Tag Archives: featured

Parks and Nature

Red Cliffs Desert Preserve

Situated above and apart of the lovely city of St. George, Utah, the Red Cliffs Desert Preserve (a combination of national, state, and local park systems) is a large expanse of public land set aside to protect the desert tortoise, as well as a myriad of natural features such as dunes, reefs, slot canyons, lava flows, archaeological sites and even dinosaur traces.  If you’re already on the road heading to Zion or just passing through on the way to Vegas, this makes for a great one-day stop over.  St. George is the largest city in the area with plenty of unique area parks, lots of biking and horseback riding opportunities, plenty of amenities, and one of the few places with decent wifi hotspots on this drive.  If you’re coming from Las Vegas, the 1 hr 45 minute drive makes for an easy day trip with lots of interesting landscape along the way, including the Virgin River Gorge, just outside of town in Arizona.

Driver’s Report: Snow Canyon State Park and most of the trails on the west side of the conservation area can be accessed from town, which follows a typical Utah pattern of being on a grid-numeric system with named roads around temple (visible from a distance, so it’s hard to get lost in the main city.)  Snow Canyon State Park is on the Snow Canyon Parkway, accessed from Red Hills Parkway in town.

The visitors center for the desert preserve is located in town between city center and somewhat near Pioneer Park (it was closed for the holiday when we went.)  Most of the trails around town are easy to find and well marked.

The east side of the preserve is a bit trickier to get to; specifically, the Red Cliffs Recreation Area.  From the 15 take the Leeds exit (22 or 23 depending on your direction.) It’ll lead you to a small town that may make you wonder if you’re going the right way.  If arriving from exit 23, turn left on Silver Reef then right on Main Street, which turns into Old Highway 91, a two-lane road.  If arriving from exit 22, turn right onto Old Highway 91.  Eventually you will see signage for the recreation area, which will be on your right beyond two one-lane tunnels that leads under the highway.  The local KOA campgrounds (Hurricane KOA) will be on your left.   NOTE:  the tunnels have a height restriction of 11 ft. 9 in, you may not be able to get through with larger camping vehicles.

DSC_1678 Once through the tunnels, White Reef Trailhead will be on your right, and the road to the main Recreation Area will be on your left. The Recreation Area is a campgrounds and day-use picnic area nestled by Quail Creek with trails that lead out from the campsites, some leading to dinosaur tracks and an old archaeological dig site studying the Anazasi who once resided in the area.

Wheels Report:  Strollers and Wheelchairs:  the accessible trail in this area is the Whiptail Trail in Snow Canyon State Park in the east corner of the preserve (6$ vehicle entry fee).  It’s a paved multi-use trail with some gently sloping hills in spots, but otherwise is relatively flat.  The best thing about this trail is that it runs in the center of the park and next to many of the best features in the park, including the sand dunes, Pioneer Names section, and the petrified dunes area.    DSC_1573

The Red Cliffs Recreation area trails aren’t accessible, but there are two accessible campgrounds and ADA parking near the Orson Adams house.  Vault bathrooms are accessible.

 

Bikes: This bike-friendly area offer a lot of options to choose from, from easy family-friendly trails like Whiptail Trail to mountain bike trails such as Prospector Trail (near the recreation area.)  In Snow Canyon, all of the Paradise Canyon trails are permitted for bikes as well as the West Canyon Road, which is an old maintenance road which is a level gravel trail that follows the canyon all the way up to its head.

Tech Report: Wifi almost nonexistent in the parks, phone service is sporadic.  In town there are plenty of options; some of the parks have free wifi and there are a lot of businesses (including Starbucks, etc.) which host wifi.  We did experience a lot more abrupt service drops while in St. George than is typical in other cities.  Take care if using phone GPS, ours tried to take us into the middle of nowhere when we were trying to get to the recreation area and managed on the instructions given on the official website instead.

Kids Report:   St. George has plenty of unique parks, the most famous being Pioneer Park, which provides a lot of interesting scrambling opportunities (although you may have to keep a watchful eye on them; we saw more than one child up there getting a little too brave on some of the overhangs.)  There are also plenty of traditional parks as well; we grabbed some sandwiches and had lunch in Vernon Worthen Park, which besides free wifi had both toddler and regular play areas with shaded grass areas nearby, making for a good interlude from adventuring.  St. George also has a few small museums, including a children’s museum and the Dinosaur Discovery Site and Johnson farm.

