|
A high speed boat takes about two hours to reach Rainbow Bridge National Monument. What a fantastic trip! Be sure and go on a sunny day and the sights you see will be so overwhelming they will begin to dull your senses. But when you get your first glimpse of THE BRIDGE they'll come alive and send a big charge surging through your veins. What a sight to behold. The U.S. Capitol would fit nicely under the bridge; if you look closely you will see this is true. This bridge is as high as Lower Falls in Yellowstone Canyon. That is, it was before the dam put about thirty feet of water under the bridge. Water or no water, Nature has truly given us a fabulous gift. |
My first visit to Rainbow Bridge was the spring
of 1968. There is a great difference between visiting the Bridge in 1968
and 1998. Boats could not get any closer than half a mile and the water
itself ended about two hundred yards from the bridge. In my heart was the
goal of making it to the top of the Bridge, as I had seen a year earlier in
the "National Geographic". There were no Park Service paths, and can you believe
this, not even any "Stay Off The Grass" signs. I've often felt that if there
was a prize given for unnecessary littering in National Parks, the Park Service
would win hands down, even though in most other aspects they do an excellent job.
To reach the top I crossed the channel under the bridge
which had a very small stream. I soon learned that it was going to be a lot
more work to reach the top than I had supposed. So I crossed to the other
side and ate my lunch under the Bridge. When I visited the Bridge in 1995 it
was no longer acceptable to walk under the bridge. This is because we now
know the Indians hold the Bridge sacred, and I certainly believe we should
respect that belief. The White Man has already taken too much from the American Natives.
The bridge, which appears very different from the other side, could be viewed
by going up and
around the left side. My last trip in 1998 left me discouraged. Now the Park Service
says you must stay on their ugly little man made path and stop well back from
the Bridge; no longer can you view it from the other side. So please enjoy
my final "reverse" side photo taken in 1995. Sandy is near the bridge for
perspective; can you find her?
Variety & A Little Spice: COTTONWOOD CANYON
My first experience with Cottonwood Canyon was
in 1973. Since the road is not paved, you do not encounter a lot of traffic.
It was graded then, and has since undergone additional improvement. Even at
that, I had no
trouble driving its length in a big sedan back in '73. However, do not attempt it
in a 2WD vehicle after a heavy rain, or if significant rain is expected. The
Cottonwood road leaves Utah Route 12 at Cannonville, about 15 miles east of
Bryce Canyon and heads south. It rejoins a paved highway, US 89 about thirty
miles west of Page Arizona.
Kodachrome Basin
About ten miles south of Cannonville, where
the new pavement ends, you will
see Kodachrome Basin State Park. There are lots of colorful formations here
and a few fairly good hiking trails. For those looking for a campground that
doesn't have everyone on top of everyone else, yet has water, some shade, and modern
facilities, this is an ideal place. The park provides a good base for
exploring further down Cottonwood Canyon.
More Kodachrome Basin
The formation in the photo to the right has an
interesting history. The "straws"
are common in Kodachrome Basin. They were formed by water laden with limestone
minerals forced from below up through a softer layer, and depositing the minerals
as the water escaped. The resulting plugs were very hard limestone compared
to the surrounding sandstone, so the plugs continue to stand long after the
sandstone eroded away. The number of different layers visible in the
Basin is astounding. Anyone interested in Geology will find it a challenge to
identify the various formations, while hiking the trails in this area.
Grosvenor Arch
After leaving the basin you will come to a
short road on your left leading to Grosvenor Arch. This arch is unusual because of its color and
the formation that it is in.
Most of the arches in Utah are in one of the sandstones, Entrada, Navajo,
or Cedar Mesa. The arch is about the color of a rich cream. I suspect it is
part of the Carmel formation; it could be Entrada or Navajo, because for a
non-geologist it is very difficult to
determine formations if no other upper or lower formations are exposed nearby,
as is the case here. Just the same, it is a lovely arch and named in
honor of a president of the National Geographic Society. For years prior to
the name change in 1948, the arch was known as Butler Arch. The scenery
along the graded road for the next fifteen miles south is varied and unusual.
A Cottonwood "Slot" Canyon
About 4.2 miles from the arch you
drop into a short scenic valley. Near the middle, or lowest part of this
valley, there is an entrance to the slot canyon shown on the right. In fact
there are two entrances,
about one hundred feet apart. On your right, or to the west, you go down a
sand bank about four feet and through a break in the wall. This is not a
Buckskin Gulch type of slot canyon, but it is beautiful, and a very easy hike.
You can go up
stream about a hundred yards and down stream about a mile. The colors in the
Navajo in this slot canyon are very interesting and varied.
The drive on south is unusual as you
follow the Cockscomb, and then finally drive through it. The last ten miles
are through a gypsumesse like layer in the Chinle formation that can only be
described as ugly, super ugly when wet, double super ugly if you try to drive through it.
Get Your Hiking Boots: PARIA WILDERNESS
The Paria River Canyon has been designated a
wilderness area. This limits what can be done within the designated area. It is
primarily an area for hiking. This is a beautiful, but very strenuous hike.
It is forty miles and takes five to seven days to hike to its end at Lee's Ferry. During this long trek you will
be forced to cross the Paria River dozens and dozens of times. So this hike is not
recommended for the winter months. You
will notice I do not have many pictures in the section. It's difficult to
get good pictures in the canyon, but that is not the primary reason for the
lack of pictures. The fact is I have not been more than four miles into the canyon, then returned by the same way. I entered the canyon on a one day trip with just one goal; to photograph the
slot canyon shown to the left. This beautiful slot is in a very short side
canyon.
Buckskin Gulch is the famous slot canyon which enters the Paria Canyon near
its northeast end. The Gulch is a
very challenging hike, fifteen miles long, extremely narrow most of the way,
with deep holes full of water for weeks after a rain. The bottom is composed
or large rocks and boulders which adds to the hiking difficulty. I have not
included pictures taken in Buckskin because they do not equal the beauty of those taken in Antelope Canyon.
The Paria River flows through the Paria Plateau in northern Arizona as it heads toward the Colorado River. It exits the plateau at Lee's Ferry. Lee's Ferry is an extremely beautiful setting in addition to being loaded with history. It was the only possible wagon/auto crossing of the Colorado River for a north-south distance of 450 miles, until 1928. The ferry operated from the 1880s until 1928 when Navajo Bridge opened six miles down stream. During much of that period the ferry was operated by John D. Lee and later by his wife Emma. John D. was shot through his heart by the army, while standing in his coffin at the site of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. He was the only man tried by the government for his part in the massacre, committed by Indians and Mormans on pioneers passing through Southwestern Utah in the late 1800s. In the photo at the right, the Paria River exits the plateau nearest the right side and high up at the base of the cliffs in the photo's background. |
NOW VISIT THESE RED ROCK AREAS(Also By The J&S Fun Company)Endless Beauty: The Sights Surrounding Moab Arches & Canyonlands National Parks Capitol Reef National Park & Escalante Country Valley Of Gods, Monument Valley & Antelope Canyon Canyon De Chelly & The Grand Staircase Supreme Beauty: Zion National Park Not Truly RRC, But Children's Fairyland: Bryce Canyon N.P. Great Web Pages & RRC Travel Planning ~ Dirt Cheap 
CLICK BANNER FOR MORE INFORMATION
|
& 
LAKE POWELL
