Moderate, 1.9 mi out and back with spur

371 ft elevation gain

Hiked 12/22/23

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A short hike with a couple scrambles leads you to an archaeological site and a tall butte with expansive views of the surrounding countryside. The main trail climbs the small Aztec Butte while a side spur takes you to an ancient (~1,000 year old) granary tucked into an alcove to keep food fresh. Has no relation to Aztec civilization other than name.

Looking out into the vast expanse of buttes and canyons, with intermingling clouds passing through the valleys.

The small pantry built into a crevice near the top of a hillside of earthen rock. From a distance it becomes nearly invisible as it blends in. Each alcove is roughly 2 ft tall and encloses an area maybe 5 ft by 5 ft.

A view towards what appears to be a petrified dome nearby to Aztec Butte, with a canyon lined by steep cliffs seen in the distance.

Moderate, 1.6 mi out and back

240 ft elevation gain

Hiked 12/22/23

NPS article describing the site.

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A short hike along one side of a two mile wide crater, with a large anticline/dome located in the center. Unlike many of the other geologic features in the area, this structure has been heavily deformed- leaving a mystery as to how. Prevailing theories are a collapsed salt dome or a meteor impact.

Sign post describing Upheaval Dome with diagrams which will be read left to right, top to bottom:

A Mystery

Upheaval Dome is a mystery The rock layers below you are fractured and tilted, forming a circular depression more than two miles wide. How did it form? Scientists propose two potential causes: a salt dome that cracked and tilted the rock over time, or a violent meteorite impact that instantly fractured the rock. Recent findings support the meteorite hypothesis, but questions remain. With more research, we may solve the mystery of this crater and others on our planet.

A slow-moving salt dome?

-About 300 million years ago, a salty inland sea covered the area.

-A large basin trapped the sea, which then evaporated, leaving behind thousands of feet of salt

-Wind and water deposited more sediment, pushing down on the softer salt layer and causing it to dome upwards.

-Over time the salt rose, fracturing and distorting the rock layers in its path.

-Water eroded the salt and overlying sediment, exposing the distorted crater visible today.

An instantaneous meteorite impact?

-About 200 million years ago, a meteor hurtled towards earth.

-The meteor hit the ground with so much force it vaporized on impact.

-The force of the impact fractured the rock, creating a large crater.

-Rock layers rebounded inward and upward to fill the void.

-Erosion exposed the tilted broken core of the impact site.

A view showcasing the majority of the dome as well as a portion of the two mile wide crater surrounding it. Some Junipers and shrubs may be seen growing along the crater rim on the closest side.

A view away from the dome area, with large rock outcrops looming over an unseen cliff and a few small patches of snow visible. Behind the outcrops in the distance, several towering buttes may be seen that almost look like a painting through the mild haze.

FYI: Older and low capacity DDR3 RAM. So nothing ov value was wasted.

Easy, ~1 mi loop

217 ft elevation gain (mostly me wandering the cliff edge)

Hiked 12/22/23

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A short hike to a famed arch that sits atop a sheer horseshoe shaped cliff wall complete with views of the La Sal Mountains as a partial backdrop. Absolutely fantastic views extend outward towards the rising sun in the AM. Incredibly popular, and even in the off season gets a fair share of visitors.

Half of the horseshoe shaped cliff may be seen in this photo, wit the sun burning off both fog below and the clouds above it.

A view through part of Mesa Arch towards some of the sandstone towers rising from the fog below.

A V-shaped intersection of two sections of cliff wall frames the valley fog below, while the rising sun has cleared a large portion of clouds from above it to begin the day.

I don't wanna show y'all my face, sorry lol. You can marvel at how goddamn short I am tho lmao.

But look at Sandy's belly and booty! She looks so good! And her tail is getting so long!

Contrasting with stone structures like Machu Picchu, the Lima people built structures of clay blocks. This one is seven staggered steps high. Numerous mummified bodies have been found in it. {Yes, they're manniquins)

Source: u/igneisnightscapes.

This loop is a vast shell of hydrogen shaped by ancient supernovae and stellar winds, part of the immense Orion–Eridanus Superbubble. Spanning hundreds of light-years and lying roughly 500–1,000 light-years from Earth, its H-alpha glow cuts through the Integrated Flux Nebula (the dust). In widefield images usually what is visible is the left part as the signal is stronger.

@ igneis.nightscapes

During many nights I've driven to this area to gather enough data to unveil it, making it my biggest integration time published: 28 hours with the H-alpha filter, 4 hours for the RGB. I also captured a big meteor burning up while taking the RGB, which is registered (not randomly placed).

