Kolob Canyon, Utah - 10.19.2020
It is fascinating how in the unfolding of life events, some things just turn out perfectly. Our friend Madeline who visited this area with her husband Harry in recent years told me that if at all possible we should also take in Kolob Canyon and Cedar Breaks National Monument while we are here.
There is a long route and a shorter route to Zion National Park from Salt Lake City and Bryce Canyon and there are two entrances to the park . . . the East entrance and the South entrance. We happened to take the longer route to the East entrance which turned out to the best possible way in terms of views and excitement. We were captivated! Almost instantly we found ourselves amidst tall and steep stone walls with deep canyons below while driving on well-kept but dangerously narrow, two-land curvy roads first paved 90 years ago. The first major sight was the grand Checkerboard Mesa. Then the next curve in the narrow canyon merely threw us between steep stone walls soaring high above and appearing carved with tools to form the striations or painted in artful brushstrokes. It just got better and better for the next 3 or 4 miles. Then we entered the 1.1 mile tunnel built in 1930 through the mountain with no electric lights and only two narrow lanes. Park Rangers control traffic through the tunnel allowing only one-way traffic at a time. Builders of the tunnel created gigantic windows every now and then where riders (not drivers) can get a glimpse of the canyon just below. Exiting the tunnel, we gazed down on the valley from 10,000 feet. We imagined we were Eagles soaring above our domain. It was completely exhilarating! What a way to start our visit to Zion!
Today as we left the park, we decided to take the short route back to Salt Lake City. The drive out of the park via the South Entrance is anti-climactic. A cute touristy town greeted us. While it was inviting, the grand views were behind us. We are thankful that our first impression of Zion was from the beautiful, magnificent East Entrance. We had little to do with how it worked out. It just did.
Guess what!!! As we plotted our route, we realized that Kolob Canyon was on our way. So just 38 miles out of Zion we entered Kolob Canyon, a long-distance extension of Zion National Park. Oh wow! One would think after having spent the last several days ogling cliffs, canyons, mountains, rivers and meadows, we could not be dazzled more. Nope, Kolob was altogether different! Truthfully, if this had been the first canyon park we visited we would have been completely blown away but seeing it after the two grand parks, this was wonderful but in its own sort of lesser way. Far less crowded than Bryce Canyon or Zion, this very peaceful park has soaring cliffs of red Navajo sandstone and deep canyons below with streams lined with yellow Aspens. Not to be resisted, we hiked the 1 mile Timber Creek Trail to a far out point overlooking what can only be described as the world. A breeze blowing in our hair, a raven soaring below us and a vista as far to the right and as far to the left as one can see, we felt at once a small part of something very big.
Farther down the road we turned off toward Cedar Breaks. As we parked our car at the main vista point, we began to feel its 10,350 ft. altitude. The temperature had fallen from 78 degrees on the highway to 55 degrees and there was a brisk wind. Once again, the view was broad and splendid. While the Visitor Center is closed now for the winter, if the roads are passable the park remains open for snowmobiling in its wide meadows atop the mountain. The views below are there, of course, year round.
We extend thanks to sweet Madeline for her wonderful advice. We got to do and see everything and in the most perfect sequence. And like when we make decisions on whether to take one more trip or not, just one more hike or not, or as in this case, whether to take time to visit one or two additional spots or not, we employed our usual course of thoughts, singing a song from Seals and Crofts, "We may never pass this way again!" And from Aerosmith, "And I don't want to miss a thing."
Ohhhh, this is the end for our wilderness viewing and trekking for this trip. City life begins tonight.