Zion Canyon Overlook Trail

The canyon overlook trail is not difficult but it’s classed as ‘moderate’ because it climbs as it leads along narrow ledges with steep drop offs most of the drop offs are fenced, but it’s still a long way down!  

Climbers were splashing around in the stream in the narrow canyon below us as we walked round one of the ledges.

A seep filters through the sandstone giving life to bright green maidenhair fern.

There were some interesting rock formations along the way.

The view of Zion Canyon at the end is well worth the walk.

From here you can also see the road leading up to the tunnel through the mountain. The tunnel was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930’s. There are a couple of viewpoints part way through the tunnel, some old photographs show cars stopped beside them and people admiring the view. It wouldn’t happen now as these days no stopping is allowed inside the tunnel.

Have fun, we are!

Zion National Park

Well, what can I say that hasn’t been written before about Zion, the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. 

We arrived early and took the shuttle bus to the top of the canyon and took the trail to the start of the narrows trail.   The sun hadn’t reached the bottom of the canyon so we were walking in the shade.

Lots of people were taking the plunge, but, we decided against it, that water was cold!

We looked at Angels Landing and I do mean looked, those guys are hanging on with chains 1,400ft above the valley floor, no way!

The Virgin river.

The pointed white topped mountains are The Three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

 The view from the back of the Human History Museum.

Have fun, we are!

Snow Canyon State Park

Originally called Dixie State Park, the park opened in 1959 however the name was changed to Snow Canyon State Park after Erastmus Snow.

It’s very pretty, lots of red rocks, but the day we were there it was very hot, so we only took a couple of short trails.

The first one we took was called Jenny’s Canyon the trail led through the sage brush and red rocks.

The entrance was hidden by some bushes and had it not been for the sign we might’ve walked straight past.

Jenny’s Canyon is a short narrow slot canyon, more than long enough for me.

Our next stop was the Pioneer Names trail, again this was only a short trail and led to an alcove where pioneers travelling through the canyon had written their names in axle grease.

As you can see despite the alcove being quite a climb, several modern day er ‘pioneers’? have also left the marks.

Have fun, we are!

Jacob Hamblin Home

The Jacob Hamblin home is in Santa Clara just the other side of St George.

It’s a sandstone building with lovely views, built into the side of the hill.

Downstairs in the living/dining area, all the plates were turned upside down to keep the bugs and dust of them.  The chairs were turned away from the table so that you could pray before eating.

Upstairs was a large room that was used for teaching the children, weaving, prayer and dancing.

Jacob Hamblin sailed with John Wesley Powell on one of his trips down the Colorado river.

Have fun, we are!

Silver Reef Museum/Ghost Town

I15 exit 23 leads to Silver Reef, which was only one of two places in the world where silver has ever been found in sandstone, it’s not technically a ghost town as quite a few people live there.

The Silver Reef Museum and gallery is located in the old Wells Fargo Office, and has a beautiful sculpture of a stagecoach inside.

In front of the building a sandstone slab has marks from canes and parasol used by passengers steadying themselves as they alighted from the swaying stage coach.

Inside the building the original safe is still in place and as far as they are aware it was never robbed, it does however appear to be haunted.   At night the motion sensors pick up something or someone walking from the safe to where the stage would be.   Seems like the Wells Fargo depot manager is still busy performing his duties!

All that remains of the one of the mills are the rock walls across the valley and a wooden chute by 1900 it had ceased operating marking the end of Silver Reef.

Have fun, we are!

Grafton Ghost Town

Grafton, is off SR9 in Rockville it signposted, it’s a paved road so far, leading over an iron bridge taking a sharp right, then winding through the canyons, before dividing, turning left to head over Smithsonian Butte and right for Grafton.   Not long after the turning the road turns to dirt, which according to the sign is impassable when wet.

 

Grafton is on the National Register of Historic Places and is owned by the Grafton Heritage Partnership Project www.graftonheritage.org   The graves in the cemetery all have flowers on them and some of them state that they were killed by Indians in 1866.

The town was founded by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints who originally grew cotton, until they discovered that they needed all the available land to grow food.   The original townsite was flooded out in January 1862 and moved to the existing site later that year.   The wood for the town was hauled 75 miles from Mount Trumbull and the clay to make the adobe for the school house was gathered from west of the town.

All that remains of the town today are a few remains, the Adobe School house come church,

the Alonzo H Russell Home,

which is being restored and has a cellar, while I peeked through the door, I didn’t venture inside.

the Louisa Russell Home

the John Wood Home

There are a couple of other buildings remaining, but they are marked as private property.

Grafton has appeared in several movies one of which was Butch Cassidy, the sequence with Paul Newman and Katherine Ross on the bike while ‘Raindrops keep falling on my head’ provides the background music was filmed there.

  

It’s an idyllic spot on a lovely summer afternoon, but back then it must’ve been a tough place to live.

Have fun, we are! 

Kolob Reservoir

The paved road to Kolob reservoir heads north from Virgin and winds its way for 23 miles in and out of Zion National Park, uphill all the way.

There is a difference in the road colour between the national park where it was red and the county where it was grey.

In the national park sections there are numerous trailheads, most of which were full of vehicles belonging to day hikers.

We passed from desert through pine trees and right at the top came into the quaking aspens, lush meadows with an array of wildflowers and some absolutely gorgeous homes.

We found a quiet spot by the reservoir where we spent an hour or two and ate lunch,

 

and as this was bear country kept an eye on our picnic basket, just in case Yogi decided he was feeling peckish!

The scenery actually reminded us a little of what the Lake District at home would look like without the rain!

Have fun, we are!