Day 16: Capitol Reef (#7)

Day 16: Capitol Reef (#7)
I believe the National Park Service has demonstrated strong partnerships geared towards respecting the private property of citizens in its administering of the current Trail of Tears National Historic Trail and will continue to do so upon the addition of the routes.
Zach Wamp

Pics: Slot canyon on the Burr Trail road and rest from our hike to a scenic overlook of the bottom of CR NP (what do you think of our first “self-portrait” at the turnaround point?)

More fun with NPs

• Breakfast at the Backbone: Blue corn pancakes, french toast, coffee, $25
• No second cookie (we are showing restraint, this was a 5 minute conversation of how much restraint should we show)
• We drive about an hour each way to/from the bottom (and rarely visited) part of CR NP, this time along the Burr Trail road that starts adjacent to the Boulder Mtn Lodge: pretty spectacular, coming and going
• Around 11 miles from the Lodge is a short (to the end) and tall (to the top) slot canyon (see pic), easily accessible from the road
• Today we take only ONE hot (high 80s, as usual, maybe even hotter) interesting hike, totaling around 6 miles. We get to the turnoff and there is a sign that the road is not favorable to 2WD low clearance vehicles – that describes the Lexus perfectly – and, with advice from the hikers in the one car we saw leaving this road, we park and hike the road! Good advice…and very pretty, as usual, with the payoff of a huge vista lookout of much of the different geological formations in the area (which means about 5 or 6), stretching for 30 miles or so.
• Picnic of leftover meatloaf, and carrots and apples and trail mix, NO cookie (some regrets) while sitting in a sliver of shade near the lookout
• Dinner at the Backbone (we’re eating light tonight): house salads (one with smoked trout, one with chicken), quesadilla, lemon cake with crab apple sauce and whipped cream, wine and beer, $85