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.
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Campground |
Activities |
Notes |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Sabbath |
Grand Canyon Showers |
Hike to Plateau Pt. 11 miles, 3000 ft. |
Plan B: Hermit Trail. Animal tracks in the Coconino Sandstone |
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Sunday |
Drive to Las Vegas |
johnmclarty.com 