Grand Castle Highpoint

A few weeks ago when we were making plans to hike the Beehive, Tom mentioned a place he thought we might like called Grand Castle.  He said it was outside Parowan and up the Yankee Meadow road.  At the time we couldn't get up the road as it was still locked and gated for the winter.  Fast forward several weeks, with the road open and clear, it was time to take Tom (and Lola) up on their offer to rehike this beautiful highpoint with us.

Only being about three miles in length (rt), this hike will challenge you over the first half-mile as it gains nearly 850 feet.  After the initial gain, the terrain levels out some before you make the final push for the summit.  It is a great hike that provides phenomenal 360° views in all directions . . . just check out the pictures below!  If you're interested in making this hike for yourself, just click here for a link to Tom's Peakbagger posting that has all the route information.

We set out early before the sun was overhead . . .
and like most of our hikes, it's uphill from the get-go!

Look out Kent . . . Hoodoo Man is watching you!
Kind of spooky looking, huh?

Tom was in the lead . . . here we come trying to catch up with Lola . . .
who took this nice picture while waiting for us (ha!)

Yep . . . it was steep!
But the scenery and rock formations made the hard work worth it!

There were a quite a few cushion phlox all along the way

Every so often we came across chunks of conglomerate rocks

We are headed to Grand Castle Highpoint (8572 ft) . . .
there is no trail

Now we are working up through the loose scree

It's time to for our final ascent to the highpoint

But first we must make our way around these impressive rock turrets

Somehow, this Woolly Mountain Parsley can survive in these rocks

The scenery was outstanding the entire hike . . .
 We are looking southeast towards Brian Head 

There were a few Bristlecone Pines growing up on the highpoint
This magnificent one surely has stood the test of time!

We are on the Grand Castle highpoint . . .
the actual Castle, for which area is named, is off to the southwest

Looking west towards Parowan . . .
 Little Salt Lake, a dry salt bed can be seen in the distance

Lola had the right idea . . . and she deserved a nap!
She was tuckered from hiking two peaks the previous day . . . what a trooper!

Enjoying a few more minutes before it's time to head back down
(Make sure to click on the picture to open it in a panoramic format)

Kent's always on the lookout for the perfect Christmas tree
You can see Yankee Meadow road below us . . . this is where we started

This pinnacle marks the spot where we begin our final descent!
Pretty hard to miss this trail marker

It looks as if someone poured concrete . . .
but it's just a huge slab of conglomerate rock

Almost back . . . I know how Lola feels
Looking across the canyon (in the very upper right hand corner)
is the rock formation known as Noah's Ark  

We have come full circle . . .
and yes we pretty much slid all the way down . . . it was quite the ride!

There is alternate way to approach the Grand Castle from the southwest that starts at the Vermillion Castle trailhead, although it is longer and has some even steeper sections.  Please click here for additional pictures and a map courtesy of Peakbagger Stephen Thompson.

Bushwhack Below Little Shelly

It was time to go hiking or go fishing.  Which one should we do?  Why not do both!  Our friend, Tom and his dog Lola, hiked Little Shelly the previous week and so the seed was planted.  We decided to get up early on Friday and take a drive to the Tushars (just outside of Beaver) and bring both our fishing poles and hiking shoes.

After some deliberation we decided to hike Little Shelly, roughly following a similar route Tom had made.  We should have paid more attention to his use of the words, "serious bushwhacking."  Somehow, Kent read "minor bushwhacking" and so we set off on an adventure.  Later, Allison would remind Kent, "You're not Tom and Chipper is not Lola" . . . oh, how so true!

Maybe we should have stuck to fishing!  Nah!  After we got home and recovered from our scratches, we both felt a sense of satisfaction in making it to the ridgeline and enjoying some incredible views.  I don't think we'll ever get tired of visiting the Tushars!

 We were surprised to see these rock formations above Manderfield Reservoir . . .
Something worth exploring on another outing in the Tushars

We started our hike in Mill Hollow . . . there was no trail . . . 
just pick a ridge and head up through and around the manzanita

It's a good thing the scenery is amazing . . . the hike was brutal!
Looking southeast towards Mt. Baldy (12,090)

Doesn't this rock look like a Hasselback potato?

