Trip Report: Day Hikes around St. George Utah - Part 1
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Day Hikes around St. George Utah - Part 1 By Irene Yuen |
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| HIKE | 10/16/2024 | MOD |
| Day Hikes in Southern Utah - October 16-21, 2024 Organizer Bruce Christenson, a long time WMC member, offered his St. George house to serve as a base camp to facilitate various day hikes in Southern Utah. The hikes included West Rim Trail & East Rim Trail in Zion's National Park; Padre Canyon Trail via Tuacahn in the Snow Canyon / Red Cliffs National Conservation Area; Red Mountain Trail in Red Mountain Wilderness; Yant Flat and Vortex near St. George area. Participants were Bruce Christenson, Hong Duong, Phyllis Anderson, Jim Kucera, Bret Mathews, and Irene Yuen. Everyone seemed to enjoy their time hiking or chilling. The trip went by fast and well. Besides accommodating some of the participants, Bruce prepared a delicious spaghetti dinner for the group. He provided early 5 AM shuttle service to the two West Rim Trail hikers. A heartfelt thank you goes to Bruce Christenson for his generosity and continuing support to the WMC. The following reports with pictures are compiled by Irene and Bret. Thursday, Oct 17--East Rim Trail Zion National Park: Bruce, Phyllis, and Bret dropped off a vehicle early in the morning at the ZNP Visitor Center. They started at the East Entrance Trailhead and walked at a steady, easy pace through the high ponderosa forest passing Jolly Gulch up onto the trail highpoint before turning around. This out and back 7.42 mile hike took almost 5 hours with several stops to admire the views and gained 753 ft of elevation. Friday, Oct 18--Padre Canyon Trail: Bruce, Hong, Phyllis, Jim, Bret, and Irene drove in two vehicles and parked at the trailhead past the Tuacahn Performance Art Center. This scenic red rock trail offers beautiful fabulous views. The trail was not easily identified. There were steep climbs and scrambling sections at times. Our 2.42 miles hike was windy. It took about 2.5 hours to complete and we gained 515 ft of elevation. Monday, Oct 21--Red Mountain Trail in Red Mountain Wilderness: Hong, Jim, Bret, and Irene drove in two vehicles to meet at the trailhead. We started the 7.61 miles hike and finished in a little over 6 hours. We gained 1082 ft of elevation. The trail was rocky and sandy at the beginning for a couple of miles. There were lots of beautiful stunning red rock landscapes and striking views at the overlooks. We had the trail almost all to ourselves except meeting a lone hiker from San Francisco at the summit where the Snow Bench Mark was installed. It was a beautiful day. We did not continue bushwhacking to Ivins and headed back. |
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