Taken from the Scenic Desert View Drive, East Rim of Grand Canyon National Park

The picture above does not look very much anywhere near the area of Grand Canyon we know, right? At least, it is not the Grand Canyon we all are more familiar with but the flat plateau which has typical mountain scenery of broad meadows and pine forests.

I, for example, when I think of Grand Canyon, I think about the majestic rocks that are marvelously carved by the Colorado River.

Lipan Point, East Rim, Grand Canyon National Park

The carving of the Colorado River revealed the geological history of the canyon. When I think of Grand Canyon, I also think of the purple rocks, the reddish soil, the colorful sky at sunset and sunrise, the changing of colors of the rocks during the early morning or later afternoon light.

@ Sunrise, looking West from Yavapai Observation Point, Grand Canyon National Park

I think of a canyon so grand that it is hard ( at least for me)  to take all its grandness with my camera. However, one thing that fascinates and amazes me when I am at the Grand Canyon is the contrast of the colored rocks in the canyon and the thick forest of pines on the rim.

taken from Yavapai Observation Point, just looking in the opposite direction of the rim

The first time I was at Grand Canyon, I was consistently thinking “when will we get to the park?” Despite I was already inside the park. I just had no idea of the intricate and colorful landscape of the Grand Canyon that awaits me at the rim, which is just several steps from these thick forest of pines. Deers and elks may also be seen at the rim, they add bonus to the majestic vista provided by the canyon.

Grand Canyon Elk Feeding on Snow

The contrast between the greenery and the stark reddish rocks at the Grand Canyon is one of the many things that awes me. Though Grand Canyon is famous for the intricate and natural sculpting of colored rocks, but then, you won’t miss the greens and the woods either.

Yavapai Observatory Point @ Grand Canyon, Early Morning

First, a Happy Easter to everyone.  

I am sorry if I had been absent from the blogosphere for a while, but now, I am back and will do catching up soon. We just got back from our week long Grand Circle road trip. The Grand Circle is a vast region in the Southwestern US, which encompasses portions of 5 States. This Great Desert region really has stunning and beauitful landscapes, it really has so much to offer. Since we only have limited time and there is so much to see in this region, we decided to limit the places we will visit instead. For this post, I decided to share our itinerary that hopefully may be hepful to those who have plans on experiencing some parts of the Grand Circle.

For those who live farther from the Grand Circle and needs to fly to the Southwest, probably the most ideal place to start the Grand Circle road trip is at Las Vegas, being almost equidistant from Zion National Park and Grand Canyon National Park. Also, Las Vegas has the largest airport closest to this two National Parks, which are the heart of the Grand Circle. Since we live in San Diego, and flying to Las Vegas from San Diego will probably take us more hassles and more time ( the waiting and checking in at the airport), our road trip started from and ended at San Diego.

Day 1:  We left San Diego for Grand Canyon National Park. Intially, Grand Canyon was not in our list, however, since my husband’s 14 year old niece from Illinois had not been to Grand Canyon before, and this amazing natural wonder is high in her priority list to see, we decided to make this our first stop. We left San Diego about 7:00 am Saturday, and we reached the park entrance at about 5:00 pm in the afternoon. Driving straight from San Diego to Grand Canyon would probably take only 7.5 to 8 hours, however, since we took many stops along the way which included a longer lunch break, it took us almost 10 hours.  Inside the park, we at first planned to checked in, but the line at the registration counter was very long, that we decided to go some little sightseeing and hiking first. We took a shuttle bus to the Visitor Center and walked to Mather Point for some sightseeing, and then, back to Visitor Center to take another shuttle bus to South Kaibab trailhead. We started our hike at about 6:00 pm.

South Kaibab Trail, late afternoon

Some parts of the trail were still icy, but over-all, the trail conditions were really good. The temperature was at 30F (slightly below freezing), but the wind conditions made it feel like 20F (or -6 C). Since the last shuttle bus leaves the trail at one hour past sunset, we decided to not go beyond Ohh-Aah point.

Ooh-Aah Point @ Sunset, South Kaibab Trail

The hike to Ooh-Aah Point from the rim is 1.8 miles round trip with 880 ft change in elevation.

Day 2:   We woke up early enough to catch sunrise at the Grand Canyon, had a quick breakfast, checked out of Yavapai Lodge and headed East to Page, Arizona through the Scenic Desert Drive in the East Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

The Colorado River that Carved the Grand Canyon, @ Grandview Point, East Rim

At Page, our first stop was at the Lower Antelope Canyon.

