Water Benchmark

In July, we hiked to Black Benchmark, on the Paunsaugunt Plateau, with our friend Tom. We instantly fell in love with this area and especially enjoyed the Sunset Cliffs that are located on the west side of the plateau.  As the "crow flies" they are only about ten-miles away from the Paunsaugunt's more famous east side cliffs, also known as Bryce Canyon National Park.  However, the Sunset Cliffs do not receive the visitation and crowds that the Park does . . . mainly due to a series of dirt roads and little signage that would alert one to this most wonderful side of the Plateau.  So, on another gorgeous Fall Friday, we set off to find Water Benchmark.

Arriving at the trailhead we noticed this "happy tree" . . . it looks like a dog

The Grandview Trail has trailheads that begin at various points along the Paunsaugunt OHV Trail . . .
Just look for these signs and you'll find some "grand views"

Within minutes, sections of the Sunset Cliffs came into view . . .
The trail follows along the rim, weaving in and out of various coves, that hold these beautiful formations

Our destination is Water Benchmark, so we turned east and headed off trail . . .
Straight up through the manzanita shrubs!

Up on top we spotted wire left by the surveyors . . .
Our first clue that the benchmark should be nearby 

Water Benchmark was placed here in 1964

Water Benchmark (9335 ft elevation)

What is Kent doing?
He's trying to find one of the Reference Markers . . . there's suppose to be a triangular blaze, on the stump,
that has a copper nail and washer mounted inside of it . . .
Turns out the blaze had weathered away and the reference markers were missing, as well . . .

60 years will take a toll on anyone!

Here's an example of what he was looking for
(We found this one, last year, when we located Cottam Benchmark)

It didn't surprise us to see Bristlecone pines growing along the edge of the cliffs . . .
They like higher elevations and harsh conditions

Bristlecone pine cone . . .
If you look closely you can see a few bristles on the scales

Kent noticed this window/bridge in the formations.  Can you see it?
(It's in the lower middle section of the photo)

We were surprised to find this survey marker

1942 . . .
Apparently, even a world war won't stop land surveyors from doing their work!

Looking south, along the Sunset Cliffs . . . what a view!

The entire day we saw no one else . . . the place was ours!

Heading back . . .
The Peak up ahead is where Water Benchmark was located

Our last view of the cliffs . . . until next time!

On the drive out we stopped to fish

We were both shocked when Kent pulled out this Cutthroat trout!
It was 18-20 inches long and meaty . . . don't worry Kent released him back to the creek

Pretty fall foliage that has gone to seed

What a beautiful stream!  Doesn't get much better than this!

Other than no crowds (in fact, we didn't see another person or vehicle for the entire day), we really like that this side of the Plateau is not within the Park boundaries . . . it is administrated by the Forest Service.  While we aren't against the National Parks (they're just extremely crowded and thus the need for protection of these unique natural resources), it certainly is nice to hike and fish with very few restrictions on where one can go!

Our hike was about 2.5 miles r/t with only about 300 ft of elevation gain.  The next time you are driving through Hatch and look off to the east and see the Sunset Cliffs, think about spending some extra time exploring this quiet and beautiful area!

The "Other" Henrie Knoll

Having several errands that we needed to take care of in Cedar City, and knowing we would be done with them by mid-morning, we decided to do a short hike on the Markagunt Plateau, near Duck Creek.

Back in July, when we hiked Henrie Knolls, we noticed an adjacent cinder cone that was a little bit shorter in stature, but decided to save this interesting looking knob for another day.  Well, today is the day we are going to go back and hike the "other Henrie Knoll" that is just south of the one with a benchmark.  After a short drive from Duck Creek, on good dirt roads, we came to the base of Peak 8897 where we began our hike.

Peak 8897 is also known as one of the Henrie Knolls

We started out on a seldom used road and then cut off to our right . . . from here we made a west/northwest arcing path that allowed us to semi-circle the cone on our way to the top

Along the way we stumbled upon this Geocache . . . it goes by the name Half-Way Henrie
We found it strange that it wasn't placed at the top of the knoll, but just randomly on the cinder cone's side??
(This is the third Geocache we have come across this year)

It's a short hike, about 1/2 mile with a gain of 500 ft . . .
That is if you were to head straight up to the summit . . . which we didn't

We had a nice view of the other Henrie Knoll (9,256 ft) that we hiked in July

Little Creek Peak (10,140 ft) stands out in the distance . . .  as a crow flies it is about 20 miles away
(Surprisingly, we haven't done this peak, but have it on our "to-do" list . . . it has a benchmark on top!)

Kent is standing on the high point (8897 ft)

There were some tall Ponderosa Pines on the summit 

We opted to hike back down the west side, but took a more direct path towards the aspen groves
(The west side is fairly free of obstructions and has some very nice views of the lava field)

Three weeks in a row we have been fortunate to hike in the aspens and enjoy the colors

The winter snowfall was a little too much for these young trees

We discovered a trick tank (some call them guzzlers) that are used for providing wildlife with water . . .
These collect snow and rain, by means of a metal roof that funnels the moisture to a storage tank . . .
This one needs a little maintenance, as it's trough was full of pine needles 

Heading back to the truck . . . it was like walking down the Yellow Brick Road

Today might be our last chance, this year, to hike among the golden aspens . . .
The weather is forecasted to change later this upcoming week

After a fun hike, Kent was anxious to drop a line in Duck Creek . . . he caught a few small trout

The "other" Henrie Knoll was a fun hike that provided some really nice views, gave us some needed exercise and wasn't too hard to get to.  Altogether, our route was about 1.5 miles with 500 ft of elevation gain, however, you certainly could make it shorter by heading straight up the cone. If you're up on the Markagunt Plateau and have a couple of extra hours, you might think about taking this enjoyable little hike!

 

Fall Fishing in the Tushars

With the temperatures still hovering around 100­° in St. George, and not wanting to sit around and waste a couple of Fall Saturdays, we decided it was time to head for the Tushars to do some fishing on one of the best streams on the mountain.  We enjoyed our time so much, that two weeks later, we returned to do it all over again!  Below are some pictures, taken over those weeks, showcasing why the Tushars are some of our favorite mountains in Utah.

Passing through Beaver we spotted these nice bucks in someone's yard!
(They have very smart deer in Beaver!)

Believe it or not, there is a little stream flowing below the tree line

Time to get fishing!
(The stream flow is generally lower during the fall months, but don't let that fool you!)
 

It wasn't long before we had a very nice wild Rainbow!

Red Willow roots add a nice pop of color

Three weeks ago the aspens were green . . .
Today there's only a few trees left that are still hanging onto their golden leaves

A single Mountain Aster was still in bloom, in October!

 

Here's a close up of that earlier aspen grove . . . as we work our way downstream

Oh, man this looks like a nice pool to be hiding a trout or two!

It was peaceful listening to the creek and watching the water swirl over and around the rocks

Yep, the pool held another gorgeous Cutthroat!

We just love fishing small streams like this one!
(It's surprising how many people overlook these hidden gems)

A sign of Fall

Not sure if this is a wild Rainbow or a cross between a Rainbow and a Cutthroat??
Either way, a very nice fish!

We found part of an old trail sign on the ground
(If you're curious as to where we were fishing, you might try to decipher what it says!)

One last look at the aspens before we head back to the truck . . .
It's been a great day!

 

Sorry, we didn't tell you the name of the creek.  If you're a small stream fisherman, you understand how hesitant we are to give out such information . . . if we did, it wouldn't be long until they'd be fished out!  Altogether we caught about eight fish (each trip), kept a few to eat, and released the rest to be caught another day . . . maybe by you!