Beehive Forest & Moqui Marbles

Kent has been interested, for some time now, in a set of beehive formations that can be seen from the Rosy Canyon Road that leads to Coral Pink Sand Dunes.  Due to the winter weather we experienced this week (that lead to muddy off road conditions), it seemed like a good time to do this hike as we could get there from a paved road.

Even though the skies cleared, it was still a cold and icy morning, but warmed quickly and turned into a gorgeous day.  The beehive forest (what we ended up calling the formations) and freshly fallen snow accentuated the vibrant coral colors of the beehives and the countless number of moqui marbles that surrounded them.  It was a fun outing that involved some route finding and even provided Tom with a peak that he could bag.

Fresh fallen snow on the Rosy Canyon Road . . .
We are headed up the canyon on the left

Here we are trying to find a route up through the rocks . . .
We found a chute that looked promising, but it wasn't dog friendly . . .
So we kept looking

Our next attempt ended at this dry fall
A pretty alcove, but it definitely was not an option either

After a small back track . . .
We scrambled up through some boulders and found ourselves on a nice ridge
The ridge provided a pleasant trek all the way to the beehives . . .
Wow, look at those Beehives!

These cacti look cold!  

We are in for a fun day of exploring!
(Click on the picture to enlarge this panoramic view)

Some of the most unique sandstone striations and embedded moqui marbles
were found at the first set of beehives we encountered on the ridge

We then headed through a big sandstone bowl to another set of formations we called the
"Beehive Forest"
We have never seen so many Moqui Marbles before . . . they were everywhere!

This iron concretion looks like metal . . . just one of many oddities near the Beehives

Of course, Tom had to climb to the top of the highest beehive!
He looks so small up there!

Allison then climbed up to where Tom had been and got this unique perspective
of the Beehive Forest
Do you see Kent & Tom (and the dogs, aka "The Mob") in this bowl? 

We had awesome views in every direction

Allison had a little too much fun taking pictures of the many different iron concretions
(This is looking back on the bowl we crossed and Beehive Forest from the ridge we came up)  

As we headed south to explore more Beehives,
the snow became a little deeper as we gained elevation
While we stopped and explored this area, Tom continued on to summit Peak 6210

A half hour later we all met up for lunch . . .
We shivered when the clouds covered the sun and were very thankful as they moved on!

On our way back we noticed that the snow had really melted
(We are headed back down the ridge we originally came up)

 

This picture was not staged! This is how we found this marble and it's future mates

One last shot . . . before Allison gets left behind!

What was slippery ice on the way up, provided the dogs with a cool drink on our way down
In the distance lies the Beehive Wonderland . . . what a fun place!
(The Forest is actually on top of the mound to the right)

On the way out we wandered up to an alcove & found petroglyphs!

We also discovered this seep spring!
Guess that's why the petroglyphs are in the same alcove??

This most enjoyable hike was 6.6 miles long and took us about five hours.  Tom has posted a great description, as well, on his Peakbagger post and by clicking here you can get a topo map and gps tracks of our route.

Lower Mountain Notch

Canaan Mountain has fast become one of our favorite places to explore in southern Utah and offers refreshing solitude as compared to its busy neighbor, Zion  Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you view it), there is no easy way to get on top this magnificent high plateau.  In fact, the three routes - Water Canyon, Squirrel Canyon and Lower Mountain Notch - all involve negotiating cracks in the formidable sandstone cliffs that guard the mountain like an impenetrable fortress.

So when Tom suggested we give Lower Mountain Notch a shot we were, tentatively, on board.  We say "tentatively" because we new it was going to be a long hike (11-12 miles) and would involve following an unmaintained trail that we read would take some route finding.  The trail or route finding didn't end up being an issue, but the distance constantly played a mental game with Kent's psyche as to whether his knee would hold out long enough to get him back to the trailhead.

We are on our way to Eagle Crags . . . those jagged peaks straight ahead
This is where we will begin our trek to Lower Mountain Notch

Getting to the trailhead is an adventure in itself . . . on the way, we were 
treated to a beautiful golden glowing sunrise on The West Temple of Zion! 

Starting up the trail towards Eagle Crags . . . 
The first three miles are on a maintained trail and goes quite quickly

Here's West Temple after the sunrise

The dogs enjoyed the snow along the trail

As the trail winds its way east, the views of "Zion proper" become overshadowed
by the East Fork Canyon of the Virgin River

One of the seldom seen secrets of the East Fork is the settlement of Shunesburg . . .
Brigham Young sent people to settle this area in the 1860's . . . 
This is all that remains of that early community

It's time to take a snack break before starting on the unmaintained trail
that heads up the South Fork of  the Virgin River . . .
Come on Kent, what's taking you so long!