This photo has required so much patience and endurance, as staying all night alone, one day after another inside a car just with yourself really wears you down. All for the love of the game and curiosity to see for yourself what is out there, and how much you can push the camera, your mind and body. One thing that I know for sure is that if I think and I feel that something is worth it, I never give up. I just can't. I won't. Through all the rough conditions out there, just keep going because sometimes life surprises you in a good way.

EXIF:

Sony a7 IV 

Sony a7 III Astro mod

Sony 50mm f1.4 GM (sky and foreground)

ZWO AM5N 

NO GENERATIVE AI INVOLVED, just noise reduction for the foreground with Lightroom.

Hawa = Air. It is called the Hawa Mahal because the top most storey is technically called that. Lies on a busy road in the city adjacent to a metro station.

Jaipur is a city in India.

Strenuous, 2-5+ mi loop

500-1,000+ ft elevation gain

Hiked 12/21/23

*Requires Permit

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A wildly entertaining choose your own adventure style hike within the Fiery Furnace, a canyon in between large sandstone walls and fins. Multiple large and small arches may be viewed along the way and a variety of terrains passed. Requires scrambling through narrow spaces and wedging along walls.

I believe the 'official loop', which is unmarked as they don't want it to be worn in is 2.1 mi and ~500 ft, while my hike had me at 5.54 mi and 1,027 ft. Rock Climbing is allowed I believe, but regulated. Be aware of temperatures extremes, as it is named fiery furnace for a reason; hike early.

The view upwards towards Skull Arch, a double archway that has formed as a large section of rockwall has eroded. Two circular openings (three if yo count the outflow) may be seen partitioned by a bridgeway.

Looking down from one of the upper levels towards the canyon floor below. A few pillars of sandstone may be seen among the rockwalls as well as a decent amount of plant growth on the floor.

Looking down into a large open area of the canyon, where some shrubs have taken root among the sandy soil. On the far edge, multiple spires of sandstone may be seen rising from the rock wall.

Off the coast of Peru are a group of islands which are home to many bird species. Every few years, a group of Peruvians go to the islands and harvest the guano for agricultural use. They collect millions of tons of it using shovels and sacks.

Hard, 9.7 mi out and back

1,446 ft elevation gain

Hiked 12/20/23

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At the far end of Elephant Canyon stands a massive, 150 ft tall arch known as Druid Arch, which rises 450 ft above the canyon floor below and belongs on the cover of an epic fantasy. Trail follows along a wash with a variety of easy to tough terrains as well as some scrambling and a ladder climb.

As noted yesterday, I combined this trail and the Chesler Park Loop into one mega-hike. A large section of this hike crosses sand and gravel and adding the loop onto it kind of turns this into a slog, so if you've got the time, it would be better to do as two separate hikes. Would also allow you to properly time a sunset as Druid, which I'd imagine is otherworldly.

Several hillsides of sedimentary rock with needle-like pillars frame a valley below. In the distance a snow dusted hill may be seen.

A layer of white sedimentary rock sits above a canyon of orange sandstone with a collection of spires rising behind it in various layers of the two.

In the foreground a spiked club tree limb while in the background a pillar forms the 'too much metal hand' towards the heavens. Various other pillars of sandstone may also be seen.

You can't see them, but there are three sea lions in the net feasting on the easy prey.

Hard, 10.4 mi loop

1,801 ft elevation gain

Hiked 12/20/23

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Video on Flickr of a few Mule Deer bouncing away with some sandstone 'needles' behind them.

A fun loop with a variety of terrains to cross; with some potential height and claustrophobia issues if that's not your thing. The trail takes you above, over, and through the various geological formations located in the Needles District. Sandstone spires and slot canyons abound in a visual specter.

I did this hike combined with the Druid Arch Trail, making a monster 19.1 mi hike; there may be a 14 mi version of this trail as well, but I am unsure. While thoroughly enjoyable, I would recommend doing them separately, as I was fairly spent by the time I got to Druid Arch and the return was rough, especially since its along a wash with various gravel and sand areas.

A few Mule Deer that I continually came across on the early portion of the hike. A small pillar of sandstone may be seen behind the various shrubs the deer were foraging around.

A crow sits on a small tree with several sandstone pillars/needles behind it.

The trail descends a narrow rock staircase before taking an abrupt turn into a thin canyon. A tree stump may be seen stuck in the upper canyon to help with a sense of scale. Enough to comfortably walk, but not wide enough for two people at side by side.

Loving the Lisa Frank vibes this lightweight rainsheet gives.

The Humbolt Current keeps the water cold enough for them to live there.