In theDSC_1623 natural areas, Snow Canyon was close enough we simply used facilities in town for this venture.  The Outlets of Zion (exit 8) also proved to be a good stopping off spot when going out towards the recreation area.  The recreation area, although not stroller friendly, has a nice shaded picnic area with running water and plenty of opportunities to see wildlife around the creek next to the sites.

 

General Tips:  Some of the trails in this system are seasonal, such as Jenny’s Canyon (children’s trail in Snow Canyon) only open for the summer when there’s no snow runoff, and Johnson Canyon (closed in summer.) Also, some of the trails can get particularly muddy in wet conditions, such as the White Reef biking-horseback riding trail, so you may want to check conditions if you are planning on using a particular trail.  Parking is limited in the recreation area, so pack your patience (as well as water) on busy weekends.

Web Report: Official sites: Red Cliffs NRA http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/st__george/recreation/day_use_areas/red_cliffs_recreation.html  Snow Canyon: http://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/snow-canyon/  St. George services: https://www.sgcity.org/departments/leisureservices/

 

Museums and Historic Sites, Parks and Nature

Death Valley – Furnace Creek

Death Valley: Furnace Creek

To say that Death Valley National Park is large would be an understatement: at 3000 square miles, it is the largest National Park outside of Alaska. But if you only had one day to explore this park of stunning contrasts, the Furnace Creek area would be the obvious first choice. A little over two hours out of Las Vegas and about an hour out of Pahrump and Beatty, the Furnace Creek region of the park is home to the Badwater Basin, the lowest point below

Artist's Palette

sea level in North America. But once that’s crossed off the bucket list, one soon finds there is much more to this area than just salt flats and blistering heat. Taking the scenic route back from the basin to the visitor’s center (the road through Artist’s Palette) will take you through mountains splashed with pastel colors of blue, pink and gold. Next to the Visitor’s Center is the Harmony Borax Works, where the famous ‘twenty-mule team’ carried borax out from the valley. There is also a Borax museum on the other side of the Visitors Center inside the Furnace Creek Ranch area, a charming village-hotel with a gift/general store, good food, and a post office. So, if you only have one day for a trip out, this is the place. Throw out all the preconceptions your mind or Hollywood has provided in advance; you’ll find the trip is worth taking.

Driver’s Report: Expect to spend a lot of time driving. Major sites of interest are often half an hour to an hour between each other with two-lane highways in between, or in the case of Artist’s Palette, one lane one way. Dirt roads in the park often have special restrictions such as high clearance, four-wheel drive only, etc. but seemed to be clearly marked. Expect speeds to vary widely, generally from 35 on curves and populated areas and 70 on some of the straightaways. Last but not least, fill up before entering the park.  Gas prices when we were there were a dollar more than average at Stove Pipe, and a dollar-fifty more than average at Furnace Creek.

Tech Report: There’s a reason there are still pay phones in lodging areas in the park. You may be able to get phone service near the Visitor’s Center and populated areas, but for the most part there is no service here. There is some wifi in the hotels but all reports say it’s very weak. Don’t expect much, and see it as a destination good for unplugging. It’s Death Valley after all!

Wheels Report:
Strollers and Wheelchairs: Badwater Basin has accessible parking, primitive but accessible restroom, and it has a nice ramp and boardwalk that’s easily traversed, ending at the salt basin which is hard-packed and offered little resistance. The Harmony Borax Works is paved and has parking, but be aware the trail is on a slope. The visitors center is fully accessible, with automatic doors, accessible auditorium and museum, patio area, wheelchair rentals, and the best bet for restrooms.

Badwater Basin
Badwater Basin

Bikes: Furnace Creek Ranch offers mountain bike rentals for $15 an hour, located next to the general store.

Food Report: We brought most of our food with us in a cooler, but we did have a chance to eat at the Forty Niner Cafe in Furnace Creek Ranch. It was a bit pricey even for lunch, but there was a kid’s menu and the food was good quality and large portions. (There’s no good place to stash a stroller, though.) The General Store next to the Cafe also carries plenty of snacks, water, and other supplies as well as gifts.

