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National Parks Yurt: Cedar Breaks National Monument

One of the things that I always find fascinating is the wide range of the unexpected I find when I go to a National Park. On my first visit to Cedar Breaks National Monument, I learned that there is actually a National Parks Yurt:

national parks yurt at Cedar Breaks National Park

This was the sign on the Yurt’s door:

What: Warming hut and resting spot for winter visitors (cross country skiers, snowshoers, snowmobilers). Wood stove, hot drinks, park information available. No restroom facilities. Cross-country ski and snowshoe trail marked on upper Alpine Pond trail, starting at yurt; 2 mile round trip to Chessmen overlook.

When: Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays from December 1 to about April 15, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, but only when highway 143 is open above (south of) Brian Head.

Who: Hosted by volunteers for Cedar Breaks National Monument.

Warning: Severe weather conditions possible, which may cause highway 143 to be closed without warning. Check weather forecast and plan accordingly.

The inside, although sparse, I’m sure is a welcome sanctuary from the cold for cross-country skiers and snowshoers:

a peak inside the yurt at Cedar Breaks National Monument

I may just have to take up snowshoeing to give the National Parks’ yurt a try…has anyone taken advantage of the yurt and, if so, what are your impressions of it?

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Sprague Lake Hike Rocky Mountain National Park

The Sprague Lake Hike at Rocky Mountain National Park is an easy half mile loop around Sprague Lake at an elevation of 8,970 feet. The lake is actually the remnant of a resort once owned by Abner Sprague (where it gets its name) which he dammed in 1915 to make it about 13 acres. The trail is mostly dirt, but it’s level and wheelchair accessible with boardwalks along the trail where needed:

Sprague Lake hiking path at Rocky Mountain National Park

The hike provides numerous beautiful views of both the lake

Sprague Lake at Rocky Mountain National Park

and the surrounding mountains, including many peaks which make up the Continental Divide:

mountain view from Sprague Lake hike at Rocky Mountain National Park

It’s a wonderful place to take kids on an easy walk to see the outdoors. The lake is shallow with a large number of fish which can sometimes be seen from the lake’s bank (and there are plenty of fishermen around the lake as well).

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California State Park Closures Talk

What do America’s parks, whether they be national or state, mean to you? Have you ever really thought deeply about it? Christopher Grant Ward, who operates a non-profit advocacy focused on supporting parks and preserved spaces across California and around the world called Folk4Parks.org, recently sat down to give at talk about what parks mean in light that 70 California State Parks will be closed by Labor Day 2012 due to state budget issues. It’s well worth the time to listen to his talk and hopefully get you thinking a bit more about what parks in the US mean to you as an individual and for all of us:

I think this is the part of the talk that spoke to me the most:

…what is it exactly that parks give us? I’ve heard the value of parks described as an escape, a release, a reconnection with nature. John Muir described this as, “Saving the American soul from total surrender to materialism.” You know, I’ve thought about this a lot, living a modern life full of web design, travel, office politics and something called social media strategy. I live most of my life outside of the present moment. I focus on plans and goals. We all worry to some degree about what people will think when we do one thing or another. If you’re like me, then your daily actions are not always the things you most desire to do, but we do them because they work to move us toward those goals. And that’s OK, that’s not a bad thing. But when we work with purpose, what’s important in our lives is rarely situated in the present moment.

When I stand in the face of a natural scene in Del Norte Redwoods, Mt. Diablo or Yosemite, I am utterly enthralled, captivated. But I am captivated without intent or purpose. I have no goals but to experience the now. The natural world has no judgment of my actions. This break from purpose is what gives us rest. True rest. This break from purpose gives us reprieve from past mistakes and a pause from worry about what is to come. And we can do this with others. Standing amidst nature with your loved ones, with perfect strangers, we also can share and celebrate with each other the absence of purpose.

Christopher also sets up a challenge that anyone that enjoys our parks needs to consider accepting:

How will California espouse preservation to the next generation, as they watch us underfund the oldest, most extensive and diverse visions of state preservation in the world? How do we learn the importance of conservation when we can no longer visit places that help us understand what must be conserved?

