Seem like there are three kinds of Vistas in the NP's . Overlooks that you don't have to do anything more than roll your window down ..... Short ez trails of a few hundred yards , and up to a half mile .... And trails the make you work for it . And the quality of the view is completely independent of the amount of work required . ( There are also many trails that are designed to offer glimpses of individual micro systems )
I was looking for 2 to 3 hours with a good hero shot . The Lathrop Trail is a back breaker that is an overnighter …. taking you all the way down to the White Rim Road . Its recognized as a great multi day hike . So I knew I wouldn't run in to any body . But what makes it special , is that if you just do the first 3 miles it takes you out to a vista that is unparalleled . (You gotta read the fine print sometimes in the hiking books )
white rim
white rim road
The first mile is through awesome prairie …. Grays Pasture . Some of the local favorites include Mormon Tea ( medicinal navajo plant ) , Winterfat ( fuel for the bighorns but makes your steak taste like kaka ) , Snakeweed ( buffalo food ) … not to mention the incredible high desert wildflowers .
The next mile is slickrock ( mountain bike heaven …. think petrified sand dunes ) and the final mile is a black. brush - clad ( I have no clue what it was ) mesa that leads you to the portion of the trail down to the White Rim Road and the Colorado River !! What a view ! I never even knew what slick rock was before this trip , and truthfully , I was just a tad intimidated the first few times I encountered it on a trail ( it looks too steep to handle sometimes )
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| Lathrop trail through Grays Pasture |
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| things are starting to change |
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| coming to the edge ..... |
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| somebody left sunglasses on the cairn |
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| trail out |
Great pics and story, Keep on with the great runs.
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