Every time I go to Utah's Cedar Mesa, I find myself wondering why I don't visit more often. When I really think about it, the answer is a combination of factors, with the largest being:
- Distance - It's a 24-hour drive from home. Anything over 19 hours is a slog - even for the younger me, who could conquer long drives and still hike the next day. Even when the Tacoma is stored in Las Vegas, it's a 9-hour trek - nearly a full day of driving - just to get there!
- Death Valley - Much of the time I'd want to be exploring Cedar Mesa - in the spring and fall shoulder seasons - I also want to be soaking in the sights at my favorite National Park. Only 2 hours away from Vegas, it's almost too good to be true.
Still, I can't let a little thing like distance keep me from seeing some of the most beautiful sights - and coolest history - this country has to offer. And yet, Cedar Mesa is a big place. Like Death Valley, I could spend my entire life exploring nothing but this place and still only scratch the surface. And so, I need a plan.
I'll start small. Or, small-ish. Meandering along the western edge, Grand Gulch is a serpentine canyon entrenched into the otherwise gently sloping surface. My plan is to hike nearly the whole thing. I'll do it a bit at a time, working my way in from various access points to enjoy the sandstone walls and Native American (Ancestral Puebloan) history that hides within.
And I'll start* with Collins Canyon.
* sort of. We hiked the Bullet-to-Sheiks Canyon loop a few years ago.
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