@ Lower Antelope Canyon

I will postpone more details about our exploration and experience of Lower Anteope Canyon and other places in my later posts. 

 Me @ Lower Antelope Canyon

Then, we drove to Glen Canyon Dam and to the trailhead for Horseshoe Bend and took a short hike to Horseshoe Bend.

Colorado River @ Horseshoe Bend, Page, Arizona

The lighting condition was not really good when we were at Horseshoe Bend, since we were directly facing the strong glare of the sun. It was not ony the strong glare of the sun that was a challenge in taking pictures at the time we were there but the swarm of small insects flying all over. Most of my pictures really showed tiny white specks all over from these small insects. If not for these small insects, we could wait for sunset when we woud have better lighting, but then, as they kept on flying all over, we decided to call it a day early and checked in at Courtyard Marriott in Page.

Day 3:    We left Page for Monument Valley Tribal Park, which is about 2 - 2.5 hours from Page. At Monument Valley, we took the dirt road to complete the loop for a tour of Monument Valley. It took us more than 2 hours to complete the loop.

Monument Valley, along Utah-Arizona Border

After completing the loop, we proceeded North to Arches National Park, which is another 2.5 miles drive from Monument Valley. Along the way, as we got closer to Moab, we saw an interesting  arch named Wildson Arch.

Wilson Arch

Of course, we took some time to stop and took the short hike up the arch. We reached Arches National Park at almost 7:00 pm, and the Visitor Center was already closed. We had no park map, but thankfully, the trailhead to the Delicate Arch was located by our GPS. We started our hike to the Delicate Arch at about 7:15 pm. The hike to Delicate Arch is 3 miles round trip with about 500 ft elevation gain, and we reached it at past sunset already.

Delicate Arch @ Dusk, Arches National Park

On our return hike to the trailhead, thankfully, we had the moonlight to help us navigate the trail. After Delicate Arch, we looked for Days Inn in Moab, where we stayed for 2 nights.

Day 4:  This is our most relaxing day in terms of driving since we were just staying in the area of Moab. After breakfast, we drove to Canyonlands National Park, which is about 33 miles from the town of Moab. I am lost for words to describe Canyonlands, it is just amazing. It is like looking at the ancient ruins.

Mesa Arch, Islands in The Sky District, Canyonlands National Park

We only spent time at the Islands in The Sky District of Canyonlands, we took the short hike to Mesa Arch, Upheaval Dome and Upheaval Canyon, and drove to many interesting places along the way.

From Canyonlands Nationa Park, on our way back to Moab, we went to Dead Horse Point State Park, which offers another amazing landscape in the area.

@ Dead Horse Point State Park, Canyonlands, Utah

Back to Moab, since we still had ample time before it got dark, we took the short hike to the Windows and Turret Arch by way of primitive trail, did more sightseeing in Arches National Park, and spent sunset and dusk at the Fiery Furnace Viewpoint of Arches National Park.

Fiery Furnace Viewpoint, Dusk, Arches National Park

Day 5: The forecast said a possible snowstorm in the afternoon, and since we did not want to get stuck in the windy roads of the mountainside going to Bryce Canyon when the snowstorm comes, we had to change our itinerary. We were supposed to stop by at Goblin Valley State Park for some sightseeing and short hike at Wild Horse Slot Canyon on our way to Bryce Canyon, however, since we wanted to reach Bryce Canyon as early as possible to avoid being caught in the snowstorm, we had to abandon our plans of going to Goblin Valley, as there would always be next time. Sadly, we only drove through Capitol Reef National Park, and did not get a chance to hike there anymore. Hopefully, next time.

The Castle, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

Capitol Reef National Park is about 2 hours drive from Moab and is just along the way from Moab to Bryce Canyon National Park. One hour from Capitol Reef National Park is the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, which sadly, we only had to drive through for now. This gives us reason to go back to Utah again to explore many of its interesting geological wonders and interesting landscapes.

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah

We reached Bryce Canyon National Park early enough without catching any snowstorm. Thankfully, the sky was still blue with no hints of any storm coming in when we got there, so we did some sightseeing and hiking.

Natural Bridge, Bryce Canyon National Park

Though we already had taken the Navajo Loop/Queens Graden Trail before, but since I wanted my husband’s niece to enjoy as much the spectacular hoodos, I decided to take this trail again as this is the hike that will probably enchant any kid. Some parts of the trail at Navajo Loop were icy, muddy and slippery, but I guess, that added fun to the hike.

