Day 6: Hurrah Pass

 

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The Trip

After the Golden Spike trail (4+), Hurrah Pass is just a dirt road.  Not challenging at all, but just like the White Rim Trail, the scenery was awesome as the photos below attest.

The Photos

The shots below are reduced from the output size of the digital camera to 700 pixels wide.

Well preserved petroglyphs near the start of the trail.

Odd symbols, some anthropomorphic, some more abstract.

Easy to determine the gender of the icons.  Today, we would call that a "postive self image"

These are carved into the desert patina that coats the sandstone.  Chipping the patina reveals the lighter rock undneath.  Given sufficient time, these will be covered by patina weathering too.

The group inspecting the petroglyphs.

Headframe of a uranium mine.  Most of the trails in the Moab area were originally for mineral exploration of some kind.

Cottonwoods in the Kane Creek canyon.

The expansive views are great.

Hoodoos on the skyline.

This one looks like a bird with a very narrow neck.

A Crested Vulture.

A chess piece.

Note the light colored horizontal bedding.

A group rest stop to take in the view.

The anticline structure that surrounds Moab is clearly visible.

Dead Horse Point, Island in the Sky and the ever-ugly potash mines.

The anticline is clearly visible.

Colorado River bottomland with heavy vegetation.

A trail-side cactus in bloom.  It has long thorns too.

Island in the Sky visible on skyline with Colorado River in foreground.

A tour boat on the Colorado.

Bill and Kathleen with Dead Horse Point in background.

Island in the Sky in Canyonlands National Park.

A hoodoo along the trail.  All of these are characterized by cap stone that is harder that the rock underneath.

This unluck fellow drove off the side of the trail and rolled.  Claimed that alcohol was no involved, but I saw him and I question that assertion.

The crew watches the wrecker do the recovery.  Might as well, we can't pass.

While we were stopped for the accident, I looked back at the mog and saw these petroglyphs right next to the cab.

Hurrah Pass is a great trail and can be enjoyed by anyone with a regular car.  4x4 is not required (dry weather assumed) and even a low clearance vehicle can make it.  Highly recommended.


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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2004
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.