Hidden Valley
The tawny breadth of Hidden Valley is hemmed in by jumbled broken cliffs as its slope leads the eye downward toward the Mill Creek drainage and the La Sal Mountains near Moab, Utah.
From the very beginning of the trailhead, the route to Hidden Valley switchbacks and rises steeply to a cleft in the Moab Rim. Looking up from the parking lot it is hard to discern just how the trail builders accomplished this task. Once up and through the Rim, the valley reveals itself and the going is much gentler.
When I examined the map earlier, it will come as no surprise to learn that I thought I saw a circuit that would be both scenic and involve a small amount of off-trail travel. My wife and boys, game though they are, have come to be somewhat trepidatious at those words, though I am pleased to say that their fears were unfounded on this occasion. We first followed a double-track 4WD road to an extraordinary overlook where people apparently drive their jeeps out onto a slab of rock that ends in a drop-off high above the Moab valley floor. I am guessing that jeep selfies abound. Lacking a jeep and a selfie stick, and being on foot, we contented ourselves with apple slices and salt and vinegar crisps while we absorbed the sun and vista in the chill spring air.
Technical notes: Horizontal stitch of 3 images, hand-held.
Hidden Valley
The tawny breadth of Hidden Valley is hemmed in by jumbled broken cliffs as its slope leads the eye downward toward the Mill Creek drainage and the La Sal Mountains near Moab, Utah.
From the very beginning of the trailhead, the route to Hidden Valley switchbacks and rises steeply to a cleft in the Moab Rim. Looking up from the parking lot it is hard to discern just how the trail builders accomplished this task. Once up and through the Rim, the valley reveals itself and the going is much gentler.
When I examined the map earlier, it will come as no surprise to learn that I thought I saw a circuit that would be both scenic and involve a small amount of off-trail travel. My wife and boys, game though they are, have come to be somewhat trepidatious at those words, though I am pleased to say that their fears were unfounded on this occasion. We first followed a double-track 4WD road to an extraordinary overlook where people apparently drive their jeeps out onto a slab of rock that ends in a drop-off high above the Moab valley floor. I am guessing that jeep selfies abound. Lacking a jeep and a selfie stick, and being on foot, we contented ourselves with apple slices and salt and vinegar crisps while we absorbed the sun and vista in the chill spring air.
Technical notes: Horizontal stitch of 3 images, hand-held.