At over 10,000 feet of elevation, this solitary snow-topped dome dominated its surroundings. Navajo Mountain was technically a laccolith, a geologic term for a dome that formed as molten magma pushed up from the Earth’s mantle into the crust, but never erupted onto the surface. Straddling the Utah/Arizona state line on the Navajo Indian Reservation, this mountain has been revered as a sacred mountain by the Diné (the Navajo People).
A 150-mile diameter “Great Circle” that encompasses Arizona and Utah with Page, Arizona, as its center, includes many of the American Southwest's most renowned national parks and monuments. Two of this area’s lesser known, and lesser visited national monuments, are Vermilion Cliffs and Grand Staircase-Escalante.
VERMILION CLIFFS NATIONAL MONUMENT
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument exhibits one of the most brilliantly color-rich landscapes in the American Southwest.
Mother Nature has spent eons sculpting this colorful 3000-ft sandstone escarpment. During the 1872 Powell Expedition, one of the expedition’s geologists gazed at the multicolored and multilayered rock walls in front of him and stated, “It looks like a grand stairway.”
At Vermilion Cliffs, the geological “steps” are chocolate, vermilion, white, gray, and finally pink. It is the vermilion layer that stands out so spectacularly at Vermillion Cliffs National Monument.
At a particularly spectacular lookout on the road to Vermilion Cliffs,
we stopped at some roadside tables of eye-popping Navajo jewelry. I freely admit I was tempted and succumbed. I purchased a lovely Navajo bracelet for my daughter’s birthday, and for myself I bought a juniper berry seed necklace which promises to bring “reconnection with my inner strength and surroundings.” It couldn’t hurt…
With lunch in Al’s backpack, Cathedral Wash Trail at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument seemed like a good idea on paper when we read that this hike is a favorite of locals. And indeed, the trail started out with lots of promise.
Very soon, however, the canyon narrowed and hiking became more challenging.
A few more minutes down the wash, the hike was called to a sudden halt when we came to a very large and wet mudhole that we simply could not get around.
Plans soon altered to heading down the road to the Colorado River and Navajo Bridge.
The Colorado River was calm here and reflected a brilliant shade of green. The path across pedestrian-only Navajo Bridge led to a few more tables of Navajo jewelry on the other side, but it was the walk across the bridge that was the thrill. This bridge paralleled a similar bridge next to it that was for motor traffic.
What a spectacular crossing over the mighty Colorado River!
GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT
Grand Staircase-Escalante was partly named after the Escalante River which flows through it, but more precisely it was named after a Franciscan priest who led an expedition through this forbidding area in 1776. The expedition was looking for an overland route between Santa Fe (present-day New Mexico) and Monterey, California. Discovering such a passable route was a huge task by any standard, for this part of Utah/Arizona is the most rugged wilderness region in the Lower 48.
The “Staircase” reference in the monument’s name refers to the immense sequence of sedimentary rock layers that are found here. The natural wildness is due to the extremely rugged topography of its canyons, plateaus, and cliffs.
The tamest and best of the roads through Grand Staircase-Escalante was Cottonwood Road, which basically bisected the monument.
We looked for hikes that were within our abilities, and came up with several successes:
TOADSTOOLS TRAIL
This Easter Sunday hike led through a badlands of multicolored sandstone layers.
The trail climbed to the top of a knoll and then opened out onto a landscape of balanced rocks, alcoves, and whimsical sandstone formations called hoodoos.
The toadstool formations seemed very delicate,
and one wondered how long they would survive humans, much less Nature.
WIRE PASS TRAIL
One of our Tucson friends familiar with the Lake Powell region urged us to be sure to explore some of area’s slot canyons. We judged it a good omen when we arrived at 10 a.m. and found the trailhead parking lot loaded with cars.
Wire Pass Trail traversed a gravel and sand wash that started out nice and wide,
but gradually narrowed.
Before long we were definitely in the “slot.” So far, so good…
until we came to a 6-foot drop-off with a ladder. Unfortunately, the first rung of the ladder was way too far down for me to reach safely… and that was the end of that.
MAZE ROCK ART TRAIL
A bit further down the road was the Maze Rock Art site. A bit of a climb from the car
led to a heavenly, lush, sagebrush-covered valley that was at the peak of springtime eruption.
The trail led up the other side of the valley to some really neat petroglyphs depicting typical human forms, plants, animals, and abstract symbols that were important to the artists of the day.
The most unusual of the many unspoiled petroglyphs at this site was the one of a maze; however, this abstract design was much more complex than the typical concentric circular ones (like the small one above the maze) we have seen throughout the West.
We love lizard shots… As we started back to the car, we couldn’t resist watching this colorful blue-spotted lizard pose for his (her?) beauty shot.
LOWER HACKBERRY CANYON TRAIL
One of the most intriguing and highly recommended local hikes was along Cottonwood Road where there was a trailhead for Hackberry Canyon. This vast wildflower display amid wide-open scenery at the start of Cottonwood Road was outstanding!
At “certain times of the year” the Lower Hackberry Canyon Trail was sure to be under ankle-deep water, but that was supposed to be the fun part! For me, that was the scary part, and I secretly hoped it would be dry. I have never hiked predominantly in water before, and the warning at the trailhead about quicksand didn’t relieve any jitters…
Soon enough, however, old tennis shoes replaced our hiking boots.
I found myself stepping gingerly, looking for quicksand, and not sure if I was having fun or not.
By the time the canyon walls met the water and there was no going around by seeking out dry patches,
I was beginning to think this was pretty neat!
Gradually, I started sloshing through the water like I owned it,
just like Al had been doing since first dipping his toes in.
We met up with a barefoot older woman who was walking her pet goats!!! That was a first for us on the trail…
Both goats were very friendly, and we got quite a unique pet fix.
And finally, some horse riders! Lots of smiles… We were all having fun in the water—the horses, those in the saddle, and us hiking in our old tennis shoes.
Despite my initial misgivings, this hike turned out to be one I will remember for a very long time. Al had a blast, and so did I once I conquered my fear of hiking in water with possible hidden quicksand. All in all, this was certainly a day of very “happy trails.”
Carol Galus
Photo-Blogger
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