Strawberry Point: Better than Cedar Breaks NM

We spent a weekend up at Duck Creek with the fam from northern Utah to show them how much better this half of the state is. Renting a cabin in Duck Creek was a great idea.

Going on the trails in the middle of monsoon season was not. It's been raining every day for the past three weeks. Earlier in the day before we first went up, they closed SR-14 for flooding and debris in the road down the canyon. So what do we do when we first get up to the mountain? Get in the 4Runner and find the nearest trail. We went through a few puddles no problem until we see it.

This massive, eight foot long puddle that covered the entire trail across. Trekker backed up a few feet and gunned it. We drove through the puddle and started going down, and down, and down until we were under water to our windows. He never released the gas pedal, which helped us slowly and finally climb back up the other side. There's that minute it stops being fun and it turns into 'shit just got real' and it happened in the middle of the forest outside of Duck Creek when I thought we lost Trekker's car to the monsoonal rainstorm.

The views outside from Cascade Fall's Cave

This poor kid couldn't take another step haha

Anyway, Cedar Mountain is a good time.

But onto my favorite part. Strawberry Point is on the south side of Cedar Mountain, off a rough road at the edge of the Markagunt Plateau. I honestly think it's more impressive than it's western counterpart Cedar Breaks National Monument. The views down into Hog's Heaven and Zion Canyon are amazing, and I could spend all day there.

Capitol Reef Backpacking

Back in August we decided to go to one of the more unknown areas of Utah for a quick one night backpacking trip. We had a route picked out a week in advance, but when we got to the park visitor center, we decided to switch trails at the last minute after talking to the ranger at the backcountry desk. We ended up doing the Cohab Canyon-Frying Pan trails that end at the Cassidy Arch. ​​

​​​I can't emphasize enough how great this hike is. Cohab Canyon is moderately trafficked, most likely due to its proximity to the orchards and relative easiness of the trail. However, the further back you hike towards the Frying Pan trail the less people you will come across. This 9 mile (estimated) hike can absolutely be done in a day, but we started mid-afternoon and the elevation gains and losses were extreme carrying our backpacking gear.

Cohab Canyon is a hanging canyon which means that you actually gain elevation hiking up to its entrance. It's quite the start to a hiking trip carrying bulky packs on your back, but it's worth it. There are a few narrow slot canyons branching off the main canyon that are hidden around corners, aptly named "The Wives" due to the fact this canyon was named for the polygamists that would hide from federal marshals during the polygamy raids of the 1880's. The canyon itself is pretty flat with little elevation gain until you find yourself facing either the trail down to HWY 24 at your left, or the Frying Pan Trail to your right. 

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Frying Pan Trail is just your stereotypical south-central Utah landscape: remote, vast, empty, and beautiful. It's just you and the wild west out here. This connector trail is only 3.3 miles, but you cover some amazing ground. And some amazing elevation gains and losses. You are hiking essentially on a ridge-top until you connect to the Cassidy Arch trail. Some notable features to look out for: A MASSIVE pile of rocks with a house sized boulder atop that trail winds around, a large, lone standing mushroom hoodoo, deep canyons, and my favorite: The waterpockets.

We were getting tired climbing out of this deep canyon and it was getting dark when we decided to get off the trail and hike down to a flat area on top of these folds. You do pass a large cave climbing down, and in retrospect was it a good idea to camp a few yards away from a cave with who knows what in it? I don't know but we're alive to tell this story. Would I do it again? Probably not. 

​​​In the morning, we ate a quick breakfast, packed our things and hiked the small distance to the Cassidy Arch. Named of course after central Utah's own Butch Cassidy, this arch is located 400 feet above the road so even if you want to skip the exertion of hiking 8ish miles to it, it's still 400 vertical feet up you have to climb...but the prettiest things to see here take some effort and are well worth it. There are no routes to the base of the arch but you can climb across it.​

It's easiest if you have two cars and can park one at the Cohab Canyon trailhead and one at the Cassidy Arch trailhead. We only had one car and relied on hoping someone would take pity on us and drive us back to the first trailhead. That came in the form of a kind ranger. We were all exhausted, but also feeling the satisfaction that only comes from doing something not only hard, but knowing that you are one of the few lucky enough to experience it. 

Here's a summary video!

Zion National Park- Pine Creek

Zion National Park is my favorite place ever and the best thing about it is that there are so many more hikes and things to see than just the big ones like Angel's Landing and the Narrows in the main canyon. Here's an example:

I love a good swimming hole. This one you can't see from the main road and have to climb down to it. Drive up towards the tunnel and park at the second switchback- there's a parking area at it, Climb down the barrier across the road from the parking, and follow the clearly defined trail down into the side canyon. It's pretty steep, but manageable.

As with other hikes in narrow canyons be careful of flash flooding! I am such a worrier about flash flooding, and since I love sharing morbid news articles, here's one from last September's heavy rains and flooding here in this very canyon. Always check the weather. The only thing I get super paranoid about down here.

Trekker having to talk me into jumping

View down towards the main canyon

                                     

Hancock Peak

Hancock Peak is more of a knoll at the top of Cedar Mountain. I did this hike back in 2014 with a friend and the entire hike was in a thick forest with limited sunlight. Between October 2014 and September 2015, beetles wreaked havoc on the trees and when I took Trekker to it, the landscape was far different. Dead trees were everywhere, along with fields of chopped trees from the Forest Service trying to stop the spread of the bugs. We didn't get nearly as far in October due to being in direct sunlight the entire time, but we ended at one of the ponds fed by a volcanic spring which is still worth the walk.

On the way up from Cedar City, you do pass Cedar Breaks National Monument on SR14-3. It's a small monument, but worth the 10 minute stop

The Hancock Peak trail head is a few miles past Cedar Breaks, literally on the side of the road. Park on the pull-off and start the climb toward the knoll! 

The trail is clearly cut in the grass but as you get closer to the knoll, you just have to pay attention to the cairns. Since there's really not much of a forest there for a while, the scenery is about the same until you get to the pond. It's a cool little hike if you have a free afternoon. You can also find arrowheads all over the area, so keep an eye out.

It looks like this the whole way :(

:( pt.2

Grand Canyon- South Rim

We wanted to take a long distance trip somewhere, and our original plan was to go to Casa Bonita (the Mexican Disneyland of course) up in Denver.

But then we realized how long a 9 hour trip both ways was. So instead we went to the Grand Canyon. 5 hours of desert, empty wooden stands that usually are full of Navajo blankets and tacos, and more desert. Until you come upon this right on the side of the highway about 2 hours in.

A lady in the 1930's car broke down on the side of the road, and she just set up shop right there. I don't know how she got food and water, but for some reason more people showed up. Soon there was a little village of Depression-era hippies who could apparently live on dust and dirt alone.

Three more hours to go!

When you get to the Grand Canyon, it's important to have someone with you to remind you that it's just a "decently sized hole in the ground". It will help you keep your perspective.

Take cute pictures...

Some pictures to scare the hell out of your mom...

And some pictures that would make Kanye proud

Now look and admire the rest of Trekker's pictures