This was a "been there, done that" type of place. There are many places with hoodoos and toadstools which are not full of tourists. But this one is right by the highway and is busy all the time.

If anyone knows the flower, please label or let me know. I have heard its name but I forget it.

This was part of a trip that included Wire Pass Canyon out to Buckskin Gulch, Coyote Buttes South, and Toad Stools. We met some friend who live in SLC and had a short time to squeeze some hikes. As usual we had applied for a Wave permit months ahead and were denied, so we settled for a CBS permit instead.

We stopped into the visitor's center in Kanab on Friday to check on road conditions since this there was about a foot of snow that fell a few days before, and now the temps were in the high 50s and it was melting fast. They told us the only problem was about 4 miles in on house rock valley road right about the Buckskin Gulch trailhead. they advised, there was some water flowing at that crossing, but if we had a 4wd with clearance we should be fine. I drove out there and checked it out and decided we would be good to go the next day when our friends showed up.

ToadStools - This was the end of our day, and it was a nice ending. We kept commenting on how it felt like we were on another planet. A short hike, but the payoff is a nice one. I can't help but think of all the people who drive by on the highway and are missing what is just a mile and a half away.


Video : https://youtu.be/qw ... B4jw

We had some time to kill in the morning so we took the stroll to see the Toadstools. This is a very fascinating area with some very cool formations. We explored just about the entire area squeezing out every inch possible. This is a cool area and worth checking out if you have an hour or two to kill.

Not sure why we had never stopped here - well worth the stop if you have never been to this area - if you are not 'serious' about taking photographs this is short enough to be a great place to stretch your legs and break up a Arizona/Utah drive!

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cmiles/sets/72157640939616545/

Day 6 - Heading back towards Phoenix...Decided to take 89 back and see some new Country in Utah, plus quite a bit of AZ I've never seen, including Glen Canyon, Lake Powell and Page...

Driving down into a gorgeous Valley with Sandstone Formations that left me gaping at the Wheel...Couldn't really find anywhere to pull over, but as it turns out, I didn't have to as a TH came into view with Parking...As soon as I read the information, I knew what it was, from past Trips posted here on HAZ...It had been windy starting out this morning, but now it was really howling...The Parking Lot and Area at beginning of the Hike was full of seriously blowing Sand...I actually ended up throwing on a Hat, a rarity for me...I didn't dare walk with the Camera in my hand, it would have been chock full of Sand in no time.... I had to be pretty careful when I took pictures in some areas, as I didn't want to risk getting a pitted Lens...Not always easy to do...

As soon as I could, I left the Trail and followed the Wash down, it offered a little more protection and the Sand was compacted and not nearly as fine....After the Walls starting getting too steep, I jumped back up on the actual Trail. The Geology was amazing, what else can you say??? At times, I wondered if I was on another Planet...And a bonus to the Toadstools and Geology? An Incredible View into the Valley... I'll let the Photos do the rest of the Narrative of this Trip.

This Hike is definitely not what I would call a Destination Hike, but certainly a "must stop and do" along the way...Very Cool!

The "icing" to our wonderful day in the expansive Grand Staircase Escalante NM. At around 5:15 we made our way over to, in and out of the wash toward the Hoodoos. I'm almost ready to come out of the wash when I hear angels (Wendy actually - see her trip report) singing, "Angela, hurry!". And believe it or not, if pressed into action I can do that.

Yep, it was worth it to see THE Toadstool in all its sun-bathed glory . Don't you just wish you could freeze time for at least another 15 minutes so that you could soak in all of this for just awhile longer? But as you know, the sun can set quickly so you have to make the best of the time you are allotted by Mother Nature.

Wendy set the camera for our group photo on the hoodoos and then we made our way to the massive white caverns. It was so cool to walk back INto it and admire the beauty of clean tall vertical white rock walls. Next we walked toward the other hoodoos and around to the edge overlooking the wash area and the little tepees (rock formations). Before you knew it, the sun was setting on the Toadstool and a chill filled the air. We still needed to get to Flagstaff so around 5:54 we left behind these fun Paria River Rimrock hoodoos and headed back through the shaded wash arriving at the TH at 6:08.

The next morning we woke up at the Hostel in Flagstaff to lots and lots of snow and it was still falling. It was fun to experience the snow but I was glad to leave it behind for the Valley of the Sun. Wendy really put together a fun 2 day hiking trip for us. Can't wait to go back.

Here are two, believe it or not, short videos... well short by my standards :
Toadstools: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9ThmMJmRAc
It's snowing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOs5hqTSxUY

I'm not sure why the RT mileage is posted so high for this hike unless it includes all of the wandering around a person can do but even still...

I invited my cousin Jamie out to Arizona to do some hiking. Her and her boyfriend Paul flew out on Wednesday, April 12th. They immediately drove up to the Grand Canyon, stopping in Sedona, Slide Rock and Flagstaff along the way. We met up on Friday in Cameron at about 10am. We continued on into Page, then over to our base camp at the Paria River campground. Our weekend plans included a trip to Canyon X on Saturday. Once camp was set, we proceeded over to the Rimrock Toadstool Trailhead for a warm-up hike.

Many people go there just to view the famous Toadstool Hoodoo. Our group of 6 was more adventurous. We explored to the West and found a beautiful overlook over the Paria. To the east we discovered a hidden little slot canyon tucked away behind the desolate white cliffs.

A good starter hike to kick off the weekend.

Just got back from a 3 day adventure exploring the slots with Hannah and Mike Mattes. Wire Pass, Buckskin Gulch, Paria Canyon, Coyote Buttes, the Wave, the Teepee's, Rimrock Toadstools - WOW!

Daily late afternoon showers this past week made us keep a keen eye on the weather...