Every once in awhile, after you've completed a hike and reflect back on the day, you realize the memories made were very special and will stick with you for a lifetime - that's the kind of hike this turned out to be! We decided to dedicate a post to each of the three legs of the hike - so make sure to keep scrolling after reading this section to catch the other two!
We began by shuttling vehicles - leaving Tom's Tacoma at the Paria Box Trailhead and then driving three miles north and leaving our 4Runner at the Hackberry Trailhead. From here we began our eight mile hike by ascending a very steep ridge that took us to a mesa above Hackberry Canyon. Once on top our first destination was in sight - Yellow Rock.
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| Tom is working his way up the steep, but short social trail to Yellow Rock |
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| We stopped to catch our breath and take in the views of the valley below |
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| There it is . . . Yellow Rock! |
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| This unique Navajo sandstone dome is worth seeing . . . the swirls & colors are amazing! (We did a post on Yellow Rock in November 2019 - click here to see more on this area) |
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| We left our packs behind and headed for the top |
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| This white stain is puzzling . . . how did it get here? |
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| Majestic Castle Rock . . . We are already planning on hiking this sometime in the near future! |
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| The top of Yellow Rock is easy to walk on & the views make it worth the hike |
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| Lola & Chipper appear to be making plans for the best route to Red Top |
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| Hmmm . . . guess what? Kent & Tom already have a plan in mind! (What they are really talking about were the four F-22's that came "screaming" down Cottonwood Wash and reliving Tom's past as a F-4 pilot!) |
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| So many textures & colors go every which way on Yellow Rock |
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| This could almost be called Dalmatian spots! |
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| Looking back towards Yellow Rock as we head for Red Top (Notice our footprints in the sand - mainly cross country from here on) |
