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Category: Camping

Paria Canyon: White House to Lees FerryParia Canyon: White House to Lees Ferry

Paria Canyon: White House to Lees Ferry

Canyons of the Paria | Tuesday – Sunday, March 18-23, 2025

Backpacking along the Paria River through the tight narrows and massive gorge of the lower Paria Canyon across the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument has been on my to-do list for well over a decade now, and even though I’ve tried to schedule this hike a number of times in the past it seems that something has always come up causing a change of plans- most notably on our last attempt about two years ago when cold temperatures, flash flooding and multiple deaths in the canyon made us change our minds about the hike at the very last minute. This year I wanted to take another gamble on the weather in middle-to-late March and grabbed a permit back on December 1st while Diane and I were driving home from a long weekend in the Bears Ears for Thanksgiving and hoped that I would be able to use it this time.

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Wolverton Canyon and the Transmission SiteWest of the Green in the Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness

Wolverton Canyon and the Transmission Site

Friday – Sunday, March 7-9, 2025

After backpacking into Chesler Park last weekend, I left from work on Friday afternoon to spend this weekend on the west side of the Green River around the Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness to do a little hiking and to search for a large alcove that contains a Barrier Canyon Style pictograph panel that I’ve been trying to find for a while now. I was initially planning to spend the weekend on my own, but shortly before I left from work on Friday Jared contacted me and was going to be able to join me after all, so we made last minute plans to meet up later that night at camp, although I knew I’d be fast asleep by the time he arrived- and I was. These are some photos from our weekend.

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Returning to Chesler Park: Shangri-La of The NeedlesReturning to Chesler Park: Shangri-La of The Needles

Returning to Chesler Park: Shangri-La of The Needles

Saturday & Sunday, March 1-2, 2025

I wanted to start the month of March off right with an easy first backpacking trip of the year, mainly so I could test out some new gear I have acquired over the past few months to help lighten my load a bit (I’ve recently purchased a new backpack, quilt and shoes- among a few other odds and ends), so at the end of January I booked a campsite in Chesler Park for the first weekend in March when Diane was also available. Back about five years ago Diane and I would typically start off our backpacking season with a trip into the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, but it’s been a while since we did that and the last time we backpacked into Chesler Park was in 2018, so we were looking forward to a return visit and hoped that the weather would cooperate with our plans. We left from home early on Saturday morning and made it to the Elephant Hill Trailhead shortly after 9:00am to begin our hike to Chesler Park.

CONTINUE READINGReturning to Chesler Park: Shangri-La of The Needles
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Cedar Mesa Chronicles: Chapter 14Cedar Mesa Chronicles: Chapter 14

Cedar Mesa Chronicles: Chapter 14

Friday – Sunday, February 21-23, 2025

After returning home from northeastern Arizona on Monday, I decided to take it easier this weekend and return to the canyons of Cedar Mesa to walk a few sections of the canyons. While I was hoping to find a few new ruins and rock art sites along the way, I also took the time to return to a canyon I have hiked many times before so I could revisit some sites that I hadn’t been back to in over a decade and wanted to see again. The weather was very nice all weekend, perfect for hiking and camping, and I had a nice time walking in the canyons. These are some photos from my weekend on Cedar Mesa.

CONTINUE READINGCedar Mesa Chronicles: Chapter 14
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Tapamveni: Rock Art of the Petrified Forest & BeyondTapamveni: Rock Art of the Petrified Forest & Beyond

Tapamveni: Rock Art of the Petrified Forest & Beyond

Presidents Day Weekend | Thursday – Monday, February 13-17, 2025

This year for the extended Presidents Day weekend I took an extra day off from work so I could spend four days in and around Petrified Forest National Park hiking and searching for petroglyphs. As I was driving across the Navajo Nation through a storm on Thursday evening I was a little bit worried that the rain would muddy up the roads I needed to drive and alter my plans, but I lucked out and all the roads were somehow completely dry during the remainder of the weekend. The only weather I would only have to deal with was a constant and brutal wind on Friday that made holding my binoculars and camera steady a real challenge at times. Aside from hiking to new places and finding many new petroglyphs along the way, I also revisited a couple of sites that I wanted to search more thoroughly. These are some photos from my holiday weekend in the Palavayu.

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