The part of Utah where we are currently camping is a region with an extraordinary amount of spectacular scenery. Within about 90 minutes of our RV park we can see Bryce Canyon, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Kodachrome Basin, Red Canyon State Park, Zion National Park, several scenic byways, mountains, lakes, rivers and our destination for today – Cedar Breaks National Monument.
We pulled out of Red Canyon Village RV Park, drove a couple miles west on Scenic Byway 12 and then turned south on US-89. About a half hour of driving brought us to Scenic Byway 14 which immediately starts to climb up the western edge of the Markagunt Plateau and through the Dixie National Forest. At the bottom of the hill the elevation was about 7000 feet but after considerable ascending and turning we soon went past 10,000′ as we turned north on UT-148 and into Cedar Breaks. We passed by Navajo Lake, which sits on a divide, at about 9500′ elevation. This lake is unique because one end of the lake has water exiting that will flow into the Virgin River and the Colorado. On the other end of the lake, there is another exit for the water which ultimately flows into the Paria River on the other side of the mountains but never leaves the valley below, instead percolating into the ground and disappearing.
I am very nearly ancient and at elevations over about 5,000′ my breathing gets labored and my endurance (what little there was) drops to nearly zero. Above 10,000′ my breathing sounds like what I can only describe as the sounds made when trying to operate an ordinary fireplace bellows when it is full of pancake syrup. Peggy says I also exhibit an unhealthy gray skin color until I can find a place to sit where I can gasp for a few minutes. I’m old.
Unfortunately, anyone desiring to see Cedar Breaks will be required to do some strolling unless only interested in parking lot paving. We took a short walk out onto an overlook situated on top of a rock point called Point Supreme. Whoever named this place was definitely squared away because the view is stunning. Cedar Breaks is essentially an enormous amphitheater filled with extraordinary rock formations, sheer cliffs and many colors. The amphitheater is 3 miles in diameter and 2000′ deep. Millions of years of deposition, uplift and erosion have tortured this giant bowl and they have left behind stunning scenery. Watch that first step. There are deer and antelope grazing in the high pastures. There are birds everywhere. There was also an old fat guy creeping around making bizarre wheezing, squeaking and gasping noises near the viewpoints.
We continued north on UT-148 to the Chessman Ridge Overlook at 10,467′ elevation where we stopped for lunch and noisy breathing by at least one of us. The scenery was staggering but we eventually continued on north until turning east on UT-143 for the 30 mile drop down to Panguitch. We had completed this fabulous loop in about four and a half hours but it seems it could have been much longer considering the magnificent scenery and terrain.
We shot a few photos along today’s drive. To see them, click the asterisk *