“Idle time is the devil's play” as the old saying goes The Devil’s Playground is, then, a good place to have some idle time! The area is a unique geologic feature in north west Utah where granite is exposed and has eroded into large fins, domes, spires, and boulders The Utah Geological Survey has an excellent page on the technical details The rock is quite grainy and exfoliating It is not good for rock climbing, but weathers into interesting shapes The playground does not have any formal trails Roads provide easy a...

The Devil’s Throat is a great example of geology in action In the early 1900’s, during the Gold Butte mining boom, cowboys and miners in the area suddenly saw a large cloud of dust off in the distance Upon investigation, they found a large sinkhole where once had been open desert! The sinkhole, known as the Devil’s Throat, has grown over the years, and is currently between 110-120' across and quite deep It is immense! The sinkhole is impressive, but hard to get the scale of when visiting A safety fence has been put...

Piedmont Wyoming sprung up as a result of the railroad expansion to the west coast In 1869 Moses Byrne began establishing a water station for the railroad Moses soon built the Piedmont Charcoal kilns to supply charcoal to the Utah Valley via the passing railroad The kilns are the most prominent remains of the settlement and were added to the historic register in 1971 During its early days, Piedmont was quite a settlement As railroad men and homesteaders came to the area, the settlement grew to include a mercantile ...

The West Desert is full of colorful characters that left their mark on the history of the region Bob Stinson stands out in my mind as one of the most colorful! Bob, after serving in World War I, returned to find his sweetheart had married another man while he was away Broken-hearted, he headed out to Delta in Utah to visit his brother En route to Delta, Bob's vehicle broke down in Marjum Canyon The canyon was known for rockfall on the road and a steep grade that caused many vehicles to overheat Well, Bob ended up b...

Bowington Arch is a hike that I think experienced Grand Staircase hikers will enjoy, but is equally accessible as an introduction to new Escalante visitors The hike, starting at the highway 12 bridge/Escalante River Trailhead, has a bit of everything Ruins, rock art, towering walls, riparian river sections, an arch, and the colorful walls and textures that I see as iconic to the Escalante region There is a lot to see and do on this hike It is mostly done as an out-and-back 1/2 or full-day hike It would also be well...

Tucked at the south end of Capitol Reef National Park, Halls Creek Narrows is a stunning, convoluted canyon that makes a meandering path through Navajo sandstone The canyon has a bit of everything: deep alcoves, a spring feed stream, narrower sections, and towering walls I would compare it a little in scale and experience to Coyote Gulch, but it is also quite different This is one of those hikes that has been on my list for literally decades When I started going to the desert, a friend showed me photos and told me ...

What to say about Cobb Peak Lovely views for sure, but my least favorite of the half dozen or so peaks I have done in the Silver Island Mountains At a bit over 3 miles round trip with 2,200 feet of elevation gain to reach the summit, I expected this to be a very steep hike It is, but it is also very loose and requires a fair bit of route finding I generally pay close attention on my way up peaks and don't have a problem coming down, but somehow still managed to get cliffed out a couple of times on the return down t...

Pool Arch Canyon is more of a hike than a technical hardcore canyoneering adventure It provides lovely views and visits two arches en route to the technical section of the canyon Often dry, it is a good choice in cooler times of the year The route gets quite a bit of sun, so is not recommended in the heat of the day during the summer It's short technical section, and easy nature make this a good choice for beginners Beware, the anchors have changed a few times over the years, with pitons and webbing being removed N...

Likely the most floated stretch of river in Utah, the Moab Daily is a class III section of the Colorado River near Moab The 14-mile section is extremely popular with families, locals, and guiding companies Although class III, this is a float that is beginner friendly at flows below about 10,000 cfs Above about 10K cfs, it is solid class III The rapids, 6 in the 14 miles, with several smaller rifles and wave sections, are all separated by long stretches of flat water that gives beginners a chance to re-group after e...

Gold Strike Canyon, home to Gold Strike Hot Springs, and Nevada Hot Springs is just downstream from Hoover Dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River Access is relatively easy, requiring about an hour or so hike down from the trailhead near the highway Be warned, however, this hike is not recommended by the National Park Service in summer months due to heat and the high potential for encountering rattlesnakes Also be aware, this is an incredible popular hike with locals As such, expect to run into numerous group...