After four days at my FREE site in Dixie National Forest near Leeds, I decided to move to Snow Canyon State Park. I had picked up a brochure for it, and it sounded like an interesting place.
Incidentally, it is not named for the wintry weather condition I have been doing my best to avoid. It’s named for Lorenzo and Erastus Snow, prominent pioneering Utah leaders.
Before I left my campsite near Leeds, however, I did call to ask when check-in time was. The cheerful, yet misinformed, volunteer told me that there was no formal check-in time. If you have a reservation, just come on in.
Well, that didn’t sound quite right to me, so when I got to the park and found a spot big enough for Bart and Flo, I pulled over and called again. This time, I was told that check-in time was at 3:00 and that the people in the spot were still there. No matter. I was parked by a trail called Pioneer Names. I figured that I’d take a stroll.
Now, I know you can’t see them, but inside that arch in the making are names written in axle grease. I headed up the trail and I found out what “scrambling” is. I didn’t do it, but I watched some youngsters scramble up the sloped surface of the canyon. They were on all fours – hands and feet – going up and coming down. I’ll bet they got a good view of the names!
This is the best photo I have of the signatures. See if you can make them out.
I continued along the edge of the canyon.
The spring flowers were in bloom.
I came across a hunk of the canyon that fell to the floor.
You can see the darkened surface that they call “desert varnish”. It’s what pictographs are usually pecked into. The ones I saw in Zion were in stone with a much lighter surface.
The rocks sure are interesting. this swirled pattern caught my eye.
And then I came upon this arch! I love surprises like this. I am sure nimble folks would scramble up through it. I was satisfied to admire it from the ground.
Just over to the side there was an arch in the making. So far it was just a hole through a fin of rock, but one of these days, I am sure it will be a full-fledged arch.
I followed the trail back to where I had parked Bart and Flo. It was time to check in to my campsite.
These campsites are different from any I’d seen before. Of course I’d seen sites that were close together, but this was the first time I’d seen campsites that share a covered area.
Well, “shared” isn’t quite the right word, as there is a stone structure separating the two areas, so you do have your privacy. Kind of. Since you need to have your doors opening toward the patio, the RVs enter from opposite directions.
Oddly enough, the people sharing my patio were from Michigan, and they were also full-timers. The people on the other side were from Alaska and had just picked up their Bambi Airstream in Portland, Oregon. This was their first trip in it.
But, even if we were sort of packed in, there were still glorious views.
This was the view from the back of my site…
and this was the view from the front.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get more than one day at Snow Canyon State Park, so I decided to make the most of it. After a late lunch, I headed out for the Lava Flow Trail. Toward the end of the park, I had an amazing sight. If I looked one way, I saw white hills and black hills.
When I turned and looked to other way, I had a completely different color scheme.
Red rocks rising out of a sea of green.
I parked Bart at the trailhead and started down the Lava Flow trail.
It’s a little more challenging than the Pioneer Names trail. In fact, it is rated as a “moderate” trail – a step up from the “easy” ones I’d been on so far!
What an amazing world! At one end of the park, you have sand. At the other end you have a lava field.
A lava field with white hills rising behind it.
Truth be told, I was a little uneasy on this trail. I did have my walking stick, but the trail was rugged and I just knew it would really hurt if I fell on the lava. Luckily, though, I didn’t.
What kept me going was the fact that there were lava tubes along the trail. I was really curious to see what they were. My curiosity kept me going and finally I got there.
Actually, I walked right by it. I walked another quarter mile or so and then decided that I must have missed it. I saw it on my way back and walked over to look inside.
There were signs posted about how people could explore the lava tubes. Uh…
After looking down inside, I knew that wasn’t ever going to happen.
However, as I was getting ready to head back, a couple came along. The woman was wearing wedge-heeled flip flops! Coming down that trail in them was a feat of balance I marveled at. THEN she and the guy she came with went right down the tube! Goodness! I can only imagine that they are locals and have done this many times before.
Right after they went down, I met another couple getting ready to descend. They had better footwear, but other than that, they seemed no more prepared. I guess I am just not one for adventure. Or, maybe I am just pain-averse.
Heading back, I had more time to appreciate the flora and fauna.
Pink prickly pear
Orange flowers
Pink flowers on a bush
Yellow flowers on a bush.
I am sure all of those plants have names, as do these creatures:
Lizard on a black rock
Is this the same kind of lizard? I wish I knew!
The Lava Flow was the last trail I got to explore at Snow Canyon State Park. I had hoped to snag a “walk-in” site and stay another day, but they had nothing available that would work for me. So, in the rain, hail and wind, I got hitched up and headed out.
Back to St. George, Utah.