Castleton Tower to Professor Valley | Sunday, March 17, 2024
I was originally planning to spend this weekend south of Green River in the Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness, but apparently the weather had other plans for me. While I was at work on Friday I kept a close eye on the forecast and hoped that there might be a change, but by the time I was ready to leave the forecast was still calling for a very wet Saturday across the Colorado Plateau, so I cancelled those plans and headed home instead, hoping that I would be able to get out hiking on Sunday, at the very least. So when Sunday rolled around I left home early headed over to the Richardson Amphitheater to hike a couple of trails since I didn’t feel like driving too far from home. It turned out to be a good decision since there were low-hanging clouds surrounding the valley when I arrived shortly before sunrise. I made my way to the western end of the amphitheater to hike the Sylvester Trail at sunrise and enjoyed taking photos along the way while the spires, buttes and mesas played hide-and-seek in the clouds.
Adobe Mesa at Dawn
Low-hanging clouds surrounding Fisher Mesa.
The Rectory in the Clouds
Adobe Mesa
Sunrise light illuminates the rim of Dome Plateau.
Sylvester Trail
Priest & Nuns
Shrouded in Clouds at Sunrise
The Sylvester Trail was actually a bit more scenic than I was expecting.
Castle Rock hidden in the clouds.
I followed the trail to the other side of the pass where it met a dirt road, and then turned around to hike back down the way I had come.
Rectory in the Clouds
There was a good view of Round Mountain from the top of the ridge.
Looking across the valley to Porcupine Rim.
Headed back down the trail towards Fisher Mesa.
Disappearing Act
The Fisher Towers emerging from the clouds on the other side of the Amphitheater.
The Rectory
Sister Superior
After returning to my Jeep I drove over to the Hollywood Westerns Trailhead and hiked the Onion Creek Bench Trail to Onion Creek Road and back.
Onion Creek Bench Trail
There were expansive views across the Onion Creek Bench and Professor Valley to Dome Plateau.
Next, I took a little break from hiking and went for a scenic drive up the Jeep road that climbs toward the top of the Onion Creek Bench.
Before calling it a day, I went on one last hike of the Amphitheater Loop Trail near Hittle Bottom.
Amphitheater View
Amphitheater Loop Trail
Dark Spire
Here’s one final view over Professor Valley as I made my way down the loop trail to Hittle Bottom.
