This was a hike we wanted to do last month but didn't have the time. We could make it as short as 3 miles out and back to Yellow Rock, or extend the hike to explore further reaches of the intricate canyons in the area. No doubt what we would do. Yellow Rock is a smooth multicolored Navajo sandstone dome in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. There is a decent use trail going to the base of the dome, then an easy scramble to the top for outstanding views in all directions.
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| Golden Mariposa Lily (Calochortus aureus), one of three different calochortus we found this day |
From the top we worked our way down from the summit and to the north. We were aiming for another feature called Red Top and found many interesting gullies, small slot canyons, and great vistas as we climbed up and down. Our attempt for the summit of Red Top was thwarted by lack of time and difficult scrambling.
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| Sego Lily, (Calochortus nuttallii), the state flower of Utah |
Over the next ridge we found the Box Canyon trail that took us down to the Paria River canyon and out to the road for an unremarkable (except for the Mariposa Lilies) road walk of a couple miles back to the car.
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| Sagebrush Mariposa Lily (Calochortus macrocarpus) |
Beautiful. And the photos are terrific as usual.
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