You have probably heard that “the best made plans of mice and men are often going awry.” Well, it wasn’t exactly a case of a “best made plan,” but Dave and Jan decided to go camping at Pine Valley southwest of Cedar City in Utah. When they arrived in Pine Valley they discovered that the Forest Service Campground in the valley was still closed for the winter season (though it was now spring – the second week-end in April). So they drove south and west a few miles to Gunstock State Park. The state park, nestled among beautiful red rocks, appeared to be primarily a park for water sports and fishing, and the campground was under construction (or re-construction, as the case may have been). After checking on some camping options north of St. George (at Silver Reef and the town of Leeds), they ended up at the KOA in the town of Hurricane.

Though the KOA was just to the east of Interstate 15, it was located in a very scenic area. Thursday evening, after dinner, Dave and Jan hiked into a canyon just south of the campground and followed Quail Creek to the reservoir where Quail Creek State Park is located not far from some very scenic cliffs. On Friday morning they crossed under the freeway to Red Cliffs, a very popular destination for hikers. All of the parking at the Forest Service campground and parking lot was filled to capacity, but there is a large dirt parking lot west of I-15 where there was plenty of parking, and a trailhead leading to many of the trails in the Red Cliffs area.

The hike on the White Reef trail was an enjoyable hike to the north toward Silver Reef, once a silver mining town but now a sparsely populated upscale housing community.

The White Reef trail eventually connected with a trail heading back to the south along the Red Cliffs after passing over a small creek which flows southeast through the valley between the White Reef and the Red Cliffs.

A picnic stop at the Forest Service recreation area offered this additional scenic view before completing the hike by returning east along Quail Creek to the dirt parking lot where the hike started.

After their evening dinner Dave and Jan headed back to the Silver Reef area for an additional short hike on a well-used trail with some beautiful vistas of the mountain regions surrounding Silver Reef.

As Solomon wisely observed (Proverbs 16:9), “The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” So it was – but Dave and Jan were pleased with the way the Lord’s direction turned out. They’ll plan again for another camping outing to Pine Valley sometime soon – wondering as they do how their plans will compare with the Lord’s direction!