Hikers at Navajo Loop Trail, Bryce Canyon National Park

After completing our hike, snowflakes started coming in, thankfully, the snow just let us complete the Navajo Loop-Queen’sGarden hike. We stayed at Best Western Ruby’s Inn about 2 miles from the entrance of Bryce Canyon National Park. 

Day 6:  We left the cold weather at Bryce Canyon National Park for a warmer weather in Zion National Park. When we left Bryce Canyon, the temperature was in the 20s ( -7 C) and the expected high at Zion was in the high 60s. The weather cooperated with us since we really needed good weather at Zion National Park for the Angels Landing hike.

View from Scout’s Lookout, Trail to Angel’s Landing, Zion National Park

The reason we did not hike Angels Landing on our last trip to Zion National Park was because it was raining on and off. And Angels Landing is not to be approached when the trail is wet and when it is windy. Why? Because the last half mile of the trail has vertical drop off on both sides.

Angels Landing Trail, Zion National Park

The trail becomes too narrow and on uneven rocky surface, that one has to stop and let others really pass on the trail. The trail is 5 miles round trip with 1500 ft gain/loss. The last half mile of the trail should not be approached by those who have fear of heights, as there is vertical drop off on both sides.

Zion Canyon from Angels Landing

After hiking Angels Landing, we took the easier trails to the Emerald Pools and the Weeping Rock. We spent the night at Quality Inn which is half a mile from the West Entrance of Zion National Park.

Day 7: Went souvenir shopping at Zion and then drove back to San Diego, where we were greeted by a wet weather. From afar, I saw snow capped mountains, which I did not see when we left, so I thought there may be a recent storm that hit the area, which I was correct. The storm moved North East, there is more rain and snow now in Utah, just when we left it. We are very much lucky, in terms of weather conditions.

6 National Parks, one National Monument, one State Park, two Navajo Indian Parks, Glen Canyon and Horshoe Bend in one week. And there were a lot of places in the Grand Circle area we have not covered yet.  

Hiking informations on the places we visited will soon follow, for now, I will stop my report here. Again, a happy Easter to everyone.

Field of Wildflowers, above Lake Hodges

I had been thinking of what to talk about for my pre-spring vacation post. There are just so many topics, so many places, so many things in my mind, yet so little time, that it is hard to come up with what to really write. Thus, I decide to go back again to the simple joy of spring, that is of seeing how God transforms drab and dirt into a colorful world.

Spring Brings…Life Anew… (hills above Lake Hodges)

Seeing the transformation of nature in spring fills the heart with hope , with all things possible. This otherwise ordinary hill bursts with colors of life, such a gift to behold. It is like the song…”the hills come alive with the sound of music”, I just could not forget this song from one of my favorite movies of all time, which was inspired from the musical of the same title ” The Sound of Music”. Let me quote the last stanza of the song….

I go to the hills when my heart is lonely
I know I will hear what I’ve heard before
My heart will be blessed with the sound of music
And I’ll sing once more

Colored Hills and Lake Hodges

True enough, nature just brings so much joy, peacefulness and inspiration taking loneliness away. What can compare with stopping for a while and spending time with nature, experiencing its transformations, breathing its wind, smelling its fragrance, and seeing its beauty?

The Beauty of Spring Brings Optimism

I will be taking a break from San Diego’s spring tomorrow, but I will not be leaving the inspiration from these hills behind. They will help me in opening myself more to the other faces and gifts of nature. I am not so sure if I will be able to update this blog for a week, but whenever I get a chance, I will share my favorite pictures of the day from the places we visit.

Happy Spring, and Happy Easter Everyone.

Lower Emerald Pool, Zion National Park

Zion National Park is Utah’s first National Park. The Park has massive and stunning stone canyon walls, quite different from the nearby National Parks of Utah, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches National Park. This part of the Southwest is a National Park haven, there are just stunning views everywhere you look.

Virgin River and Giant Monoliths, Zion National Park

Our last visit in this beautiful park was in August 2007. We were here for only two days, yet it rained mostly on those 2 days. As a result, we were not able to hike Angels Landing. Since then, we had been dreaming about going back to Zion to take this trail. Angels Landing is one of the most famous and thrilling hikes in the National Park System, and the view at the end of the trail is very rewarding. Hopefully, when we go back there sometime next week, the weather would cooperate with us.

