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Category: Utah

26 October 2011

Johnson Canyon–Welcome to the Wild West

01 Old Gunsmoke movie set Johnson Canyon Rd UT (1024x409)
Still parked in Kanab, Utah waiting for truck repairs.  Think we’ll be here long?
02 North on Johnson Canyon Road UT (1024x768)
Tuesday we took a drive up Johnson Canyon Road…
03 GRSE sign Johnson Canyon Rd UT (1024x768)
…which runs into the southwestern edge of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.
04 Old Gunsmoke movie set Johnson Canyon Rd UT (1024x127)
Along the way we saw this old movie set used for the TV show Gunsmoke starring James Arness.  Kanab is known as “Little Hollywood” and maybe we’ll find time to explore their Movie Museum.
05 GRSE from Johnson Canyon Rd UT (1024x768)
Following what I thought was a good map we tried to locate “Eagles Arch” and “Windmill petroglyphs” with no luck.
06 View W from Johnson Canyon Rd UT pano (1024x349)
It’s deer hunting season and the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land to the west of the road didn’t seem like a friendly place to hike.  Especially as we weren’t wearing orange.07 View E into GRSE from Johnson Canyon Rd UT (1024x644)
So we basically just drove, parking once in a while to absorb the view.
08 Dried thistle along Johnson Canyon Rd UT (768x1024)
And take photos, of course.
09 Toy horse found along Johnson Canyon Rd UT (1024x768)
This is horse country.
10 Navajo sandstone cliffs from Johnson Canyon Rd UT (1024x767)
We drove the rest of the loop another day.

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Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, National Parks and Monuments, Utah Gunsmoke movie set, Johnson Canyon 11 Comments
24 October 2011

Buckskin Gulch slot canyon Part 1

01 Buckskin Gulch slot canyon UT (768x1024)
Our first real play day on vacation took us hiking from Wire Pass into Buckskin Gulch slot canyon.  They are other worldly and not for the claustrophobic.
02 House Rock Valley Road S to Wire Pass UT (1024x537)
The House Rock Valley Road is passable with almost any vehicle when dry.  Although the last time I drove it the condition was rutted from a previous idiot driving on it when wet.
03 Cockscomb along House Rock Valley Road UT (1024x604)
The East Kaibab Monocline, known locally as the Cockscomb,  is a wrinkle in the earth’s crust created 40-80 million years ago by the forces of plate tectonics.
04 Eroded Navajo sandstone Cockscomb UT (1024x768)
Erosion along the fold created spectacular geologic features.  Beds of sandstone and limestone jut up into the sky, forming steep rocky formations while the softer rock layers erode to form the valley bottoms.
05 Sand ripples along Wire Pass trail UT (939x1024)
Sand ripples along Wire Pass Trail
The nearly 200 million year old Jurassic Navajo Sandstone formed when this region was a sandy dessert where huge dunes migrated across the landscape pushed by seasonal winds.
06 Lizard tracks on sand along Wire Pass trail UT (768x1024)
Lizard tracks on sand wall
There were small oasis where dinosaurs congregated leaving behind trace fossils in small limestone lenses but all we saw were fresh tracks.
07 Cross-bedding planes in Navajo sandstone Buckskin Gulch slot canyon UT (1024x768)
Over millions of years, younger deposits covered the sand dunes.  Eventually the sand was compacted and cemented by minerals.
08 Erosion exposed sand dunes from Wire Pass trail UT (1024x768)
08a Eroded Navajo Sandstone Buckskin Gulch slot canyon UT (768x1024)
08b Eroded Navjo Sandstone Buckskin Gulch slot canyon UT (767x1024)
Beginning about 15 million years ago with the uplift of the Colorado Plateau, erosion of younger rock layers exposed the original sand dunes showing the layers and cross-bedding patterns seen today.
 Go here for the rest of the story.

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Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah Buckskin Gulch, geology, slot canyon, Wire Pass 18 Comments
24 October 2011

Buckskin Gulch slot canyon Part 2

Wire Pass trail through wash Utah
The Wire Pass trail starts in a wash and continues 1.7 miles to junction with Buckskin Gulch.
Wire Pass trail slot Utah
Entering the slot
Mike in Wire Pass trail slot canyon Utah
Mike in the slot
Along the way the trail winds through chasms of stone.
Mike in Wire Pass trail slot with log wedged in slot Utah
Slot canyons are predominately found in areas of low rain fall.
Log stuck in Wire Pass trail slot canyon Utah
Yet form when water flows.
Gaelyn crawling over log wedged in Wire Pass trail slot canyon Utah
Yea, that’s me climbing over a huge log
Definitely not a safe place to be if there is any possible rain fall within the watershed above.
Wire Pass trail slot canyon Utah
Utah has the largest concentration of slot canyons in the world.
Junction of Wire Pass & Buckskin Gulch trail new rock art Utah
The junction of Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch opens up and reveals rock art both new…
Ancient petroglyphs at junction of Wire Pass & Buckskin Gulch trails Utah
…and old.
Entering Buckskin Gulch slot canyon Utah
The 13-mile Buckskin Gulch canyon is one of the main tributaries of the Paria River, which is a minor tributary of the Colorado River.
Buckskin Gulch slot canyon Utah
We didn’t wander far into Buckskin due to a lack of time.
Leaving Wire Pass trail slot canyon Utah
Soon we had to turn around leaving the cool shade of the slots…
Monarch along Wire Pass trail Utah
…and return to the warmer surrounding desert environment.
Part 1 of the Buckskin Gulch slot canyon hike here.

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Hi, I’m Gaelyn, the Geogypsy

I retired after 29 summer seasons as a Park Ranger, traveling solo for 40+ years. My passions include travel, connecting to nature, photography, and sharing stories.

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