California needs everyone to get involved. There is no time where times were so tough that people could not act to make a difference for parks, or where they should be considered ancillary to more fundamental things. 175 years ago, parks were established as preserved places with public access. Today, parks also need public support. These are your parks. If these ideas matter to you, if this resonates with you, show your support and get involved.

While the focus is on California state parks, I would suggest that it can be expanded to all parks, from local to national, in the US. If you enjoy our parks and they resonate with you, figure out a way to show your support and get involved. Today, they need our support and involvement more than ever.

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Rock and Awe: Joshua Tree National Park

Submitted by: Terry Tyson, A Hiking Fool and his Photo Log

Impressions: Joshua Tree National Park is weird. And wonderful. And just a little mind-blowing. Imagine giants carefully (but playfully) stacking boulders as big as buses to create secrete canyons, petroglyph-filled grottoes and massive rock walls. Add to this scene evidence of hard-scrabble miners who lived and died seemingly at the whim of this almost alien landscape. That’s what it’s like there.

Well, it’s like that and so much more. Like any desert environment, its true nature is only fully revealed when you spend some time absorbing all that the park presents.

The park can certainly be viewed and awed over by merely driving from one gate to another. The stacked boulders are impressive beyond words, but the visitor who ventures just beyond the paved road is treated to beauty that’s hidden from the highway. Even the most casual of hikers will be able to enjoy the mysterious landscape more fully.

It’s best to find a place to park near a boulder stack, get out and just sit there and slowly and quietly take it all in.

Tips

1. It’s the desert so it’s hot during the summer. Sometimes because of it’s elevation it can turn surprisingly cold to the point of snowing, so be sure to check the weather before arriving.

2. It’s the desert, so bring lots of water. Camping is primitive (no electricity or running water) and day use areas are equipped with tables and chemical toilets. Any water you do find is for the locals only, i.e. Big Horn Sheep, coyotes and the like.

3. The town of Joshua Tree is a funky village with colorful locals. A few good places to eat can be found there, but only a few. Twentynine Palms is much larger and more ordinary, but offers traditional lodging, markets and eateries.

3. Don’t forget a hat and other considerations (sunglasses, sunscreen, etc.) for being in the sun all day.

4. The visitor center in Joshua Tree is worth a stop. There are knowledgeable rangers, a deli and a few shops nearby. Pay your entry fee there to make getting into the park faster.

5. The park is a world renown rock climbing destination. A casual scan of the many rock faces will no doubt reveal more than a few clinging climbers.

Must-sees: Two short nature trails are worth the price of admission alone: Barker Dam and Hidden Valley. Easy and spectacular. There’s a cave bearing petroglyphs near Barker Dam worth looking for.

Lost Palms Oasis and the “Maze – Window Rock Loop” provide two very different and exciting experiences for hikers.


Joshua Tree NP; Stacks, cracks and branches


Barker Dam; After a wet winter, water for wildlife


The Locals

Terry Tyson also had this to say: If you can stay until after the sun sets, you’ll be treated to a night sky that you might not have seen for many years. On moonless nights, the Milky Way is bright enough to read by.

This is my suggestion for the Best Day Hike in Joshua Tree. For those interested in more photos, you can view a photo set of the Joshua Tree National Park.

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Cold Shivers Point Colorado National Monument

Some things are so tantalizingly named that I have no doubt that I am going to have to stop and take a look at them no matter what. That was certainly the case when I saw the name Cold Shivers Point on my map. While I’m not sure how Cold Shivers Point got its name, my guess is that it came from the chill that you get while peering over the edge of Columbus Canyon which drops 2,000 feet. It’s certainly a grand preview of what’s to come when visiting Colorado National Monument:

looking over the edge at Cold Shivers Point at Colorado National Monument

view from Cold Shivers Point in Colorado National Monument

view toward Grand Junction from Cold Shivers Point at Colorado National Monument

Cold Shivers Point is a wheel chair accessible overlook along Rim Rock Drive. If you enter Colorado National Monument from the East (Grand Junction) entrance, it will be the first of many overlooks that you will be able to see. It’s certainly worth the few minutes it takes to stop and walk out to the canyon’s edge.