Waterfall Near the Lower Emerald Pool, Zion National Park

Another fun place to hike at Zion is the Narrows.

Hikers @ The Narrows, Zion National Park

We were able to take this trail and the Emerald Pools before we got rained out . Hiking the Narrows was probably my most fun-filled hike ever as I had not really hiked long enough along a river before.

The Narrows, Zion National Park

I did river crossings, but not really zigzagging in and out of the water for the entire hike. There are two options to hike the Narrows. One is from top to bottom, this is a strenuous 16 mile hike and requires a permit. What we did was the popular one, that is starting from bottom to top. The Narrows starts where the Riverside Walk trail ends. This hike can be enjoyed by hikers on any ability level. More than 60% of the hike is spent wading, walking and sometimes swimming on the river.

Hiking The Narrows, Zion National Park

The rocks underfoot were very slippery. It required balancing on an algae-coated rocks in the middle of a siwftly moving river. Be careful not to take this hike however when there is a coming rain. We were lucky on the day we took this trail that heavy rain poured when we were near the paved trail already back to the shuttle stop. There is always a risk of flooding at the Narrows or any slot canyons during rain. A hike during this condition should totally be avoided.

Next week is our spring break, and I may not be able to update this blog during that week for we will re-visit part of Utah and Arizona, the painted desert in the South West. I originally planned for a trip to Northern California in Redwood National Park, but, we moved it for summer. This coming week, off to Utah we go, and I can not wait.

Sea Dahlia, Torrey Pines State Reserve

I am sorry if I had been posting here about spring flowers one after another, I guess, all these wildflowers are giving me a spring fever . And to think spring is not really my favorite season, summer is. However, I see the unique beauty distinct to each season, and I actually make the most of each season’s surprises. Even though this is a hiking blog, but reality is, I love both hiking and ocean. I love hiking, because in hiking I get to see nature’s surprises and unfolding beauty which differs each day.

Mix of Spring Wildlfowers, @ Torrey Pines State Reserve

 However, I can forget about hiking once I am in the ocean and feeling the power of the waves. And to think I am not even a surfer! I just boogie board, like a child, I find tremendous joy in being pushed hard by the waves. Also, I get unequalled joy whenever I see fishes swimming by me. However, I do not like getting into the water when the water temperature is in the 50s. I prefer warmer water, which explains why my favorite season is summer . And summer is when the water temperature gets into the 60s, for some still frigid, but for me, good enough. And summer is when I get to do two things I enjoy the most, hiking and boogie boarding. Actually, add to that two, taking pictures of nature. The priceless bonus in hiking is the wonderful set of take home pictures that capture the memories I wanted to preserve. Though boogie boarding does not give me pictures, but nevertheless, I guess, it is always that child in me that will always seek for being with the waves.

One amazing and unique thing that I love about Torrey Pines State Reserve is that this is where I can combine all my simple pleasures, hiking and boogie boarding at the ocean. I usually start my day here hiking, enjoying the scenery at the top of the bluffs.

Carpeting Wildflowers at Guy Fleming Trail

We usually do not drive to the trailheads, instead, we park outside of the park. There are free parking on North Torrey Pines Road and on Carmel Valley Road. The East portion of the Reserve protects the grove of the rare Torrey Pine trees.

The Torrey Pines @ Guy Fleming Trail

Then, as you walk westward, the trail opens towards the ocean, with the North Torrey Pines State Beach below.

North Overlook @ Guy Fleming Trail

The west slopes are exposed to the sun, and the dots of pink in the above picture are ground pinks. Yes, they are so tiny wildflowers, but if you get a closer look, they look dainty, and beautiful too.

Ground Pinks

It is the west portion of the park that is carpeted with spring wildflowers right now. The shaded portion, where the groves of Torrey Pines could be found also have spots of wildflowers, but not in a lush carpet like in the exposed slopes.

Carpet of Wildlfowers

Mix of Wildflowers and the Ocean Below

After enjoying the scenery above, we would then hike down below, taking the Beach Trail or the Broken Hill Trail, both have access to the beach.

View of Flat Rock from the Beach Trail

Badlands and Carpet of Wildlfowers, from the Beach Trail

There are several overlooks such as the Red Butte, Razor Point (closed for renovation at present) and the Yucca Overlook at the Beach Trail. All of them have nice view of the ocean.

 At the Broken Hill Trail, there are coastal poppies that line some portion of the trail.

