Apparently, that was just the uphill portion, so figure a bit over 7 miles roundtrip, and maybe 3.5 - 4 hours to walk, roundtrip, plus any rest time.

It also shows I made it to the fourth lake. After this, there's a pretty steep climb, that would take you up to the trail that heads out of Sabrina Basin, past George Lake. I hiked that one the previous year.

On that hike, after climbing out of George Lake's basin, I made it to the past that would head down towards Tyee Lakes. But it's a pretty long, shallow descent from there before you reach the steep descent into Tyee Lakes, so I turned around at the pass. There's probably a 2/3 of a mile or so gap between the end of these two hikes I have taken.

The only other trip I managed on this August 2024 trip was a visit to Fish Slough Petroglyphs, which may be my next post.

Bowl of Fire, Lake Mead NRA, NV, February 16, 2025

It's been about three years since my last venture into the Bowl of Fire. That's the area of Lake Mead NRA that's roughly north of Lakeshore Road and south of the mountains to the north, east of Anniversary Canyon, and west of Northshore Summit. There are trails heading in and around the area, but most of the wandering within the Bowl of Fire is somewhat random; you walk which ever direction you want to go.

While doing this, it would be a good idea to have a compass and map, or sufficient information on your phone to know how to get back to your car. I myself have loaded the premium version of Alltrails, which lets you "live" record you hiking, and shows real-time where you are and where you've been on your hike, that day. It also shows some "trails," although some of those "trails" are just random paths that some previous user has recorded, so it may not be an actual trail. But, by using your phone's gps, it does place your location pretty accurately, so you'll know which way to got to get back you your car.

You should also take some care to try to walk on sand or rocky areas, if at all possible, to minimize your impact on cryptobiotic soil and what little plant cover there is in the area. Cryptobiotic soil is the "living" crust of dirt in desert areas. It reduces wind erosiion and builds soil that more developed plants need to grow. It's often got a darker, bumpy appearance, which is a sign of microscopic life, lichen, algae, fungus, and bacterial life. Without that, the curst turns to sand and blows all over the place.

Admittedly, you're going to break some crust if you're walking across desert where no trails exist. So, again, try to stay on the sand or rocks as much as possible. And, if you can't, try to stay where the soil has already been disturbed, either by previous hikers or wildlife.

If you search my blog, you'll find about four other hikes around the Bowl of Fire, no two exactly the same. The Bowl of Fire can be accessed from the southwest, via the the wash/jeep trail where you would access Anniversary Narrows, then heading northeast up the wash to the Bowl of Fire, rather than north, towards Anniversary Narrows. It can also be accessed from the southeast, via the Northshore Summit parking area, or from the south, via the wide area of road between those two locations. From any of these access points, you can travel in various directions to alter your adventure.

On the day I hiked, it was about four days after a significant rain. So, in addition the many colorful, layered sandstone structures to admire, there were also places where running water had stacked rippled sand, where you could easily see how the layered sandstone around you might have been formed. This area is relatively lightly visited, so in some of those areas, even after three or four days, there still hadn't been too many footprints to break up that wet, rippled sand.

There was also significant pools of water in the "tanks," meaning sandstone-enclosed narrows near the northeastern end of my hike. I walked around several of those to get to my final viewpoint, before electing to backtrack towards my car. I gave some thought to continuing around, but, despite having only walked about 3 3/4 miles, I was feeling a little tired.

Yes, unfortunately, my reduced hiking and reduced stairclimbing due to a work location change have definitely affected my endurance.

I totaled just about six miles on this hike. It's a hilly and occasionally sandy path, so it's not a bad distance, but relatively short to have felt so tired. Still, not a bad day, and not a bad return to the Bowl of Fire after such a long absence.

Petroglyphs Canyon, Zion National Park, Hiked January 5, 2025

This would have been probably my second hike of the year, after the short ramble to the Sam Merrill Trail, to see the B2 bomber.

I learned about this hike maybe a year or two ago, and was kind of annoyed I didn't know about it earlier, since it's short, accessible by paved road, and still an incredibly interesting hike.

It's not on the NPS handouts, but it's not a secret. It is, however, a fair drive from the main canyon, where most people stay. To get to this trailhead, you go east on UT-9, 6.8 miles east from Canyon Junction. A little past 3/4 of a mile beyond the second, short tunnel, parking is on your right. There's a wooden fence along the road, the only such thing in the area when I visited. There is no signage here. Room for about 6-8 cars, depending on how well people park.

Because of the limited parking, I wanted to get there early. Turns out, however, in January, it's pretty dead in Zion. I think there was maybe one car when I got there, and two other cars when I got back.

From the parking area, you either head down on the south side of the road, trending to your right, then loop under the road (smallish tunnel, but short and high enough it shouldn't be a problem for most), or you cross the road, walked west 100 yards or so, and take the shorter but steeper route directly into "Petroglyph Canyon." Once on the north side of the road, I'm going to guess it's 150-200 yards along a sandy wash bottom before you reach the petroglyphs on your left.

There are two panels, about fifty yards apart, along that wall. One panel has a whole "herd" of bighorn sheep. The coloration difference is gone, but you can still see the indentations in the stone.

The non-petroglyph shots are all further up the canyon. The sandy washbottom transitions to some large sandstone exposure. The first "barrier" is easily bypassed by heading to the right, up the grippy sandstone, rather that straight up the dry falls. Once at the top of the first barrier, the onion-skin layers could be seen in places. And, on this January day, there were many pools of water, some with a thin sheen of ice on the surface.

The second barrier, again, probably less than 1/2 mile after the first barrier, if I wanted to, I might have been able to work up and around it. But no way to know how much further I could have gone after that. And my wife was back at the petroglyphs, so I headed back.

Still, as I said, for such a short hike, the scenery was striking, and I had never hiked this part of Zion, before.

It looks like there are numerous other similar short walks that could be taken along different finger canyons along this road. The actual "Many Pools" trailhead is just a bit west of here, maybe 1/3 of a mile away. And, if you continue east another 2.75 miles from Petroglyph Canyon, there's the Checkerboard Mesa. Smidgen past that, and you're at the East Entrance to Zion National Park.

Currently, there's not a lot at the East Entrance, besides some vault toilets and a fee kiosk. There were also a few locations with vault toilets along the drive out, east of Canyon Junction, but there were no facilities at the Petroglyph Canyon trailhead.

Relatedly, an interagency visitor center is being built somewhere further east of the entrance, which is supposed to open sometime later this year.