Saturday morning we headed out with Ray and Deb to explore another area of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument...House Rock Valley Road. The gravel road provides access to the Buckskin Gulch Trailhead and Wire Pass Trailhead. We weren't planning on any big hikes today but after seeing the beauty in both the Paria and Cottonwood Canyons, we thought we'd take a look to see what this area had to offer.
We stopped at the Wire Pass Trailhead for a break....it is the starting point for one of the most amazing hikes in the work...The Wave.
The only official map to The Wave is mailed to you by the BLM once you’ve been selected in the permit lottery. There are also rumors that the BLM routinely monitors the trail from Wire Pass to The Wave on a daily basis, and if you are caught without the proper permit, you will be prosecuted for trespassing.
After our break, we continued along the road for a short distance further, but then decided to turn around. Although some lovely scenery, the rock colours did not compare to the other canyons.
On our drive back, we decided to stop at
The Toadstools and hike the fairly short, easy trail to take a look.
(Ray's photo below)
(Ray's photo below)
Freya leading the way...
This part of the trail was particularly hard for me...now I do have a problem with heights, but this one is not all that high...it was "off camber" and that was very difficult for me today. I just couldn't do it. So the others carried on and I found another route...down lower through the wash...
Those are toad stools above too but not fully visible this close...
The toadstools themselves are sandstone formations that have a harder caprock that has protected a softer, more easily weathered tower. The towers range in height from a meter or two to 10+ meters. The Toadstools is a very fun family accessible place to visit, and photographers will delight in the unique colours and shapes that dot the area.
Deb...
Dianne...
Deb...
An almost verticle animal trail with tracks visible on either side...
It was a fantastic hike to a very cool spot. The only issue we had was that it was very windy with blowing sand....which really caused havoc on our eyes, particularly with contacts.
On our way back to Lone Rock, we passed these fellows getting their horses ready...
It was fairly calm out when we first got back to our rigs, but unfortunately, it didn't take long for the wind to catch up with us and before long it was howling out! We've had several days of this.
This house boat made a beeline back to the beach when the wind picked up...
So...we all gathered inside Ray and Deb's coach for happy hour tonight....Deb, Cheryl, me, Dave (with his note book...so much to learn!) and Ray...
Another lovely day over...but it ended with a full moon...
On our drive back, we decided to stop at The Toadstools and hike the fairly short, easy trail to take a look.
Awesome times with you guys. We are making fabulous memories.
ReplyDeleteAnd more to come!
DeleteThe Toadstool hike is a neat hike with so many unique features. I wish I had known you were heading out House Rock Road. You could have gone to White Pocket an unbelievable area of gorgeous white with red striped rock. There is a little trail of maybe a 100 yards to the area and then it is just exploring the rock. You do need four wheel drive because the road in is deep sand. If you are still there, here is our post: https://ohtheplacestheygo.wordpress.com/2016/03/20/on-to-page-and-a-visit-to-white-pocket/
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip, gives us another reason to return to the area!
DeleteWe now have a couple more hikes we can add to our list next time we are in that area!
ReplyDeleteWe haven't done most of them yet.
Delete