Coastal Poppies @ Broken Hill Trail

Sea of Gold by the Sea, @ Broken Hill Trail towards the Beach

Both trails at present are lined with sea dahlias and bush sunflowers.

Sea Dahlias

 Once at the beach, after being warmed enough exploring the top of the bluffs, it is time to enjoy the ocean and be with the waves.

Lonely Ocean, North Torrey Pines State Beach

Okay, I am just dreaming right now of boogie boarding, in fact, I haven’t boogie boarded yet. I am still waiting for summer, at present, there are more people just walking on shore than really getting into the water. I am just enjoying the wonderful sights of spring.

North Torrey Pines State Beach

Happy Spring again, everyone.

Mix of Wildflowers on the Hill Side of I-15

San Diego County is all abloom right now. From the sides of the freeways, to well landscaped man made parks, to nature preserves and even non-formal trails along the ocean side to the inland hills and canyons and the desert in the east. Though it is hard to predict where and when will the wildflowers explode, but it is always a joy to see them explode, truly a sight to behold.

Though the bloom this year is not as great as last year, but I noticed that the wildflowers this year are more diverse in terms of plant specie and color display.  I will be sharing in this post some trails I visit often for enjoying and photographing wildflowers.

1. At Torrey Pines State Reserve

Mix of Wildflowers on Guy Fleming Trail

Torrey Pines State Reserve  is definitely more than just a beach. If you click on this link, it will bring you to my previous post about the many things you can do at the Reserve, which of course includes hiking on the top of the bluff.

Mix of Wildflowers at Torrey Pines State Reserve

We went hiking here this morning trying to beat the rain. Notice the very dark clouds that signal the coming of the rain. It is like a surprise to me since I was on this same trail about 2 weekends ago, and there were just few blooms then.

Stunted Torrey Pine and Mix of Wildflowers

Torrey Pine has 8 miles of branching and connecting trails on top of the bluff, the individual trails are usually short, with maybe the Broken Hill to Beach trail as the longest,

 Broken Hill taken on a Sunny Day

but one can combine always the different trails to make for a longer hike. If you park on Carmel Valley Road and walk the extra mile to the entrance of Torrey Pines State Reserve, there are a lot of bush sunflowers and you can even take

Bush Sunflowers

 the little trail there amongst the bush sunflowers.

2. Lake Poway

Surprisingly, Lake Poway showcases more diverse bloom right now than 2 or 3 weeks ago when I said that ” I see more colors on the hills going to Ramona Dam.” We took the Lake Poway to Ramona Dam trail yesterday, which is a total of 6 miles round trip and 1200 ft change in elevation. There were just wildflowers everywhere. 

Blue Canterbury Bell and Poppies

Some wildflowers I saw were blue and purple lupines, blue and purple Phacelias, blue canterbury bells, poppies, ground pinks, mustards, wild hyacinths, owls clover, and a lot more. A lot more, because actually, I do not know the name of the other wildflowers .

Mix of Wildflowers on the Hills

For hiking description, please click here to go to my previous post.

3. Blue Sky Ecological Reserve to Ramona Dam

Rainbow of Colors

This is a 5 mile round trip hike with 800 ft gain in elevation. For more information, please click here to go to my previous post.

4. Anza Borrego Desert State Park

Desert Sunflowers On Henderson CanyonRoad

Perhaps by now, the wildflowers along the Henderson Canyon Road are gone, since when we were there last weekend, we saw a lot of caterpillars already devouring the wildflowers. Also, the desert had been getting warmer temperatures. However, the other parts of Anza Borrego Desert State Park are just starting to bloom, especially at the higher elevation. We hiked the Borrego Palm Canyon Trail last weekend,

Brittlebush and the Palm Oasis @ Borrego Palm Canyon

and it seemed that the brittlebush and other wildflowers were still fresh. There were also diverse display of wildflowers in the trail, but the majority would be the brittlebush which seemed to be scattered everywhere.

Brittlebush Scattered on the Borrego Palm Canyon Trail

Brittlebush Scattered on the Creekside of Borrego Palm Canyon

We saw a lot of desert big horn sheep on our hike last weekend ( March 15) , however, they were kind of too far from us that though I have pictures, but none is clear enough . Borrego Palm Canyon is a 3 mile round trip hike from the trailhead or 6 mile roundtrip hike from the Visitor Center. There is not much change in elevation in this trail, but the trail is very rocky for the most part. There were also a lot of wildflowers mixed with the cacti at Cactus Loop Trail. Also, the desert lily seemed to be scattered everywhere, especially on the road going to Salton Sea and Font’s Point.