This picture shows our route to Lower Mountain Notch . . .
After 4.5 miles, we made the decision to head back (red line) while Tom pushed
on to the Notch (yellow line)

Manzanitas berries or drupes . . . taste like apples . . . so we've heard  

Looking back, from where we've come, at Eagles Crags and Zion
This was an annoying part of the trail as we had to descend/ascend many ravines

Safety first . . . Kent & Tom are doing a walkie-talkie check
before Tom heads for The Notch and East Lower Mountain

Tom shared these next four pictures with us and we thought you might find it interesting as to what he saw along his journey.

Here's the crux of the hike . . . The Notch
Once past this weakness in the sandstone cliffs you can begin to explore the remote
sections of Canaan's Lower Mountain

Here's an example of those impressive cliffs that surround Canaan Mountain . . .
Tom took this picture looking east just above where he came through The Notch

We should have followed Tom . . . we missed seeing this cool hoodoo!

Here's East Lower Mountain . . .
Tom plans to summit East and West Lower Mountain on another trip . . . 
He needs more daylight to complete this estimated fourteen mile hike!

Yikes!  A rattlesnake shed . . . a good reason why we don't hike here in the summer!

Just a few more miles to go!

Ah!  Back to the trailhead!
For us this was a nine mile (r/t) hike and for Tom, just an eleven mile "walk in the park!"

If you'd like to do this hike you may be interested in this well written (and picture documented) article, Eagle Crags Trail (and Lower Mountain) by Joe Braun - we found it very helpful.  Of course, there is always Tom's Peakbagger post that will provide you with GPS tracks and a topo map - this can be found by clicking here.

The Spires at Dutton Pass

We had a nice day and wanted to hike, but were torn between attempting Gooseberry Mesa Highpoint or doing the Spires near Dutton Pass.  After spending some time scoping out Gooseberry Mesa, from a road on the bench below the rim, and not being able to find a viable route, we settled on the Spires.  It was a good choice!

The Spires (a name we gave them) are located east of Apple Valley and south of Smithsonian Butte.  If you're familiar with the Yellow Man pictographs, then you know where we started our ascent of Dutton Pass and our traverse of a steep ridge that ended at the Spires.  For not knowing exactly what we were going to do, the Spires ended up providing us with unique rock formations and spectacular views . . . and a pretty good workout!

This was the bench road we used to assess Gooseberry Mesa Highpoint . . .
You can see what a beautiful day it was!

We parked our vehicles in front of this old building and walked to Dutton Pass . . .
That's Smithsonian Butte in the background

Heading up the ridge toward the Spires provided us with nice views of Zion

This contrail looks like a smoke signal or a flare . . . 
This is looking at East Lower Mountain . . . possibly a future hike near the Eagle Crags

We had to watch out for these!

Kent is excited to see the Spires . . .
He's been curious about them . . . they are visible from HWY 59

Here is the first one!  It's the most obvious one when looking at the ridge from below

Kent and his trusty sidekick, Chipper

Curious about the cave . . . Kent had to check it out . . . 
He thought there might be some petroglyphs, but alas, no

Tom really wanted to bag this Spire (and truly thought he could make it) . . .
But we had to remind him he's peakbagger not a rock climber! 

Kent stayed with the dogs while Tom & Allison hiked over to the next Spire
(You're familiar with Lola and Chipper, but meet Tom's new dog Ezy who
is carrying Lola's pack)

There were several Juniper bushes full of berries up on the ridge

What a great place for a picnic!
This is looking south toward another one of the Spires

Tom is one happy Peakbagger on top of 6160 . . . the second highest point!

Here's a panoramic shot of both Spires
(Click on the picture to enlarge the view)

This rock almost has a face . . .can you see it?

An interesting piece of sandstone . . . it almost looks like a lizard

Smithsonian Butte towers over Dutton Pass as we work our way back to the trailhead

Cacti and snow were plentiful on the north side of the ridge

Here's a zoomed in view of the Spires from the trailhead

Round trip for this hike was 4.5 miles and took us a little over three hours.  If you're interested in doing this hike, or need a route that will take you to Yellow Man, click here for Tom's Peakbagger post with topo map and gps tracks.