Kodachrome Basin State Park
Personal Notes:
Short Trails and Campout
This page presents our personal notes on Chimney Rock, Shakespeare Arch/Sentinel Trail, Angels Palace Trail, the Nature Trail, and the campground within Kodachrome Basin State Park in Utah.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Campground
12:40 p.m.
We arrived in Kodachrome Basin State Park to be greeted by. 60 degree temperatures. Wonderful. The road to the park is paved from Cannonville. It seems that on our earlier visits the road was graded dirt and gravel. There is a nice new Visitor Center, and everyone entering the park now has to check in and pay their fee. We had registered for camping Site 12 online, so we were all set. The camping fee covers the park entrance fee.
There are 24 sites, and Site 12 is on the far northern end of the campground at GPS Coordinates 37 31.945N; 111 59.659W, at an elevation of 5,823 feet. It is very private, on a pull-through loop of its own, with tall pinyons and junipers to provide shade and privacy. The only other site that is even close is a small group site, but there are several trees between the two spots.
It seems that each of the sites has a concrete pad with a large picnic table and a grill. There are also stone fire rings. There is a bin for wood sales across from the main restroom, but it appeared to be all sold out, or not stocked yet for the season. There is a fresh water spigot about 100 feet from the campsite.
Site 12 has lots of room (as it appears that most sites do) and some shade from the trees, depending upon the position of the Sun. We pulled our Coleman pop-up trailer, and we found it to be a bit difficult to level, since the paved road through the site is on a slight hill. But with a little maneuvering we were able to get it leveled off.
3:13 p.m.
By the time we got the trailer set up and had lunch it was a very pleasant 78 degrees in the sun; very nice. Since we had already hiked the five mile Panorama Trail twice before, and the .5 mile round trip Eagle's View Trail on our last visit, we decided to walk the several shorter trails in the park.
Trailhead Station
3:27 p.m.
Trailhead Station is at GPS Coordinates 37 31.445N; 111 59.526W, at an elevation of 5,764 feet. This is a small “general” store, with a few bare essentials. We had to stop because we’d forgotten to bring the salt and pepper and spices (it seems like that every year we forget something on our first camping trip). They didn’t have a large selection of anything but souvenirs. This is also the place to register for one of the six small cabins that are available in the park. The cabins seem nice from the outside, similar to those that you see in the KOA campgrounds. Each unit had a small enclosed patio with a picnic table, and there were small air conditioner units in the back window, so they must have electricity. I didn't notice a common restroom facility anywhere nearby, so they must each also have restrooms and perhaps showers. The Trailhead Station also has ice for sale.
Chimney Rock
3:39 p.m.
After a short drive over a dirt road we stopped for a quick visit at Chimney Rock (GPS Coordinates 37 31.459N; 111 58.075W; at an elevation of 5,955 feet). Chimney Rock is a large sand pipe standing isolated in the sage. It’s not the most attractive feature in the area, with the colorful sandstone cliffs that act as a backdrop much more appealing. However, it is worth a quick visit. There are no restrooms nor picnic tables near the site.
Shakespeare Arch and Sentinel Trail
3:50 p.m.
Off of the road to Chimney Rock is a short spur to the parking area for Shakespeare Arch and Sentinel Trail (at GPS Coordinates 37 30.628N; 111 58.669W, at an elevation of 5,849 feet). There is a small parking area at the trailhead, with no picnic tables or restroom facilities. There is a registration box and an informational kiosk.
4:05 p.m.
There is a .5 mile trail to Shakespeare Arch (GPS Coordinates 37 30.492N; 111 58.93W; at an elevation of 5,901 feet). The trail to the arch is easy to follow and is fairly level, with short ups and downs. It passes through a short pinyon/ juniper forest. It’s a nice walk and worth the effort.