Desert Lily

For more information on Anza Borrego Desert Park, please visit the park website at http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638

After the coastal, inland valley, and desert wildflowers are gone, it still is not the end of wildflower viewing since the mountain wildflowers will follow sometime in April and May. Happy trails and Happy spring everyone.

Rolling Hills at Blue Sky Ecological Reserve from the trail to Ramona Dam

Blue Sky Ecological Reserve is a very pleasant little urban hike. It is nestled on the western slopes of Mt. Woodson, and just a few steps from the parking lot one would forget civilization already. The sound of the speeding cars are replaced by the sound of the croaking chorus of frogs and toads. The preserve protects one of the finer examples of riparian vegetation in Southern California.

Hikers @ Blue Sky Trail

The trail starts with the riparian habitat along the creek. One can take either the narrower creekside trail, or the wider trail which serves both hikers and horseback riders. The hike passes through a succession of riparian, oak woodland, mosses and ferns, mixed chaparral and coastal sage scrub environments.

Oak Woodland, Mixed Grasses and Some Wildflowers About to Bloom

The first 1.3 miles of the trail is flat with only 100 ft elevation gain. Here, the trail is under the cool shade of oaks and sycamores. At about 1.0 mile from the trailhead, a side trail goes South towards Lake Poway. This would be another beautiful extended hike from Blue Sky Ecological Reserve. What is great about this trail system is that, one can choose either the relaxing entry level hike at Blue Sky Ecological Reserve along the creek side or continue uphill for a more challenging hike to Lake Poway ( 400 ft change in elevation, with additional 1.2 miles one way) or to Mt Woodson ( 2500 ft change in elevation, with additional 4.8 miles one way, this one would be the best work-out) or to Ramona Dam ( 800 ft change in elevation, with additional 1.5 miles one way ).

California Poppies and a Blue Canterbury Bell, at the sunny slopes of the Blue Sky trail

This time of the year however, with the profusion of wildflowers on the hills to Ramona Dam, it is very pretty to continue hiking to Ramona Dam. Though of course, Lake Poway and Mt Woodson trails also has wildflowers which I featured in my previous posts here and here , but I find the greatest concentration here at the trail to Ramona Dam.

A Carpet of Wildflowers, right after the Woodland Habitat

Emerging from the Oak Woodland and riparian habitat, continuing to Ramona Dam, at present (spring time), one would be greeted by the phantasmagoric display of wildflowers, opening towards the sky as if pointing out, you are in BLUE SKY Ecological Reserve.

A Mixed of Wildlfowers on the Hills at Blue Sky Ecological Reserve to Ramona Dam

The mix of wildflowers provide an almost rainbow display of colors, red, orange, yellow, green and blue. Blue Sky just blooms beautifully right now, really a wonderful sight while hiking. Nature’s wonderful gift and bonus to those who seek it.

Mix of Wildflowers ( Mustards, Poppies, Blue Bells, Purple Phacelias, Lupines, etc)

Lovely Mix of Wildflowers that Nature Landscaped

The whole hike to Ramona Dam is just a sight to behold right now, hikers, horsebackriders, and runners in the trail, while wildlfowers mix with sage scrubs and chaparalls on the trail side and the hills.

Hiker and Horseback Riders

This work-out is many times better than the gym for me, a real uphill walk, with the blue sky above, and wildflowers fluttering with the wind, just lovely. And even the low key grasses put on their competitive display too, their white flower actually sparkle with the sun.

Grass Flower

Hiking Distance of Blue Sky Ecological Reserve to Ramona Dam: 5 miles round trip

Elevation gain: 800 ft

Direction: From I-15, take the Rancho Bernardo Exit, go East on Rancho Bernardo Rd, Rancho Bernardo Rd becomes Espola Rd, make a left turn at about 3.5 mile from the I-15 exit (pay attention to the sign), you know you passed it when you see Lake Poway Rd, which is about 0.6 miles South of Blue Sky Ecological Reserve.

Park Avenue, Arches National Park

Utah rocks rock!! Did I not say that in my Queen’s Garden/Navajo Loop Trail @ Bryce Canyon National Park post? Sorry, but I have to say it again, the Southwest is just filled with these amazing wonders of colored and sculpted rocks. And I may have to say “Utah rocks rock” again in some of my coming posts.

