Utah offers many lifetimes of outdoor exploration. This year I’ve been fortunate to explore the southeastern part of the state reasonably well. The map below shows my March trip (purple line) and where I’ve been this fall: San Juan River to Grand Gulch (110 mile red loop), Green River to the Maze to Horseshoe Canyon (130 mile blue and orange loop), and Coyote Gulch (13 mile red loop). The desert landscape is absolutely mesmerizing. Huge arches, natural bridges, muddy rivers, crystal clear creeks, slot canyons, pictographs, Anasazi ruins, desert towers, splitter cracks, cacti, and cryptobiotic soil make exploration engaging. Off trail travel is complicated by cliffs. On trail travel is made more challenging by the lack of water and by walking in deep, beach-like sand. These photos capture a few moments.
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| Where I've been (on multi-day trips) in Southeastern Utah this year. |
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| The dirty San Juan. |
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| Reading Gary Snyder while waiting over an hour for a car to drive down the road. When it did, we got a ride. |
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| Seldom, Emma, Sarah, and Zeb scamper down a slab on the way to Coyote Gulch. |
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| Jacob Hamlin Arch in Coyote Gulch. |
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| Green River. |
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| Tressa with her paddling game face. |
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| The Dollhouse, Canyonlands, National Park. |
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| Pictographs in Horseshoe Canyon. |
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| Why yes, we'll walk toward the rainbow. |
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| Tressa and I also climbed several desert towers including Castleton Tower, which is in the distance. |
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