Kids Report: If you need somewhere to take the kids for an hour to get away from the midday heat, try the Furnace Creek Visitor’s Center. There is a small museum inside with interactive exhibits ideal for kids, and also a film about the park plays every half an hour. For stroller-age kids, I also recommend bringing along a mist bottle with a fan attachment; you can find them for ten dollars or less in drug stores. It definitely made our toddler’s trip a lot more tolerable.

General tips: If you’re planning to stay more than a day, remember that lodging inside the park, while convenient, can be expensive compared to options in nearby towns. Research your options carefully. On the other hand, campground options inside the park are plentiful, especially during the cooler months (four of them close in the summer.) Don’t forget sunglasses and hats; the glare can be fierce, especially around the salt flats. The visitor’s guide for the park (you can get it at the visitors center) is quite detailed, and worth reading through. And last but not least, always pack more water than you need in case of emergencies.

Web Report: Official:http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm
A handy Death Valley guide to accessibility: http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/accessibility.
Furnace creek ranch official: http://www.furnacecreekresort.com/lodging/the-ranch-at-furnace-creek/
Camping: http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/camping.htm

Parks and Nature

Red Rock Conservation Area – Red Springs Park

2015-02-24 10.55.47

Although we had gone to the Red Rock scenic loop many times, we had not been aware of this little gem until less than a month before this posting.  We were frustrated to find there were no trails where we could take a younger child in a stroller, and that was when we did a bit of digging and found out we had often passed the road that held the answer to what we were looking for.  Situated on the opposite side of the mountain as the scenic loop, Red Springs is a small and delightful boardwalk trail with good views of the mountains, the Red Spring, and a small meadow area.  It also has a shaded picnic area with grills and benches along the boardwalk and makes for a nice day trip if you only have an hour or two in an afternoon.  Not only is this area ideal for picnicking or strolling, the area also serves as a trail head for several other Red Rock trails, such as the Calico Hills loop.

Driver’s Report:

From Highway 159 (Charleston Boulevard in town) look for a sign for Calico Springs Rd. on the right before you get to the regular Red Rock Conservation Area.  After passing a few ranches, Red Springs is easy to find since it is at the end of the road and straight in front of you just before it winds up into a subdivision.  There is ample parking for the size of the area.

Wheels report:

DSC_0027The Red Springs boardwalk trail is perfect for wheelchairs and strollers.  There is a somewhat steep ramp to get up to the main trail half-mile loop, but after that it is level.  There is also ample accessible parking.  There is no bike rack, which is quite surprising being a trailhead and a popular bike area.

Kids report:

DSC_0026No play facilities.  The boardwalk is perfect for children of any age and has interpretive signage along the route as well as benches.  It’s also reasonably short, so it’s great for first time explorers!  Bathrooms are primitive.  Closest changing tables are at the bathroom facilities on the scenic loop near the Visitor’s Center or at the businesses off of Charleston.

2015-02-24 11.10.14

General Tips:  Red Spring is a sensitive biological area, so it is very important to stay on the boardwalk or on marked trails while in the area.  As always when picnicking in this region, be aware of local fire restrictions before venturing out.   This is a great place for a relaxing stroll and a place to enjoy the mountains without the frustration of finding a parking spot, although because of its easy access, some of the petroglyphs in the area have been irreversibly vandalized, which is regrettable.  Park Hours are from dawn to sunset.

 Tech Report:

Regular cell phone service is available in most areas of the park, but data is less reliable.  We have Sprint 3G and data is sporadic at best. (If you have had better luck, feel free to email us and we’ll add it to the report.)   There are plenty of free wifi options along Charleston Blvd. ten minutes away.  (Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks, etc…)

Web Report:
Here are some other good online resources to help plan your trip.

Hiking: http://www.birdandhike.com/Hike/Red_Rocks/Trailheads/Red_Spring/_RedSpring.htm
Biking: http://www.bikinglasvegas.com/
General info and weather: http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org/
Official: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/lvfo/blm_programs/blm_special_areas/red_rock_nca/recreation/picnicing.html