MORNING GLORY CANYON TRAIL….AHHHHH!

Wednesday, September 18 – We decided to forego the always crowded Delicate Arch Trail (We saw the Arch from the viewing area.) and instead travel East again on Rt. 128 three miles to the Morning Glory Canyon Trail.

This trail is 4.6 miles round trip with a 347 foot elevation change…very minor compared to yesterday's hike.  The canyon itself is beautiful with Navajo sandstone walls, a clear stream, and lush vegetation including cottonwoods and gambel oaks.

The trail begins with scrambling over some large rocks, briefly crosses slickrock and soon becomes a sandy path following the creek upstream.

We crossed the creek ten times (each way). Stepping stones in the water help keep our feet dry, but with all the rain we've been having (3.5 inches since we've been in Moab), there's no way of hiking this trail without getting your feet wet. The goal is to not slip while crossing the stream and get a good soaking.

No rocks here to help with the crossing. Our boots got wet.

The primary feature of this trail is the Morning Glory Natural Bridge, the sixth longest rock span in the U.S. It is 243 feet long and 15 feet from the cliff wall. It is not actually a natural bridge, but is instead a very large alcove arch.

Morning Glory Natural Bridge

We stood directly underneath the span which was 75 feet above us.

We really enjoyed this hike. What an exciting change in scenery to be hiking along a stream. There are a few challenges but nothing too difficult. The trail ending at the bridge is awesome and a serene place to relax, have a snack, and recharge our batteries for the hike back down the canyon. Like many of the hikes, the return portion seems easier. We completed the 4.6 mile round trip in less than 4 hours.

Desert Evening Primrose

These boots were made for hiking.

Here is what was following us back to our campground.  Looks like fun!

We will be leaving Moab tomorrow (Friday) for Mexican Hat, Utah. We have one more blog to do about Moab. A few more arches you should not miss.

You may be wondering what little Bella is doing while we are enjoying Moab. Here are her two favorite activities.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

CANYONLANDS NEEDLES DISTRICT

Tuesday, September 17 – We headed South this morning to hike the Needles, Chesler Park Trail. The day started a little rough. First of all, the drive from Moab was much longer than Paul had imagined.....should of filled the fuel tank before leaving. We should have enough to get safely home. Next, he forgot his wallet and thus his America the Beautiful pass. Cost us $10 to enter....DANG!

Wilson Arch along the drive.

Wooden Shoe Arch along the drive.

After the 40 mile drive South on route 191 and a 35 mile drive into the park, we reached a 3-mile dirt road with tight switchbacks and barely enough room for two vehicles to pass safely. Luckily, there are pull-outs and everyone seems to drive slow and carefully.

We found a parking space, loaded up our backpacks and headed down the trail. This hike takes you into an environment from another planet – a concentration of fantastic red rock formations of pinnacles, fins, domes, hamburger buns, mushrooms, and flying saucers.

The trail is rated moderate in our book but strenuous in the handout given at the park entrance. It's a pretty brutal climb, and we were very tired by the end of the day. To reach the top you traverse slickrock, squeeze through slot canyons, crawl over boulders, and stretch from one rock to the next. It took about two hours to hike the 3-mile trail (one way) to the top of the canyon and look down on Chesler Park. Here you can continue on for an additional 5-mile hike.

It's a very beautiful hike, and the scenery is unbelievable.

By the time we reached the top of the canyon and Chesler Park we decided we had enough. Time to head the two hours back down the canyon.

The green area is Chesler Park.

Forgot to mention....it rained nearly the entire hike. Yes, we did check the website which read 0-10% and even stopped at the Visitor's Center. The board read 0-10%. It started raining when we were about a half mile up a very strenuous leg from the trailhead and continued off on on (mostly on) most of the hike. We even met a Ranger along the way who couldn't understand what was going on.

We waited out the first downpour here.

Just as we reached the top of the canyon we were greeted with bolts of lightning, thunder and heavier rain. Goodness!

It was interesting to see water in places where there wasn't any on the way up the trail. We were even greeted by a new waterfall. We were worried about the rock getting slick but didn't have any slipping problems.

The rain actually produced a waterfall.

Very slick slickrock.

The sun finally broke out on the return hike when we were about one mile from the parking lot. We were pretty soaked, tired, muddy, and ready to call it a day!

We retraced our drive back out toward highway 191 with our eye on the gas gauge. We did make a very interesting stop along the way at Newspaper Rock. A rock listed in the National Registry of Historical Places that is covered with some very vivid petroglyphs. If you make the journey to the Needles, this is worth the stop.

Just as we reached Moab (had enough gas) we were hit by another thunderstorm including some hail. Jeesh......what a day!

If you use your imagination, you can see the La Sal Mountains.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

DON'T MISS THIS ONE! CORONA ARCH

Monday, September 16 – We traveled West out of Moab on Route 279 (Potash Rd.) paralleling the Colorado River for about 11 miles through the canyon mouth known as The Portal. Here we parked at the trailhead for Corona Arch. We needed to cross over railroad tracks to start our hike.

To reach the arch we hiked about an hour across mostly slickrock. There were ups and downs along the way.

 

We used a fixed horizontal cable to maneuver across a steep section of terrain.

Next, we came to a vertical cable and a crude-but-effective staircase cut into sandstone.

Then we climbed a short ladder to complete the ascent onto a slickrock terrace.

From there, we simply followed the cairns.

Slickrock

We walked up and around the corner into an huge amphitheater to see not one but two arches high on the canyon wall. The first arch is Bowtie Arch. A smaller but still a beautiful arch.

 

Not far down the canyon is our destination, Corona Arch. As we came into the amphitheater, our first glimpse of the Arch put a smile on our faces.

In order to be considered an arch, an opening must measure at least three feet (in any direction). Corona, sometimes called "Little Rainbow Bridge", is mammoth: 140 ft. high, with a span of 335 feet. It's setting is very impressive on the wall of Bootlegger Canyon.

Corona arch is a beauty! Paul's “new” favorite arch. We easily walk to and through this awesome arch. Heck, we think you could fly a plane through it! Well, a stunt pilot could.

Behind the Arch is quite a drop-off to the Colorado River and a railroad track. These are the same tracks you see when you turn off Route 191 back in Moab. We bet that is a beautiful ride for some engineer!

After spending some time photographing and soaking in the splendor of the Arch, we bid farewell and headed back down the trail toward the parking lot.

Marsha wasn't too crazy about going back down the cable. Here she is doing her famous "butt" crawl.

WOW.....what a hike!

This is a great hike….not easy, but not too difficult either.

On the way back to Moab, there are several more examples of Rock Art. Watch for the “Indian Writing” signs along the road. These are the best petroglyphs we've seen. There are 100's of animal and human figures scattered along the rock face for about 30 feet. Pretty amazing!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!