We headed for Parowan, Utah Saturday morning; it's about 60 miles north of Hurricane. We don't normally go where the crowds are, so it may have seemed crazy to go hiking on Memorial Day weekend, but we were pretty sure most people hadn't heard of
Valentine Peak; and we were right. We met 8 hikers and 1 dog on the trail, all agreed it was a hard hike, but totally worth it. The trail is 3.5 miles each way with a 2000 ft. elevation gain and awesome views.
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| We drove to Parowan, UT for our hike |
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| To get to the Trailhead you drive through the Parowan City Cemetery |
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| The trail begins here |
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| The hike will climb 2000 ft. in elevation |
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| Great views of Brian Head Peak from the get-go |
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| If you get tired, take a seat and enjoy the view |
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| Valentine Peak is way up there, we'd better get going! |
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| Wild Phlox were in bloom along the trail |
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| We have hiked one mile ......no need to sit just yet |
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| Much needed motivation! |
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| There were great views almost the entire hike.....even better ones from the top |
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| Colorful cactus and lichen |
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| Volunteers stash water for dogs along the trail |
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| We didn't bring anything to leave or we would have added to this tree |
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| Double motivation to keep us going.....yes, the trail is hard! |
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| We were surprised to find so many places to rest our weary bones ..... it was very tempting |
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| The terrain varied a lot on this hike |
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| Looking back at the Parowan Valley |
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| There were quite a few flowers in bloom |
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| I call this hikers rock art ..... someone took a long break here and played with the rocks |
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| ahhh .... this means we are at the top ... I think?! |
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| Kent is definitely on top of Valentine Peak! |
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| YES! We have arrived!! |
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| No Kent, that is for dogs .... we have our own water and snacks! |
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| We signed the log book, will we see your name in there someday? |
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| Now that we're here, we can sit and enjoy the views |
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| There's still snow on Brian Head Peak |
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| We could see a long way in every direction |
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| We headed back down to avoid getting rained on, we can see the storm coming |
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| A little squall off in the distance |
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| More hikers rock art |
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| Still a lot of snow on the Tushar Mountains to the north |
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| Although a very strenuous hike, it's totally worth it! |
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| Smile ..... you're either coming or going! |
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| Indian Paintbrush |
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| Wild flowers add color to every hike |
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| The squalls went all around us and we stayed dry |
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| We found this survey marker along the trail ... 1910 was a long time ago |
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| Another Prickly Pear in bloom |
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About a mile to go .... whoohoo!
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| Aerial View of Valentine Peak Trail |
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| Taco Salad at Brody's in Cedar City ..... my reward for a good hike! yum! |
