A quick trip to two of Utah’s amazing National Parks, Cedar Breaks National Monument and Zion National Park.
“Hey, do you want to go to Cedar Breaks for a couple of days?” That’s how it started. A very short two-day trip to Southern Utah. A travel buddy and I got a little adventurous and took the long 5-hour drive to Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah. I think it may have been a yearning for some colder weather. Cedar Breaks is even higher in elevation than the top of the Grand Canyon. Finally, some lovely 70-degree weather.
Cedar Breaks is located about 10,000 ft above sea level, so we didn’t do much hiking, but we did take in some fantastic views.
Cedar Breaks is a natural amphitheater 3 miles wide. Hoodoos and tree covered mountains. I absolutely love this area of Utah.
These natural rock formations are known as Hoodoos. Although nearby Bryce Canyon National Park is more famous for them, Cedar Breaks, which is more eroded, features some as well.
Cedar Breaks is surrounded by meadows. I missed the wildflower festival, but everything was still gorgeous.
The meadows surrounding the monument are very popular with sheep.
Just simply gorgeous.
This Golden-mantled ground squirrel just heard the squeak of a marmot. So adorable.
This gnarly tree is a Bristlecone Pine. This species of trees is the oldest life form on the planet. The oldest tree is over 5,000 years old. The ones here in Cedar Breaks are up to 2,000 years old. It’s hard to believe that a tree can live this long in dry, rocky soil.
While it may look like the tree is dying, Bristlecone Pine trees contain both living and dead parts. Damaged areas are sectioned off in order to save the rest of the tree.
Our goal for our hike was to make it to the Bristlecone Pines. So now off to one of the other viewpoints, Chessman Ridge Overlook, which is on the opposite side of the canyon from where we were hiking.
On the second day of our trip, we headed to the nearby Brian Head overlook before we left the area, which was absolutely amazing.
On the top of Brian Head (11,037 ft), the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) built this awesome stone shelter in 1935. They sure don’t make them like this nowadays.
I couldn’t resist taking this picture.
Quite a view. Cedar Breaks is on the left. On a really clear day, you can supposedly see parts of Utah, Nevada and Arizona. It was not a really clear day. Smoke was blowing in from the wildfires in California.
You can just make out the much lower elevation through the smoke.
We didn’t see any marmots at Cedar Breaks, but there were a bunch of them up here. Cute little buggers aren’t they.
Since we made it to Cedar Breaks early enough on the first day to hike a trail, we decided to stop in Zion National Park on the way back to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was a really quick visit, and it was really hot, but now I know that I have to go back someday and explore the park more.
We parked in a “secret location” (i.e., the nature center) and walked the Pa’rus Trail to the museum to catch the shuttle bus.
We stopped at the Court of the Patriarchs, climbed a short, paved trail to see some mountains. On the left we have Abraham Peak, followed by Isaac Peak and Jacob Peak on the right.
Then we headed to Weeping Rock, which was awesome. It’s a seep spring, where the water seeps out of the rock. Water drips from an overhang and on a hot day, its feels amazing. You are also awarded this fabulous view.
Due to the recent rains, the water was really seeping out of the rocks.
There was even a mini waterfall from all the rain.
Zion National Park is simply amazing, even outside the famous valley.
Southern Utah is full of National Park units. Cedar Breaks is a great day visit located between Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. Everyone goes to Zion, so be prepared for crowded conditions during the summer. We were very lucky in getting a parking space inside of the park in August, but that was only because of the pre-Labor Day lull that most parks experience.
I have only graced the surface of Utah’s parks. I really need to go back. (I did in April 2019. Check them out!)
Check out my next update on the Mojave National Preserve in California!