Arches National Park contains the world’s largest concentration of natural stone arches. This National Park is a red, arid desert, punctuated with oddly eroded sandstone forms such as fins, pinnacles, spires, balanced rocks, and arches. The 73,000-acre region has over 2,000 of these “miracles of nature.” — source: http://utah.com/nationalparks/arches.htm

Balanced Rock, Arches National Park

I first learned about this park featured in Travel Channel’s Top Ten Wonders of the West, and since then, I had been wanting to visit this park.

Hiking through the rolling sandstone of this park feels like going back in prehistoric Native Americans time. This is a park filled with very fine pieces of pottery that nature made.

Stone Formations found in the trail between The Windows and Turret Arch

However, this rugged and beautifully carved by nature landscape stand in fragile impermanence. The beauty was formed in time by the forces of nature, a constant exposure to the elements. Eventually, these wonderful formations will surrender to the forces of gravity, ice, water, and what else but pollution? I encourage you to see this park while these wonderful rocks still stand there.

The Windows, Arches National Park

Short Geological History: Arches National Park is born of seeping salt, the formation of the arches began 300 million years ago. Salt water from a nearby ocean flooded the area, left a deposit of salt after the water evaporated. Repeated floodings and evaporation left deposits of salt that over time (many million years) became thousands of feet thick. The layers of sand were then covered with debris and compressed into rock. The enormous weight of the rock caused the salt to be pushed away, in the process forming domes, cavities, faults and anticlines. Anticlines are upfolds of the earth with salt deposits. Sedimentary deposits from nearby highlands continued to accumulate forming thousands of additional feet of rock on top of the salt structures.  At some point between 60 million and 10 million years ago, the deposit of rock slowed and erosion began in earnest. Erosion has stripped away more than 5000 vertical feet of rock. This process opened cracks in anticlines beneath the rock that were in turn dissolved by groundwater. With a weakened support system, the salt valleys began to collapse, setting the stage for the formation of the arches. ——-source: Utah National Parks Guide.

Turret Arch and North Window

Fast forward to today:

Today, hiking through Arches National Park rewards every hiker and visitor with uniquely different stunning sceneries that would inspire even the non-photographer to pick a camera and capture the beauty. Many of the park’s trails lead directly to a lot of wonderful arches, giving a new perspective to these famous natural icons.

 Just how huge are these arches?

Turret Arch

I am sure you can spot the people near the Arch. There are 3 persons (one little kid with his parents) near the opening of the arch resting in the shade. Then, there are 2 people farther away.

North Window

Can you find one person walking at the trail? He is between two trees or tall desert shrubs. The walk to the Windows and Turret Arch is an easy 1 mile loop (but if you walk during summer like we did, the easy can become uncomfortable with the scorching heat), but there is an alternate route which is slightly longer which loops around the back of the Windows. 

There are more other arches and trails in this park, for more information, please visit http://www.nps.gov/arch/

 Arches National Park offers campsites for campers, for those who prefer to stay in a more comfortable lodging, the town of Moab is only 5 miles South of the park. There are only few lodging accommodations to choose from at Moab, and they can easily fill in during peak season. One of the lodgings you can find at Moab is Days Inn, which is 4 miles only South of Arches, and 2 miles from Colorado River and 1 mile from the world famous Slick Rock Bike Trail.

California Poppy, Lake Poway

Spring is here, in San Diego, anyway! Or should I say we had both fall and spring since summer ended  ? Though some flowers here and there did not really leave the landscapes of San Diego, but to me spring is when the hills explode with wildflowers.

Mix of Golds Along the Hillside Somewhere on I-15, Ted Williams Parkway Exit

Two weekends ago, I mentioned about wildflowers starting to bloom in Mt.Woodson Trail, and predicted that in 2 weeks there will be more flowers. We went to hike to Mt.Woodon Peak again yesterday, and here are the wildflowers show along the hike. I must say that most of the wildflowers though are at Lake Poway side, and the colorful show fades as we went higher in elevation.

Hills at Lake Poway Archery Range ( left side when you enter the park)

Though I must say that the bloom this year is less spectacular than last year, this year, the bloom is more of spotty rather than covering all hillsides. Nevertheless, it is still a treat when at other times of the year, I do not see these colorful display in the trail.

Entering Lake Poway Park, it is hard not to notice the colorful hills on the left side, which is the site for Lake Poway Archery Range. We usually do not take this trail when we hike to Mt Woodson, but because of wildflowers display, a short detour is a welcome additional exercise.

