Trailing Ahead : Adventures in Hiking Utah

Dessert landscape, wildflowers, high winds, raindrops, thunder, bench trail views, a mule deer, a rabbit, lizards, crickets, jeep trails, tufa and other cool rocks, in the midst of the Great Salt Lake . . . 9.5 miles in 6.5 hours; our guide, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Salt Lake City, estimated 4.5 hours, but we're getting faster. I think I got a lot of cool pictures, but I think this is a one-time hike for me.

Leaving the parking lot at the Stansbury Island Interpretive Trail Head (my beloved wife right behind me). Our guide's trail instructions proved very valuable as there were a lot of trails that branched off.

One of hundreds of Sego Lilies along the trail in full bloom at this time of year.

Dixie's favorit flower is the daisy. It was fun to find some along the trail.

. . . and other wildflowers.

Looking back on the Great Salt Lake from the first part of the trail.

There's the parking lot, come quite a way up already.

These looked like ancient fortifications to us, but they are actually naturally occuring tufa rock formations.

More tufa.

This rock was so cool I just had to take a picture of it.

From the saddle, 1.2 miles into the hike. We've gone as high as we will go.

This is what most of the trail looks like . . . in some places it is rockier.

You know I love the moss.

Cool sedementary rocks.

I love this rock sandwich.

My first encounter with a Mormon Cricket. This whole trail is like cricket paradise; thousands of them jumping across our path.

First big overlook.

Yes, those are mounds of salt from the salt farms.

The clouds move in.

I love seeing the different colors of the water. Pink on one side of the bar and blue on the other.

Rounding the last bend after descending to the floor.

Almost there, I can see the blue hope quietly waiting for us in the parking lot.

Coming full circle to the start of the trail.

This was a way cool hike to do once, but for some reasons (long drive, sameness of the trail after the first mile, dessert conditions, etc.), I don't think we'll be coming back anytime soon. We did have some fun experiences: seeing a deer bound up the side of one mountain and totally leaving us in the dust like we were standing still was the best of them. I also caught a glimpse of the backside of a tan bunny with black tips on his ears.

Happy trails!