Talking Rocks Tours

The Sunshine and Campfires Tour

April 29 – May 6, 2018

Sunday. Arrive in St. George, Utah.

By air: Fly to Las Vegas and take a shuttle to St. George. Or car pool. Don’t reserve a shuttle seat without checking with me.

Sunday afternoon. Explore Snow Canyon State Park on your own. Lava caves, sandstone exposures, sandy washes.

Sunday evening. Camp in Snow Canyon (showers). Lecture: Geology 101 and local geology.

Monday morning. Hike to Snow Canyon petroglyphs (5 miles). Led by Gerry Bryant. Geology: Erosion, lava flows, topographic inversion, lag deposits, desert varnish, diagenetic color changes. Drive to the cinder cones at the top of the Snow Canyon lava flows.

Monday afternoon: Investigate the contact between the Kayenta and Navajo formations. Instruction by Gerry Bryant. Drive to Bryce Canyon.

Monday night. Camp at Bryce Canyon. (No showers.)

Tuesday morning. Dawn on the rim. After breakfast: Intro to local geology by Gerry Bryant. The Clarno Formation—the youngest bedrock we’ll examine on our trip. Midday: Hike along the rim. For the more adventuresome: the Tower Bridge Trail (3 miles) or the Fairyland Loop Trail (8 miles).

Tuesday afternoon. Drive to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.

Tuesday night. Camp at Coral Pink (showers).

Wednesday morning. Dawn at the dunes. Instruction by Gerry Bryant.

Midday: Moccasin Mountain Dinosaur Trackway. Instruction by Gerry Bryant.

Local exploring of dunes, creek beds, and peaks.

Wednesday night. Camp at Coral Pink (showers).

Thursday. Buckskin Gulch hike (5 or 6 miles). We will hike in from Wiregrass Flat. If we have people wishing to hike the entire canyon (21 miles) that can be arranged for a small group.

Best web site for info: http://climb-utah.com/Escalante/buckskin.htm

Thursday night. Camp at Coral Pink (showers).

Friday morning. Drive to Grand Canyon. For the adventurous, we can hike down to the Coconino Sandstone with its fossil tracks.

Friday afternoon/evening. Hike/ride the shuttle along the rim.

Friday night: Camp at Grand Canyon (showers).

Sabbath. Hike to Plateau Point. 11 miles round trip. 3000 feet of elevation gain. In my opinion, this is the best hike in the park. We will take a very leisurely pace, eat lunch at the point, then take it very slow and easy back up. There are, of course, lots of shorter, easier options to experiencing the glory of the canyon.

Saturday night: Camp at Grand Canyon (showers).

Sunday morning. Drive to Las Vegas airport.

Talking Rocks Tours, Miles and Feet Tour, April 15-22, 2018.

Note: This tour features several long hikes. The longest hikes–Buckskin Gulch and Grand Canyon–will allow for shorter options.

	Campground	Activities	Notes
Sunday	Snow Canyon Showers	Fly to Las Vegas. Try to arrive by 1p. Get a shuttle to St. George. Afternoon. explore Snow Canyon. Lava caves, fossil sand dunes. Evening: Lecture- Geology 101 and local geology.	It is possible we may arrange a car pool in a rental car. Let me know your air travel plans as soon as possible. Do not make a shuttle reservation yet.
Monday	Bryce Canyon No showers	Morning. Hike to Snow Canyon petroglyphs (5 miles). Led by Gerry Bryant. Drive to cinder cones. Geology: Erosion, lava flows, topographic inversion, lag deposits, desert varnish, diagenic color changes. Afternoon: Contact between the Kayenta and Navajo formations. Instruction by Gerry Bryant. Drive to Bryce Canyon.	No showers at Bryce.
Tuesday	Coral Pink Sand Dunes SP Showers	Dawn on the rim. After breakfast, intro to local geology by Gerry Bryant. Midday: Hike 8 miles. Afternoon. Drive to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. (CP)	Bryce is most spectacular at dawn. The rocks at Bryce are Cenozoic—the youngest bedrock we’ll encounter on our trip.
Wednesday	Coral Pink Sand Dunes SP Showers	Dawn at the dunes. Instruction by Gerry Bryant. Midday: Moccasin Mountain Dinosaur Trackway. Instruction by Gerry Bryant. Local exploring of dunes and creek beds.	Go to bed early for a very early start on Thursday.
Thursday	Coral Pink Sand Dunes SP Showers	Buckskin Gulch hike (20 miles). Best web site for info: http://climb-utah.com/Escalante/buckskin.htm	There will be a shorter option of five or six miles in and out of the upper part of the Gulch.
Friday	Grand Canyon Showers	Rim to rim (if the road to the North Rim trail head is open. Two people (including me) will not do the rim-to-rim. Instead, we will shuttle the cars to the south rim. The rim-to-rim is an option, not a requirement. Venture at your own risk.	North Kaibab Trail (elevation change 8,241 ft – 14.3 miles – mostly a descent) to Bright Angel Trail (mostly an ascent – 9.6 miles – elevation change 6,860 ft) for a total of 23.9 miles. Plan B: Hike to Plateau Point for sundown.
Sabbath	Grand Canyon Showers	Hike to Plateau Pt. 11 miles, 3000 ft.	Plan B: Hermit Trail. Animal tracks in the Coconino Sandstone
Sunday		Drive to Las Vegas