On to Coral Pink Sand Dunes

On to Coral Pink Sand Dunes

May 15 and 16, 2023

Once we had packed all our stuff, we took a short walk at Kodachrome Basin State Park.  Then we drove north to the Mossy Cave area of Bryce Canyon.  We took another short walk to visit the aforementioned cave and a waterfall and stream.  The remarkable thing about that stream was that it runs all year now where previously it was a seasonal stream.  That’s because when settlers first came to this area they realized a need for water to irrigate their crops.  So they dug a channel to divert a river (can’t remember what river) into this stream that flows to the town of Tropic.  It seems like a massive undertaking!  I wonder what the EPA would have to say about such a proposal in 2023.

From the Mossy Cave area we drove west and then south to arrive at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.  I admit that I had some trepidation about this venue as the Great Sand Dunes N.P. had proved so difficult to walk through.  We were pleased to find that the campsites had some juniper trees that afforded some shade.  Ours was a double site with a large concrete pad for the picnic tables.  With a little furniture moving and some creative staking, we were able to set up the tent on the concrete pad.  I’m fairly sure this prevented half a sand dune being dragged into the tent.  We had an early meal and went for a walk on the dunes.  

The color of the sand is truly amazing—think cooked salmon (for those of you who eat salmon).  The dune field is fairly large but on a more modest scale compared to Great Sand Dunes NP.  I even managed to walk to the top of one of the dunes. There was a large group of school kids (from Maryland!) exploring various ways to descend the dune.  These methods included the snowboard (standing descent), the sand board (seated descent) and rolling down the slope!  What a way to get sand into every nook and cranny!  

The following morning we decided to drive to Zion N.P. The park was about 30 miles away. From the fee station, the drive down into the canyon is astounding.  On all sides there are sloping rock faces of all kinds of shapes in shades of white and pink. The canyon portion of the park is not open to private vehicles.  You have to park your car and board the park service shuttle.  This is where we ran into trouble—there were no parking spaces available. We started to think that we would have to drive right back out of the park. Then, we got a little creative and parked in a lay-by near the museum and hiked down to the shuttle stop.  By the time the shuttle drove past our car, the entire lay-by was filled with parked cars.  

We rode the shuttle to the last stop and walked along the river to “The Narrows”.  At this point usually you can walk further up the canyon by walking in the riverbed.  Not at this point in the spring! The river was deep and flowing extremely fast.  We enjoyed the walk we could do and hopped back on the shuttle to explore “The Court of the Patriarchs”.  We took another short walk, all the while watching the dark clouds that were rolling down the canyon.  Suddenly, the wind became intense and dust was everywhere.  We made our way back to the shuttle without getting wet.  

On the drive back to our campsite, we stopped at a cafe for pie and coffee.  That was a wonderful experience.  Not only was there strawberry rhubarb pie, but also there was wifi. Just as mom would have predicted, we ruined our appetite for dinner!  I’m still not sorry!

Gloria

The Mossy Cave area of Bryce Canyon NP, where the irrigation river that was cut by Mormon settlers in the 19 century passes through

The year round flow of water causes the highest level of erosion seen anywhere in the park

The road in to Zion NP from the east

Astonishing views as you descend into the valley bottom

The Court of the Patriarchs

As you get higher up the canyon towards the Narrows the massive cliffs close in from both sides

35 School kids from Bethesda, Maryland descend from the top of one of the larger sand dunes at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. It was great to see them having so much fun!

The majority of the dunes are also open to OHV (Off Highway Vehicles) - although they are required to stay 100 feet away from pedestrians

Storm clouds pass north of us on our first night at Coral Pink Sands

The light during the final hour before sunset on our second night was amazing. We hiked a different area of the dunes and it was unbelievable. This photo and the ones that follow have been edited using the Lightroom pre-set profile "Cool Matte". I like the color balance it created and I think it's good to have a consistent work-up for a set of related images. Whilst a slightly different shade from what I started with, the colors are not more intense than the originals. 

Coral pink dunes with storm clouds behind

Such a beautiful place ...