Friday, April 6 – Tuesday, April 17

Friday morning I finish breaking camp at Zion and pull out of my site around 10am. On the way out I stop to empty the holding tanks and take on fresh water. Now I’m set for a couple weeks of boondocking.

I have in mind visiting the other units of Zion National Park as well as some other places. So I head back to Sheep Bridge Road, just above the town of Hurricane, UT. This time I find a camp closer to the Hwy 59 end. I’m on a small bluff at the end of a two track looking east at Zion NP. This is one of the most picturesque camps I’ve experienced. I can see a few other campers scattered here and there, but don’t get any traffic by my site since it’s at a dead end.

Saturday night there is a gorgeous sunset that rivals an Arizona sunset. The dark clouds add a touch of drama. These are unedited photos just as they came out of the camera.

For the next week, there are high winds of 20 to 35 mph with gusts to 40 and 50 mph.  So it isn’t very good for getting out to hike.  I had wanted to go up to Cedar City to explore that area.  But it’s just too windy.  And Cedar City is at about 6,000 feet, so it was also colder. My camp is at 3,900 feet. I came north a little earlier than I should have, but so far the temps have been good.

On Tuesday, April 10 there is a break in the winds. I take a drive up to the Kolob Terrace unit of Zion NP and on to the Kolob Reservoir.

There are several trails along Kolob Terrace Road.  I take a short hike on the Hop Valley Trail which follows along some sandstone formations.  I love seeing all the different shapes and designs.

Hop Valley Trail, Kolob Terrace, Zion NP

I continue on to the reservoir, which is at 8,000 feet.  There are still patches of snow here and there and the trees and shrubs are still bare.

Kolob Reservoir

Hurricane, UT has a good selection of stores, including a Linn’s Grocery, Walmart, Ace Hardware, and Tractor Supply.  I am able to stock up on groceries, etc. at Linn’s and Walmart, get a few items from Ace and fill an empty propane tank at Tractor Supply.  I spend two or three days in town running these errands and visiting the library to use their wifi.

I have been watching the weather forecast for when there would be a break in the winds, giving me a good day to travel.  Wednesday the 18^th is looking good.

My last night in Hurricane, there is another beautiful sunset. As the sun is just about to go below the horizon, the cliffs to the east are on fire. This almost looks unreal, but it is an unedited photo.  It really looked like this 🙂

This has been a good camp, in spite of all the wind.  But it’s time to bid farewell and head on down the road to new places.