Agreed! We picked up a bunch of litter and glow sticks on our visit as well!

Didn't do the full loop, but just visited the panels in lower Ernie A few potentially useful notes for folks wanting to visit these in as short of a hike as possible it's well worth it, they are very detailed panels!:There is a road off of 24 at 38720504, -110491151 - if you cross through the gate and follow the road, it's easy to get to the rim of Iron Wash and doesn't require high clearance or 4WD! From where the road ends, there is a fairly easy to spot cattle trail that drops down to the wash bottom You can cro...

Great Salt Lake is one of the most impressive things you see if you fly into Salt Lake City, named, of course, after the lake. At its largest, the lake has covered over 3000 square miles, and the lake plays an important role in the economy, bringing in over $300 million per year from mineral extraction and brine shrimp harvest. The lake is also a haven for migrating and breeding birds, with over 10 million birds supported by the lake and surrounding wetlands on an annual basis. The lake support...

Mule Canyon Towers Ruin is one of only a few ruins on Cedar Mesa outside of Hovenweep National Monument where tower ruins are found Along the rim of Mule are 5 to 7 towers depending on what exactly you count as a tower, while just below the rim are several ruins and panels to visit as well There is debate on what the towers were actually used for, with some believing they were for defense, and some believing they were used for religious ceremonies With easy access, unique ruins, and plenty to see, this is a side tr...

Between 1973 and 1976, artist Nancy Holt created a unique art piece in Utah’s remote west desert The piece, known as The Sun Tunnels, consists of 4 concrete tubes The tubes, each about 9 feet in diameter by 18 feet in length, are laid out on the flats just north and east of the PIlot Mountain Range During summer and winter solstice, the sunrise and sunset is centered in view in two of the concrete tubes This unique art piece is quite a contrast to the flat lands in is surrounded by Each tube has drilled holes in it...

The flats above Buckhorn Wash must have once teamed with game during certain times of the year In spring, the flats can be a carpet of green grass and seems a perfect grazing area for animals Native peoples left their mark on the area during the times they spent, either hunting or just passing through the area The nearby Cedar Mountain base has several rock art sites This site, at the base of Little Cedar Mountain, is a single large boulder with a few petroglyphs on each side Though a relatively small site, I found...

In 1888, when some of the first pioneers visited the north end of the Great Salt Lake, the springs at Locomotive Springs where flowing with such force, that the pioneers named them Locomotive Springs for their thunderous sound Today, the area is managed as a waterfowl management area WMA as it is a critical habitat for migratory birds Drought and ground water pumping for agriculture have reduced the springs by as much as 80% of what they were in the 1960s There are still ponds and wetlands, but much smaller than th...

Lone Warrior Pictograph is one of my favorite pictograph panels in the Swell I will admit to generally having tastes that lean toward minimalistic design This single red warrior with its shield, spear, and other intricacies stands out in the sea of sandstone that surrounds it In my opinion, it is a stunning work of art My compliments go to its creator! I would love to know if the artist was a warrior, or perhaps the partner of a warrior, or aspiring warrior With easy access, good camping nearby, and terrific scener...

Monarch Cave was one of my first introductions to the world of Ancestral Puebloan ruins on Cedar Mesa back in the 1990s, and after decades of exploring the region, I still consider it one of the absolute best For those new to the area, I recommend Monarch Cave as a first stop Like most of the ruins along Butler Wash, the hike is relatively short, usually 1-2 hours round trip It offers a high reward-to-effort ratio I have returned many times since my first visit in the 90s, and it remains the primary site I use when...

Kelso Dunes is likely the most visited attraction in the Mojave National Preserve The dunes encompass a massive 45 square miles with the tallest dune reaching about 650 feet 200 meters above the surrounding landscape It is the largest sand dune area in the Mojave Desert The main dune, described here, is steep, sandy, and quite beautiful! I was amazed on our mid-winter visit how many others were visiting but also making the steep loose trek to the dunes lofty summit Kids, families, and those that are young at heart ...