Mix of Lupines, Canterbury Bells and Mustards

Some of the slopes have mixed wildflowers, but the lupines are not yet in full show, I noticed a lot of them are still growing and very few are in bloom.

Lupine

From afar, what is more obvious is orange and yellow,

Lake Poway (Dam) and The Colored Slopes ( looking towards Lake Ramona)

which means that most wildflowers are California poppies and mustards.

California Poppy

Mustard

Most of the colors actually are on the left side of Lake Poway Park or going to Lake Ramona, however, since we were hiking to Mt Woodson, I was kind of lazy to take a longer detour. Instead, we just took right away the trail that leads to Mt.Woodson. This is not to say however that the slopes going up Mt Woodson would be less colorful, there are colors still, but just not as much compared to the colors on the opposite side.

Maybe a fifth of a mile after crossing the suspension bridge,

Suspension Bridge

you will see a field of blue on the landscape. These blue hues are from the canterbury bells.

Field of Blue Canterbury Bells mixed with little poppies @ Lake Poway

Blue Canterbury Bells Against Orange Poppy

This is actually another short detour going to Mt Woodson, but just a short one. From here, we made a right to take the trail that goes up to Mt.Woodson.

Hillsides as viewed from Mt Woodson Trail

As we went to the peak, the wildflowers diminish, but I actually saw little patches of wildflowers still at the higher slopes. There are some brittlebush, but kind of far out from the trailside for me to take a picture of them. There are still patches of poppies, and morning glory.

Morning Glory with Green Bug Inside

I was tempted to just stay at the bottom and enjoy the wildflowers, but then, the reward of getting a really good uphill exercise still dominates, besides, the view at the top of Mt Woodson is for me, very rewarding.

For my previous posts regarding Mt Woodson, you can visit this sites:

a. Hiking Mt Woodson From Lake Poway - please visit http://sandiegobackroads.today.com/2008/07/31/lake-poway-to-woodson-mountain/

b. Hiking Mt Woodson from the East (shorter hike) - please visit  http://sandiegobackroads.today.com/2008/08/18/hiking-and-geocaching-at-woodson-mountain/

And for those who just want a shorter hike with smaller change in elevation, here is a link to Lake Poway Loop Hike, http://sandiegobackroads.today.com/2008/09/20/lake-poway-loop-trail/

And I believe, somehow, this trail would have the most wildflowers basing from what I saw, since most colors are on the slopes going to Ramona Dam. I still have to verify this since did not take the hike to Ramona Dam. Here is a trail description for a hike to Ramona Dam which I posted previously: http://sandiegobackroads.today.com/2009/01/15/ramona-dam-from-lake-poway/ . I will have to hike this trail next weekend.

And for those in San Diego who wants to experience wildlfower wonders in the desert, Anza Borrego is in beautiful bloom now.

Hiker @ the top of South Kaibab Trail

The last time we were at Grand Canyon, we took the Hermit’s trail, but did not really go all the way to the bottom since we did not really want to go backpacking, we just wanted a day hike. After a day hike at Hermit’s trail, we spent the sunset at Hopi Point, and then, decided to check out the South Kaibab’s trail. There was almost little light when we got there since it was past sunset already. We just made use of our time going down the trail until it got dark that we really had to turn around. 

The Switchbacks at South Kaibab’s trail

We hiked part of Hermit’s trail and part of Bright Angel’s trail as day hikes, but I must say for the very short time we were here in South Kaibab trail, I love this trail more. The trail here is more well maintained than Hermit’s trail (where we even lost the trail ) , and the views I believe are more spectacular. Only that, we did not have time anymore to really explore more this trail. On the other hand, the Bright Angel’s trail was kind of crowded for us, but that is expected of Grand Canyon as it attracts more than 5 million tourists in a year all over the world. However, 98% of those visiting the Grand Canyon do not step on its trails and just view the canyon from the rim. And those who choose to hike, usually choose the more popular ones like the Bright Angels. The Hermit’s trail actually was not crowded at all, there were also a few hikers exploring that side of the canyon. But there is something about the South Kaibab’s Trail that draws me to it more. Maybe it is how the canyon is presented as you meander in its trail, the views are just wonderful in every turn. Also, the colors are magnificent here.

I hope to be back in this trail and really go down some more when we visit Grand Canyon again on April 4th and 5th.

For more information on South Kaibab’s trail, please visit the site: http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/SouthKaibabTrail.pdf

 THE GRAND HOTEL- 2 MILES FROM GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK