Permits and Politics - Red Canyon, Phipps Arch, Egypt 3 - September-October 2013

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Red Canyon

Tuesday, October 1

As we passed through a very pretty section of Bryce-like hoodoos at Red Canyon, the thought came to us that Red Canyon was a state facility, and perhaps we could do a short scenic hike here. Something to make up for the disappointment of not being able to do Orderville Canyon.

courtesy RHanel

UT-12 at Red Canyon

Red Canyon

A lot of people were milling about on the sides of the road at Red Canyon. Possibly they were the beginnings of "overflow" - people kicked out of National Parks but still looking to make something of their vacation. At the Red Canyon visitor center parking lot, we noticed an employee placing a big "Closed" sign in front of the bathrooms. Oho... so Red Canyon is in fact funded by the federal government. Sure enough, another sign on the visitor center door said that the center was closed due to the shutdown.

It did not specifically say that Red Canyon itself was closed, though... and there were no signs at the start of the trails. Maybe the federal funding was only for the visitor center itself, and the larger Red Canyon park was state owned.... In any case, many people were already walking along the trails, and no one was taking them away in chains. So, we decided that we'd also take a little stroll.

courtesy RHanel

Shutdown!

Hoodoos of Red Canyon

We decided to hike "The Birdseye Trail". This was an easy 2-ish kilometer (1.2 mile) trail that led roughly parallel to the highway, winding in and out of fantastic red hoodoos.

courtesy JInnes

Towards the Birdseye trail

Arn, Red Canyon

Birdseye Trail

courtesy JInnes

Hoodoo, Red Canyon

Roland and Kyle, Red Canyon

Birdseye Trail

It was another perfectly clear and calm day in southern Utah, and it was invigorating to walk along the easy path among big ponderosa pines, towering red hoodoos, and under a dark, cobalt-blue sky. RGB - but in nature!

courtesy JInnes

courtesy RHanel

courtesy SDusablon

The Camel

Hiking along Birdseye Trail

Camel closeup

courtesy JInnes

Hiking along Birdseye Trail

Brothers at Red Canyon

Maze of Hoodoos

courtesy RHanel

Along the Birdseye Trail

Arn and Hoodoos

Thick with Red Hoodoos

Pleasant wanderings along the sinuous Birdseye trail brought us to the western end of Red Canyon, where we climbing a final ridge and looked out across the greens and grays of the broad Sevier Valley beyond. We then climbing down to the highway - only a few minutes below us - and crossed over onto the Red Canyon bicycle trail, which we followed for about half a kilometre back to our parking spot at the Red Canyon visitor center.