Oregon Grape were in bloom 

We have never experienced bushwhacking like this before!  Ouch! 
 It was exhausting . . . it wore both of us and Chipper out!

Allison spotted this Small-Flowered Blue-Eyed Mary nestled among a rocky section

After a break at the two-mile mark, we decided it was best to turn around . . .
Chipper reached his limit and we still had the bushwhack to go back through . . . yikes!
You can see Mt. Belknap (12,137) behind us . . . we hiked it in 2008

Yep, it was a hard decision . . . the summit of Little Shelly (9,900) was right there . . .
but hiking, without a trail, through this mess got the best of us . . .
I know . . . hard for us to believe, too!

This picture is courtesy of Tom who made it to the top of Little Shelly one week earlier . . .
This "would" have been our view!
We stopped on the ridge just below the two snow patches

In spite of the lightning caused fire that burned through this area in 2010,
it's still a beautiful area to explore
(click on the picture to make it open in a larger format)

It's been fun using our new GPS  

Starting our descent . . . doesn't Chipper look excited?
He just wants to get back to the 4Runner!

Back into the baby aspens and ankle grabbing cedars . . . 
I can hardly see Kent and Chipper

It was time for another break before the last section of our descent 

The manzanita bushes were really colorful

Hiking along this hoodoo ridge was fun,
 such unique formations in the middle of the forest 

More formations to our east 

This might be a Lodge Pole Pine, it stood out among the rest of the trees

Chipper was so happy to see Mill Hollow Creek . . .
he drank his fill and cooled off his feet

We stopped downstream and did a little fishing in Indian Creek . . .
we caught a few trout and then let them go free! 

 Ouch . . . Are we a little crazy? . . . Maybe . . . give us a day we'll be fine!
Lesson learned:
 Next time Tom says the hike involves brutal bushwhacking . . .
 We will be sure to wear pants or turn around and run the other way!

Zion, a Dragon and Caves! Oh My!

We needed to get away from yard work for a while.  But what to do?  Allison suggested we drive to Zion.   Even though the Park is closed (due to the pandemic), we were allowed to travel the main road through the Tunnel and continue on eastward to Mt. Carmel Junction.  It was here that we decided to take some time and explore two road side attractions we had previously passed by many times over the years while traveling on HWY 89.

Have you ever heard of "The Belly of the Dragon" or "Moqui Caverns?"  Not Moqui Caves the tourist stop, but Moqui Caverns . . . aka Kanab Sand Caves.  I didn't think so.  Anyway, here are a few pictures of our discoveries before we headed home on the Coral Pink Sand Dunes road.  And to think we thought we'd seen it all . . . wrong!

Zion is normally full of tourists . . . not now . . . it's all ours for the time being

Since the park is closed we couldn't stop . . . we just enjoyed the serenity

What a unique feeling . . . 12,400 people visit Zion on any given day
Today we could count the cars on our fingers

Just outside of Mt. Carmel Junction is "The Belly of the Dragon"
We've driven over it numerous times not knowing what lay below

It's a man-made culvert . . . but over the years water has carved ripples in the tunnel

A fun place for big and little kids to explore . . .
Bring a flashlight as it was quite dark in the middle of the belly

An alien sand carving

Chipper remembers the way out of the tunnel . . . 
If you'd like directions to see the "Dragon" for yourself, just click here

The East Fork of the Virgin River flows nearby

Next stop . . . Moqui Caverns (aka Kanab Sand Caves)

The caverns are man made . . . but still fun to explore

Kent and Chipper peeking through a kid sized opening

The Caverns were made in the 1970's . . .
The sand was harvested for making glass

Here we are . . . just having fun!
Directions for Moqui Caverns can be found by clicking here

We stopped at the Ponderosa Grove Campground on our way home . . .
This campground is part of Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park . . . 
What a pretty spot!