Hackberry Canyon and Yellow Rock

Mary and I took the day to do the  Hackberry Canyon/Yellow Rock double.

Left my "dry" shoes at the mouth of Hackberry and hiked up in my "wet" shoes. The mix of sandstone and bright green trees was great.

Quickly we were in a deep sandstone gorge.

Definitely had to hike in the creek, but it was never more than ankle deep.

Hiked a ways past this nice tower.

Another amazing locale!

We quickly found the small use trail from the mouth of Hackberry to the Yellow Rock trail which shortly climbs a very steep and somewhat loose section.

Once up the scramble, the trail winds along a nice ridge with plenty of cairns to guide the hiker.

A bit more hiking and Yellow Rock came in to view.

Yellow Rock was simply amazing!

 

Castle Rock just to the north. Looks like a great hike too.

We didn't want to leave! Ambling about on the layered sandstone was nothing short of magical.

Grand Staircase National Monument: Toadstool Hoodoos and The Nautilus

After spending the night at the Cottonwood Campground in Canyon de Chelly we enjoyed a beautiful drive through northeastern Arizona to Page and then on to our destination: White House Campground. There we met our friends Jim and Elysia, set up camp and set out to explore the nearby Toadstool Hoodoos.

A short, easy hike leads from the parking on Highway 89 to the Toadstools.

Quickly we found ourselves amongst the Hoodoos.

Besides the Hoodoos, there are fascinating eroded sandstone cliffs too.

Mary found this flower growing it what appeared to be solid rock!

Fun place to explore.

Like walking on the moon.

We stumbled upon another Hoodoo zone here.

 

 Jim surveys the scene.

Back at camp we fixed up a little dinner.

Amazing campsite.

From camp we embarked on an after dinner stroll to the Nautilus.

 The Nautilus is an interesting feature which appears to be both wind and rain sculptured.

Nice way to cap off the day!

Canyon de Chelly National Park

After three great days in Albuquerque we hit the road to our next destination: Canyon de Chelly National Park. We headed out on South Rim Drive to check out the overlooks.

Spider Rock.

Looking down canyon from Spider Rock lookout.

Ruins dotted the landscape. These were among the largest we saw from the overlooks. I believe this is the Sliding House Ruin.

The White House Trail is the only trail open to the public down into the canyon.

It's a great trail through beautiful sandstone benches.

Once on the canyon floor we were among small farms and ranches maintained by the Navajo inhabitants.

The White House ruins.

Amazing!

We had somewhat regretted not taking at least a half day tour of the canyon, but we were eager to get on the road for our main destination - The Pariah River area east of Kanab.