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Natural Entrance Lehman Caves Great Basin National Park

My first impression standing outside Lehman Caves at Great Basin National Park was that I wasn’t sure that I was going to find it all that exciting. Part of this was due to deciding to take a hike up to the natural entrance of the cave before the cave tour began. Instead of the lushness at the entrance of Oregon Caves National Monument or the beautiful hike down to the spider web gate entrance at Crystal Cave at Sequoia National Park, there was simply a small opening surrounded by a cage of bars.

The natural entrance at Lehman Caves Great Basin National Park

Luckily, there was an information sign that explained why the natural entrance looks the way it does:

It was at this spot in about 1885 that Ab Lehman first entered the cave. From then until 1940, when the present tunnel was constructed, this natural entrance was used by people visiting the cave.

In the early 1900s, visitors descended into the cave through a wooden shed covering the natural entrance. In 1939, the national Park Service blasted a tunnel into the hillside behind the visitor center, providing easier access. The natural opening was closed or severely restricted in the ensuing years, disrupting airflow and limiting bat access. Bat use of Lehman Caves declined. In 1997, the bat-compatible gate was installed to correct these problems

Why the gate design? When bats leave the cave, they spiral upward, exiting through gaps in the horizontal bars. The gate extends upward allowing bats to gain speed and altitude. This allows them to escape nearby predators.

Why do bats use caves? Bats need hibernation sites that fall within a narrow temperature and humidity range. Lehman Caves remains close to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius)and 90% humidity year round. During the summer, bats establish nursery colonies in caves, where they birth their young. Bats roost in the dark of the caves during daylight, exiting them at night to feed on insects.

Once I entered Lehman Caves, any initial reservations I had quickly disappeared with the many wonderful cave formations found inside…

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Half Dome View Yosemite National Park

As you drive along Tioga Road from Crane Flat toward the Tuolumne Meadows at Yosemite National Park, there will be a small, unmarked turn out a few hundred feet before you reach Olmsted Point. The turnout only fits a few cars at most and it’s easy to pass. Trees block the view until you are already directly in front of the turnout, but by that time most cars are traveling too fast to make the stop. If you do manage to stop, you will be rewarded with a beautiful view of Half Dome with a pine forest in front:

Half Dome behind forest

Half Dome from Tioga Road at Yosemite National Park

There are so many beautiful views in Yosemite that it’s simply not possible to stop at every one, so most people end up going for the main ones. While you’ll definitely want to stop at Olmsted Point where there is also a spectacular view of Half Dome, it’s worthwhile to try and make this stop. The view of Half Dome with a pine forest in front is one that not many people see or get the chance to take photos of making it one of those unmarked turnouts you want to add to your list.

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Crater Lake National Park Photos

One of the reasons I love visiting National Parks is that they’re so beautiful that even if you aren’t a professional photographer, you can still come away with some amazing photos. A perfect example of this is Crater Lake National Park. I took a trip to Crater Lake in mid August and these are just a few of the photos I came with from that trip:

Wizard Island from Discovery Point

Wizard Island from Discovery Point at Crater Lake National Park

Wizard Island from Watchman’s Peak

Wizard Island from Watchman's Tower at Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake at lake level

Crater Lake at lake level from Cleetwood Cove Trail Crater Lake National Park

Pumice Castle

Pumice Castle at Crater Lake

Plaikni Falls

Plaikni Waterfall on Sand Creek Crater Lake National Park

The Pinnacles

The Pinnacles Crater Lake National Park

Phantom Ship from Sun Notch Trail

Phantom Ship at Crater Lake National Park

Vidae Falls

Vidae Falls at Crater Lake National Park

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Best Day Hike in Zion National Park: Observation Point Trail

Submitted by: Terry Tyson, A Hiking Fool and his Photo Log

Impressions: The Grand Canyon may touch your heart with its massive grandeur, but Zion National Park touches your soul. Unless you venture beyond the rim of the Grand Canyon, it’s likely to remain as humbling and impressive as the beautiful prom queen you admired, but never dated in high school. But Zion demands a personal connection because there is no other way to experience the canyon other than to be physically immersed in its beauty and wonder.

