Thursday August 24th 2017

After yesterday’s exploration of Cedar Breaks National Monument, I spent today at home. I’m assuming it was the combination of altitude with the climbing on the 2 plus miles I hiked yesterday that really wiped me out. I slept very well last night. Unlike the day after my first hike in Arches National Park I feel fine today. I don’t have any of the muscle aches I had after that excursion. The pictures in this blog are from Cedar Breaks National Monument.

Cedar Breaks Amphitheater from the main viewing area.

Real log cabin used as the visitors center.

–

–

Close up of some of the hoodoos.

There are many of these squirrels.

–

–

–

A couple of the nearly 2000 year old Bristle Cone pine trees.

–

–

I really enjoyed Cedar Breaks National Monument. There isn’t a lot variety to see in the park. Other than viewing the rock formations in the amphitheater, there is a hike to an alpine pond that I didn’t take. I suspect there are larger animals like deer to be seen at the right time. It would be nice to see the amphitheater at sunrise or sunset. I’m staying a little too far away to make that practical. There is a campground in the park, but it doesn’t have sites that would accommodate my rig. I really can’t see driving up there with my RV anyway. The road is very steep for more than 10 miles as it winds through a canyon and up the side of the mountain.

The view with snow on the ground would also be interesting, but not easy to see. The park is open in the winter, but the road is closed from mid October to May. Signs indicate that there are a series of groomed snowmobile trails. With over ten feet of snow in the average winter it can’t be a very enjoyable experience.

Tomorrow I hope to get an early start. Bryce Canyon National Park is about 80 miles away. I’ll take a lunch and plenty of water to spend the day in the land of hoodoos.