Jones Bones and the Cinder Cone Trail

Another beautiful winter day in southern Utah.  What better to do than go hiking with friends!  John & Mary have been "raving" about an unmarked/unnamed trail called "Jones Bones" that starts across from the north Snow Canyon state park entrance.  This "sweet" little trail just about has it all:  sand, slickrock, a decent elevation gain, wonderful views and a cinder cone to boot!  We used two cars . . . parking one at the Cinder Cone trailhead and then shuttling in the other to the Snow Canyon entrance.  This allowed us to do a 3.5 mile one-way hike, rather than an up and back . . . turned out to be a great plan . . . and a great afternoon hike!

Working our way through the sand

After we emptied our shoes of sand, we continued on the slickrock

There's no trail across the slickrock . . . just a few rock cairns 

And here he is . . . the namesake of the trail
Poor Mr. Jones . . . he's missing his right hand!
Thankfully, he has a good pair of shoes, sunglasses and a hat! 

Looking west towards Snow Canyon 

We continue heading north towards the cinder cone

One of the many gates . . . sadly, we didn't see any dangerous animals!

There's a trail leading up the cinder cone on the south side 

On top of the cinder cone . . . we had great views all to ourselves

The end of our hike . . .
Looking back to the south from the start of the Cinder Cone trailhead

Kitchen Corral Wash Exploration

Last fall we began exploring the area around the Paria River drainage, which is east of Kanab.  We weren't able to get all the hikes that we wanted to do in before winter.  Now that spring is beginning to arrive, we thought "let's make an exploratory trip" and make sure we can get into the areas we have been dreaming about.  We were concerned some of the roads might not be accessible due to deep sand, mud or possibly being closed by GSENM (Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument).  So . . . we invited friends John & Mary along and spent a day exploring and revisiting this unique area of the state.

Little did we know, Kanab was holding a Balloons and Tunes Festival . . .
 a fun way start to our day! 

Cute as can be . . . and as luck would have it . . . 
today is Valentine's Day!

Take heed . . . 
Apparently, a few people have "blindly" followed their GPS's

John, Kent, Chipper and Mary pose in front of Mollies Nipple . . .
we're coming back to ascend this "butte"!

A different view of Mollies Nipple with a natural silhouette 

This cute guy kept an eye on us as we drove past

We're not sure what this structure was used for . . .
 but it was fun to explore the area around it

Can't imagine how heavy these are . . . I liked the natural rustic patina
In the 1930's exploration for oil was done in the area . . . 
must be "leftovers" from an earlier time

We stopped at Hackberry Canyon and walked along Cottonwood Creek . . . 
John and Mary wanted to see where the Yellow Rock trail started

Utah is full of unique geological features . . . 
possibly a fold or anticline?

One doesn't have to leave the pavement to see amazing scenery in Utah . . .
 like along HWY 89 east of Kanab . . . so get out there and go for a drive

Snow Canyon Overlook via Red Mountain Trailhead

In early January we hiked the Hurricane Canal with Darrell and a small group from our church.  Darrell enjoyed the time of fellowship and decided to plan and lead a group to the Snow Canyon Overlook.  We had driven by this turnout many times over the years, but had never stopped and done this hike - so we signed "on board" for the outing.  The 2.4 mile trek (one-way) took us to an amazing vista of Snow Canyon and the surrounding area.  Thanks, Darrell, for inviting us along!

Although it's a popular trail, it was fairly quiet for a Saturday 

Starting out on the trail . . . 
it's a bit rocky so watch your step 

Pine Valley Mountains off to the north and east

We've arrived . . . 
Wow!  What a great view of Snow Canyon

We had 14 hikers and 1 dog in our group

Awesome views in every direction

Here's our group

Darrell . . .  the leader of the pack 

Almost back to the car . . .
After twenty plus years in the area, it's good to know we can still find new places to explore