Cedar Mesa Chronicles: Chapter 11 | Thursday – Sunday, March 21-24, 2024
This week Diane and I took Thursday and Friday off from work so we could meet up with our friend Jared and spend a couple of days backpacking into lower Grand Gulch within the Bears Ears National Monument. While this would be Diane’s first time hiking into this part of Grand Gulch, Jared and I had hiked here about nine years ago and I was really looking forward to the return visit. From the very start of the hike we could tell there was a lot of water in the canyon from recent storms and that it might have even flash flooded recently, but all that water also created a lot of quicksand and mud in the wash that significantly slowed down our progress and forced us to follow brushy deer trails across the benches in many places. The weather during the first three days of our hike was great and the nights even stayed pretty warm, we only encountered wet weather during our final night in the canyon and during the hike back out of Collins Canyon. Here are some photos taken during our four days in Grand Gulch.
Shortly after leaving the trailhead on Thursday morning we stopped to explore an old cowboy camp in a large alcove.
Cowboy Cache
There was plenty of water in Collins Canyon as we made our way down to Grand Gulch.
Collins Canyon Arch
Hiking down Grand Gulch while trying to avoid the quicksand along the way…
Our first night was spent across from the mouth of Rope Canyon.
Diane filtering water in the morning.
Shaw Arch, previously known as Grand Arch.
This rattlesnake startled me as I climbed up a steep and loose slope into an alcove.
Afternoon Alcove
A view from our second night’s camp at the mouth of a rincon.
We hiked a little ways up Shangri-La Canyon on the second evening.
Last Light in Shangri-La Canyon
The following morning at our second campsite.
Rincon Butte Morning
Before heading back up the canyon we went for a hike around the rincon.
Hiking back up Grand Gulch on our third day…
A lovely bend in the canyon and a future rincon.
Passing by the mouth of Sphinx Canyon.
An evening view from our final campsite at the mouth of Water Canyon.
Diane stopped in The Narrows during our hike out of lower Grand Gulch.
Graupel and rain began falling from the sky as we started hiking up Collins Canyon on Sunday morning which created many small cascades and waterfalls that flowed down the canyon walls for the rest of our hike out. Here’s a short video clip of a couple small waterfalls and Diane hiking up the canyon.
Rock Art & Ruins of Grand Gulch
Holding Hands Panel
Red Sheep
Ledge Panel
Red Man
Big Wall Ruin
Collapsing Kiva
Arch Pictographs
Wall of Hands
Grand Gulch Kiva
The Grand Gallery
Mini Granary
That was amazing! Is the white outline on the bighorn sheep (antelope?) a later addition or part of the painting? Thanks for sharing your travels.
Thanks Judy. To be honest, I’m not quite sure what to make of the white outlines on this panel?