“Zion” in Hebrew, refers to a place of refuge, a holy sanctuary. It’s easy to understand why this special place was named Zion for it does provide you with a sense of spiritual solace.

There are many “classic” hikes within the canyon, each with their own special characteristics and charms. But for me, the best of the “classic” hikes is to Observation Point. It’s likely the most difficult of the classics, but the payoff for your efforts are many.

Tips: Park your car and take the shuttle. The park shuttle will take you from the front gate to the end of the canyon and back. The cost of the shuttle is included with your entrance fee. It’s handy, comfortable and allows you to enjoy the place without worrying about traffic.

The town shuttle (aka “Springdale Shuttle”) is also handy. It will take you from the front gate to the end of town, dropping you off at convenient locations near eateries, shops and hotels. It’s also a bargain because it’s free.

Both shuttles run from early April to the end of October.

Oh yeah, don’t forget to bring a lot of water on any hike you do in the park. Natural water sources are unreliable and may not be safe to drink.

Must-sees: If you even of moderate stamina, don’t miss Observation Point. The hike is longer and higher than its more well-known cousin, Angels Landing, but provides more incredible visual treats. Echo Canyon, a hanging, hidden canyon about 1/3 of the way up is a stunning surprise. It’s mentioned sometimes only in passing in some guides, but the first time you encounter it will be one of the reasons you’ll want to return.

Because it’s a more challenging hike, you’re likely to see fewer folks on the trail. But be prepared to gain elevation fast as the trail presents not only the entire canyon to view, but also the less seen East Mesa portion of the park.

When you do reach Observation Point, take a moment to look down upon the Big Bend of the Virgin River, Angels Landing and the entrance to The Narrows from this lofty perch. Bring a map so you can identify all of the landmarks within the view.


Echo Canyon; Observation Point Trail


East Mesa from Observation Point Trail


View from the top: Observation Point

Terry Tyson also had this to say: Zion gets busy during the summer, despite the heat. The best time to visit is in the spring or fall. If you’re wanting to hike in The Narrows, it’s best to wait until late summer or early fall when the water level is lowest.

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Locks and Ledges: Ledges Trail Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Submitted by: Terry Tyson, A Hiking Fool and his Photo Log

Impressions: Cuyahoga Valley National Park offers a unique mix of natural and historical attractions that makes it unlike many other parks in the system. It resides in a long, somewhat meandering northern Ohio valley that’s bordered by small to medium-sized communities and oft times crossed by Interstate Highways and township owned roads. This makes the park accessible from a number of entrance points but also makes it difficult at times to determine where the park begins and ends. But this aspect also makes the park worthy of a visit because it does offer so much diverse activity and ease of access.

If it could be described in just a few words they might be: Historical landmarks surrounded by hiking trails, streams and an occasional waterfall.

Tips:: Pack a lunch and cooler full of cold drinks since the park offers these in only a few places. Since many of the entrances aren’t marked by a proper gate, information on what to do and where to go should be researched before you arrive.

Must-sees

1. Canal Visitor Center: Historical exhibits, trains, locks and rangers.

2. Tow Path: Wide and flat, a perfect biking and walking path. Makes an all day ride if going from end to end.

3. Ledges Trail: Moderate loop hike that encompasses interesting exposed bedrock cliffs, narrow slots and caves. Kid-friendly.


Narrow Slot: Ledges Trail


A determined tree takes root in the rocks: Ledges Trail


Exposed Bedrock: Ledges Trail

Terry Tyson also had this to say: Although the park doesn’t offer the awe and wonderous sights of many of parks, it well worth a day or two to see if you’re in the area.