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Tag: sunrise

Arizona Strip: Grand Wash to the Marble PlatformArizona Strip: Grand Wash to the Marble Platform

Arizona Strip: Grand Wash to the Marble Platform

Across the Arizona Strip | Friday – Saturday, May 1-2, 2026

After spending Thursday evening in Las Vegas I was up extra early on Friday morning and ready to leave Nevada for a long, hot and dusty drive across the Arizona Strip. I’ve always wanted to enter the Arizona Strip from the west via Gold Butte National Monument and figured this would be a good time to finally do it. I planned to drive all the way across the Arizona Strip to the Marble Platform on the eastern end which would give me the opportunity to see more of the Plateau Province that I started exploring more thoroughly back in 2024. After topping off my gas tank in Moapa for the long drive ahead, I followed the Virgin River to Whitney Pocket at the southern end of the Virgin Mountains and began my trek eastward.

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The Uncompahgre Plateau to the Gunnison GorgeThe Uncompahgre Plateau to the Gunnison Gorge

The Uncompahgre Plateau to the Gunnison Gorge

Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area | Friday – Saturday, April 24-25, 2026

Since we just drove home from Arizona this past weekend and I’ll be leaving for Las Vegas early on Thursday morning, I thought it would be a good idea to stay closer to home this weekend and hike a few more sections of the trails found within the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area, especially since my last trip to the Gunnison Gorge was cut short earlier in the month when I was still battling a bad cold. The weather was calling for rain to begin overnight on Saturday and continue throughout Sunday, so I figured I would just head out after work on Friday for a quick overnighter and come home later on Saturday. I left from work on Friday afternoon, grabbed a quick dinner in Delta and then decided to go on a few short hikes along the foot of the Uncompahgre Plateau before heading over to find a campsite near the Gunnison Gorge.

CONTINUE READINGThe Uncompahgre Plateau to the Gunnison Gorge
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The Grand Canyon: Pipe Creek to Diamond CreekThe Grand Canyon: Pipe Creek to Diamond Creek

The Grand Canyon: Pipe Creek to Diamond Creek

Wednesday – Wednesday, April 8-15, 2026 | Low CFS: 8,030 – High CFS: 8,660

Less than a week after returning from a great rafting trip through the Grand Canyon from Lees Ferry to Pipe Creek Beach at the bottom of the Bright Angel Trail last year, I called up and booked the second half of the trip for April of this year so Diane and I could finish what we had started. Although Arizona River Runners wasn’t running their usual Hiker’s Special trip this spring, their sister company Grand Canyon Whitewater was offering the same trip, so we booked with them since it’s the same company- just with a different name on the sides of the rafts. On this trip we would be hiking down the Bright Angel Trail and then following the current of the Colorado River all the way down to Diamond Creek over the course of seven days, and we were looking forward to seeing this part of the canyon! However, as I have mentioned in the previous two Trip Reports, I had been battling a pretty bad cold for the past week and a half and was finally getting over it right as we left to drive to Arizona on Wednesday, so I was a little concerned about the hike down into the canyon since I hadn’t been able to do much hiking for the past couple of weeks, but I figured it would be OK since the hiking was all downhill…

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Red Rocks – Nighthorse Trail & Sidewinder LoopRed Rocks - Nighthorse Trail & Sidewinder Loop

Red Rocks – Nighthorse Trail & Sidewinder Loop

Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area | Saturday, April 4, 2026

It’s been a rough week since I’ve been battling a bad cold that started right after our hike down the Ribbon Trail last Sunday. I spent a lot of this past week sleeping and resting when I wasn’t working and didn’t seem to be getting any better. I rarely get sick, but when I do it usually hits me pretty hard. Finally, on Friday I was starting to feel better and thought I would be able to get out for a local hike on Saturday morning to help me get back into the swing of things before we leave for Arizona on Wednesday. I’m just glad that I got sick this past week and not right before or during our upcoming Grand Canyon trip that’s starting next week! I thought I was feeling pretty good when left home bright and early on Saturday morning and made my way over to the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area just outside of Olathe.

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The Ribbon Trail to the Tabeguache TrailThe Ribbon Trail to the Tabeguache Trail

The Ribbon Trail to the Tabeguache Trail

Sunday, March 29, 2026

Although I was initially hoping to get more hiking in this weekend, I wasn’t feeling very well on Friday evening and decided to stay home to get some long overdue work done to my 4Runner on Saturday instead. Then on Sunday morning I thought I was feeling better, so Diane and I headed out early to hike the Ribbon Trail from the top to the bottom and finish up by following Andy’s Loop to the Tabeguache Trailhead. We chose this hike to get in as much elevation descent as we could near home to help us prepare for a hike into the Grand Canyon via the Bright Angel Trail that’s coming up in just over a week. It’s been a while since I last hiked the Ribbon Trail and usually I hike up to Little Park Road at the end, so this was a nice change of pace.

CONTINUE READINGThe Ribbon Trail to the Tabeguache Trail
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