At the arch you can either turn back or take the more primitive Sentinel Trail to complete a loop around the little mesa. We took the trail. It's not a bad hike, but the trail is narrow in places and traverses crumbling slopes along several stretches. Some might find this terrain difficult to walk on, since it can be slippery, even with our hiking boots (with deep treads). But, there are several interesting sandstone features on the west side of the mesa, and all of the views are spectacular.
4:29 p.m.
At GPS Coordinates 37 30.202N; 111 58.898W; at an elevation of 5,932 there is a short side trail that leads to what we are calling Observation Point. It looks out over the entrance to the park and the Cottonwood Canyon Road. You can see Rainbow Point in Bryce Canyon National Park, and what I believe is part of Hackberry Canyon. There is a lot of great scenery to be seen from this point.
4:49 p.m.
Just before we finished the loop we realized that we had taken the long way around. As we were headed back toward the north, around the eastern side of the mesa, we encountered a trail coming in from the left (uphill) side. It's our guess that we passed its junction back near where we walked off toward Observation Point. If we would have taken the higher route we would have saved ourselves a steep descent and later ascent to get back to near the top. But it was good exercise; we needed it, especially this early in the season.
Overall, the trail has a lot of ups and downs that could be difficult for some, but it's not a hard hike. I would rate it easy, with moderate slopes for short distances. Just a steep hill here and there. A pretty good workout, but not exhausting by any means. At least go to the arch and back. Note that there is almost no shade along the longer route, so it could be pretty hot in the summer months.
4:52 p.m.
By the time we returned to the Tacoma the GPS had logged 1.76 miles round trip. From there we headed back into the main part of the park. The air temp was 71 degrees.
Angles Palace Trail
5:07 p.m.
The Angles Palace Hiking trail is at GPS Coordinates 37 31.731N; 111 59.544W; at an elevation of 5,839 feet. There is a paved parking area near the Oasis Group Area that acts as the trailhead for the Nature Trail, the Angles Palace Trail, and the Grand Parade Trail. The Angles Palace Trail is immediately across the road from the restrooms, which are modern facilities, with five shower rooms on the back side for registered campers.
The trail starts out flat, crosses as narrow stream, then begins a gradual climb through a narrow sandstone wash up onto a ridge overlooking the campground. We noted a strong, strange smell in the wash area. It smelled like some dead animal decomposing, but we suspect that it was the smell of blossoms on a variety of plant that grows in the area.
The area on top has interesting sandstone formations and great views of the surrounding landscape. We encountered two wild eyed jackrabbits who dashed off an almost looked like they were floating across the terrain. It seemed they hardly even touched the ground. Then they bounded up the sandstone outcrops as if they were a mere step up to a porch.
5:25 p.m.
There is a short spur trail that crosses a narrow ridge to an overlook at GPS Coordinates 37 31.605N; 111 59.499W; at an elevation of 5,931 feet. On one side is the campground, while on the other is the Trailhead Station, with its little store, horse pens, and six small cabins.
5:27 p.m.
The trail then has a junction with a .25 mile loop at GPS Coordinates 37 31.643N; 111 59.456W; at an elevation of 5,933 feet.
After that we took the same route down as you took on your short climb up.
5:48 p.m.
Back at the trailhead our GPS logged 1.5 miles for the little hike. That's .5 miles farther than the park brochure indicates. Perhaps the little spur trail added the extra distance.
Nature Trail
When we got back to the parking area we decided to make a quick run through the .5 mile paved Nature Trail. It’s a nice little, easy walk through a pleasant pinyon/juniper forest with lots of markers identifying local plants and other features. There are some great close-up views of the geology in the area as well, including several of the sand pipes that Kodachrome is known for.
6:00 p.m.
We finished the Nature Trail and headed back to our camp. The GPS logged us at 3.81 miles of hiking for today. Not much, but at least we got out for a pleasant stretch and some sun.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Campground
7:51 a.m.
It got pretty cold overnight. As long as we were under the covers we were comfortable. When I checked the thermometer is was 43 degrees inside the trailer, but we had turned on the heater for a short time by then to take the edge off the chill. I’m sure it must have gotten down into at least the mid-30s. But there was no wind.
