There are many people who drive through Red Canyon on U.S. Scenic Highway 12 on their way to beautiful Bryce Canyon. Dave and Jan did it a number of times before stopping to camp at the nearby Red Canyon Forest Service campground. An evening hike up the Buckskin trail, followed the next day by a hike on the Thunder Mountain Trail and the Red Canyon Trail made it evident that Red Canyon deserves far more than a drive through! But the return to Red Canyon for another camping experience provided some excellent hiking across the highway near the Visitor Center and the nearby Cassidy Trail the third full week of September 2023.

The Red Canyon Visitor Center is not open during much of the year. Dave and Jan got in on one of its last days for the season, but the best part of the Visitor Center is the trail system which leaves from the center parking lot. A Thursday evening walk on the Birdseye Trail provided some beautiful views of the varied rock formations of Red Canyon.

A hike on Friday from the Cassidy Trailhead provided views of the nice variety in red rock country.

Taking the Rich Trail which diverged from the Cassidy Trail led up to ledge views back into Red Canyon.

The trail leads from Cassidy to the Rich Trail to the Ledge Trail to the scenic overlook at Braydon Point.

Color Country forests include many examples of the artistic woodwork which anchors trees to the soil.

Another visit to the trails west of the Visitor Center occurred on the way home on Saturday morning.

Red Canyon was Dave and Jan’s last camping outing for the 2022-2023 season. The camping trailer has been winterized (to prevent frozen pipes in months ahead), and the first snows have fallen on the mountains above Cedar City so, though there are still pleasant hikes closer to home, it probably won’t be long before there are winter sports to enjoy. But it has been another enjoyable camping season around the area in southwest Utah and into north central Nevada. Dave and Jan are very grateful for such nice scenery to enjoy – product of the amazing creativity of the Lord and creator of it all!

The Great Basin of the North American Continent is the largest area of water drainage on the continent for which there are no outlets to the ocean. It covers almost all of Nevada, large portions of Utah, and spills over into California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming and Baja California – stretching from the Sierra Nevada Mountains of eastern California to the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. The national park is in a remote high desert region in central Nevada not far from the Utah border and is one of the less crowded national parks in the nation. But Dave and Jan enjoyed a camping outing in the area in early September.

Surprised to find the campgrounds pretty full, a private RV campground in the small town of Baker, Nevada, a short drive from the park, became home away from home for two nights.

An evening drive up the steep road to the Wheeler Peak Forest Service campground above 10,000 feet in elevation provided views of changing forests from the sage brush and juniper trees at Baker to the tall pines at the campground, along with views along the way of the top of Wheeler Peak (over 11,000 feet) above and the great basin floor far below (at around 5,000 feet). Conditions were not very good for photography, but a photo from Friday’s hike at an elevation of around 7,500 provides some idea of the views to be seen of the basin.

After a stop at the Lehman Caves Visitor center to make reservations for a cave tour later in the day, Dave and Jan enjoyed a hike up the beautiful Lehman Creek Trail.

The sights and sounds of a rushing stream along the trail is always pleasant to see and hear.

And there were lots of interesting plants and flowers to enjoy along the forest trail as well.

The forest eventually opened into a meadow for some views of Wheeler Peak and its surroundings.

Following the hike (and picnic) it was time to return to the visitor center for a mid-afternoon cave tour.

The drive to Great Basin National Park from Cedar City takes only two and a half or three hours – even pulling a camping trailer (which slows things down a little). But it was an interesting visit with plenty of variety to enjoy. Dave and Jan are always fascinated to see the ingenuity of our earth’s Creator – and there are many, many examples to see without traveling far from Southwest Utah.