Pre-Bryce: Buckskin Gulch area, Kodachrome, Utah

pics by Harlan W.S.
April 26-28, 2010

We were going to meet the LVMC for a backpack "under the rim" at Bryce April 29-May 2. Ali thought we might go a few days early, to see if we could get walk-in permits for "The Wave." Alas, we waited 3 days for the lottery, and lost out every time to the masses of foreign and retired tourists. Nevertheless, we got to stay at a neat primitive campsite for 3 nights, went to Buckskin Gulch, then stayed at a very nice state campground by Kodachrome Basin. Each day is separately color-coded below..

Buckskin
After being flushed the 1st day, we walked
several miles down the slot canyon at
Buckskin Gulch. The GPS tracked for
just a part of the time, but I was able
to get a few clear waypoints, and could
estimate how far we went.
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First low part of slot.
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We were supposed to go around this
chockstone, but didn't know better!
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Most of the prints on this mud wall
are modern.
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Some real petroglyphs.
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Shortly after, we hit flooded parts of
the canyon, and turned around.
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cobra
Next day, after being flushed again, Ali voted
to go to Cobra Arch.  They had given
him a list of places to visit when we
first got to the BLM office. What we
didn't know was that we were supposed
to ask them for specific maps. So we
had a good walk, trying to follow the cryptic
instructions on the brief summary sheet,
and got nowhere near the arch!
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The junipers were shedding berries!
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View SSW at the rim.
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Amid the hoodoos.
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White cryptanth.
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Yellow cryptanth.
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Next we drove N on a long gravel road to
Kodachrome Basin; the scenery was
spectacular.
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We stopped and visited this double arch.
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Next day we took a hike near Kodachrome
Basin.  This was a great state park, with showers
and clean restrooms, plus nice sites.
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This Sierra Club group kept running
into us.
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Cool Cave.
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