10 min
I mentioned that the red stone making up the walls of most of these formations is called Wingate Sandstone. But did you know that this kind of rock used to be sand?
Here’s what happened: 200 million years ago, winds from the northwest carried tons of fine-grained sand here. The sand spread out, forming dunes and sinking into the shallow sea. The wind constantly reshaped the sand, and eventually began piling other sediments on top of it. Water also carried these rocks and minerals and deposited them atop the sand.
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Coming up soon is Take Out Beach. As we approach, you might notice a few paddle rafts, tubes, and kayaks floating down the river. That’s because this stretch of the Colorado River is the most floated in Utah! If you’ve brought along a boat or flotation device, this is a great place to take it out for a spin.
Grandstaff Canyon TrailPass by
Coming up ahead is the Grandstaff Canyon Trail. This moderate hike stretches about 5 miles and takes almost an hour to complete. If you have the time to do it, you’ll be richly rewarded — it ends at an impressive natural bridge over 200 feet long.
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We’re coming up on an optional detour to Hauer Ranch. It takes about 15 minutes to reach the ranch, and once you’re there you’ll have the opportunity to see some famous filming sites and even saddle up a horse!
10 min
If you look to our left, you’ll see a massive sandstone mesa – it’s a little hard to miss. That’s Parriott Mesa, which stretches out more than a mile. While it is a long mesa, it’s also quite narrow. At its narrowest point, it stretches only 350 feet. In geologic terms, that actually makes it much closer to a butte than a mesa.
Castle ValleyPass by
That burst of green up ahead tells us we’re approaching Castle Valley. It gets its lush greenery from water flowing down from the surrounding rocks, but the origin of this valley is actually salt!
10 min
To our left is a summit with what looks like a giant thumb sticking out the top. Do you see it? That’s Castleton Tower, the first major tower climbed by Americans in the area.
10 min
See the squat gray mountain coming up ahead on our right? That’s Round Mountain. I know, pretty creative name, right? Are you wondering why it’s not red like the surrounding rock formations? That would be because… it’s made of LAVA! The story began 24 million years ago. Remember, that’s around the time magma was struggling to bubble up out of the earth and creating all those laccolithic mountains. The magma did escape in a few places, like right here at Round Mountain. Except it didn’t get very far.
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We’re approaching La Sal Lookout Point, offering a tremendous view of the mesas and buttes alongside the Colorado River. From the viewpoint, we’ll be able to see certain rock formations more clearly than we could from the road. One to keep an eye out for is the Courthouse Towers, two towering stone columns. They’re not actually named after a courthouse but after skyscrapers in New York City.
10 min
We’re approaching an optional detour to Warner Lake, a secluded little lake just five miles out of our way. If you’re up for a quick swim or some fishing, this is a great detour that’s only a 20 minute drive from here.
Oowah LakePass by
Coming up is a detour for Oowah Lake, which is just a 15 minute drive from here. If you love a good hike that offers a spectacular payoff, lace up your boots because the Oowah Lake to Clarks Lake Trail is serving up scenic vistas of the Canyonlands region below. Like Warner Lake, this lake is also stocked with rainbow trout, so there’s terrific fishing here too.
Ken's LakePass by
Coming up in a moment is the turn for Ken’s Lake and Faux Falls. But hold on, what is a faux waterfall? Can a waterfall even be fake? In actuality, Faux Falls is real; it’s just made by humans who have diverted water from the nearby lake. But it’s still definitely worth seeing! There’s also a swimming hole at the base of the waterfall, though it’s only three feet deep, so it’s a bit more like a wading pool.
10 min
To our left stand a trio of mountains. The leftmost is Mount Mellenthin at 12,645 feet. In the center stands Mount Peale, the highest peak at 12,726 feet. And to the right is Mount Tukuhnikivatz, at 12,482 feet. These make up the tallest peaks of the La Sal Mountains. And while we’re just admiring the mountain, there are some adventurers who’ve skied it! But how on Earth do they get there?
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