The morning sky is hazed over, with thin clouds, that don’t really look threatening. Because of the cold and the clouds, we decided to do a driving trip today and scout out a few locations for later hikes.
The bathrooms here in the campground are modern and clean, with two shower stalls on each side. The showers are free for registered campers. The restroom facilities are a bit of a walk from our campsite, but the privacy and quiet make it worth the walk. You just have to plan your excursions to include the travel time.
It was very quite last evening, with only an occasional voice heard here or there. That’s the way it should be. No kids screaming at the tops of their lungs, or teenage girls wailing some ungodly lyrics from obnoxious commercials at the tops of their voices.
Anne heated up some instant oatmeal for breakfast, we packed a picnic lunch with sandwich fixings, and we headed out for the day.
We headed out of the park and took the Cottonwood Road south to Highway 89, then came back along the Johnson Canyon Road and the Skutumpah Road, all (for the most part) within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
5:21 p.m.
We made it back to our campsite and headed down to the restrooms for a shower. The water in the showers on the men’s side was barely warm, but bearable. Apparently Anne had only cold water. I know the feeling. I had a similar experience at Goblin Valley State Park last year.
After that we started charcoal coals and baked biscuits in the Dutch oven. I also grilled pork steaks. Anne heated up a batch of Alfredo noodles for a side dish. The air was getting cold and so things cooled down a bit too fast. But the food was still good. I think Anne made a bit more biscuit dough than needed, so they got really large. And they seemed a bit dry. But they tasted good.
After Anne did the dishes we sat around and watched the camp fire for a while, then went to bed.
In the group site next to us there was a bunch of 40ish folks from somewhere in Utah. We could hear by their conversation that they were going to hike Bull Gorge on Saturday and if they got finished with that 9 mile round trip hike they were going to do Willis Creek as well. So we decided that we’d get Cottonwood Narrows done early so that we could get to Willis before their large group got there.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Campground
8:46 a.m.
Anne cooked bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast.
It is 45 degrees outside as we head out of the park, toward Cottonwood Narrows. The air feels pretty cold, but not as cold as it felt yesterday at about this time.
During the night I heard an owl hooting off in the trees. It sounded like a small one. I also heard a coyote giving off one short howl just before dawn. And last night, while we were sitting around the campfire, Anne saw some sort of a mouse by the picnic table.
The folks in the group site weren’t as loud and noisy last night as we had feared. They turned in about the same time we did and the campground was again quiet. And they were pretty quiet this morning as well. They left about 30 minutes before we did.
Today we're going to hike the Cottonwood Narrows and the slot canyons along Willis Creek in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
3:47 p.m.
We’re back at camp. We walked down and took showers, then we grilled chicken over charcoals. Although it was sunny and warm, there was a strong, gusty wind. There was supposed to be a storm moving in later in the evening, so we put away anything that we didn’t need. If it rained overnight or in the morning there would be that much less wet stuff to deal with.
Because of the wind we decided not to light up a campfire. We didn’t want hot ashes spreading all over.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Packing Up and Heading Out
7:43 a.m.
It was very cold again this morning. Our thermometer inside the trailer reads 37 degrees. It was probably cooler earlier, before the sun came up. We’re going to pack up then head to Tropic for gas and breakfast.
9:16 a.m.
It is 63 degrees. We’re packed up and hitched up and heading out of the park, on our way home.
9:46 a.m.
We stopped in Tropic for gas at Clark’s. It was $2.91 per gallon. The restaurant is closed on Sunday morning, so we tried the Hungry Coyote next door. It was very good and fast and the waitress was friendly. It was a good portion of food for a reasonable price. Anne liked the Dutch Mill Brand Syrup that she had on her French toast. She said it wasn't too sweet, as some syrups are. I had eggs, sausage, hash browns, toast, and orange juice.
When we finished breakfast it was 54 degrees out. And we’re off again toward home.
