Loop-the-Fold Flower Trip Today - CRNPark - Part 1

Today we took an all day trip through and around the Capital Reef National Park known generally as the Loop-the-Fold, for us, starting and ending in Torry, on Hwy 24, Burr Trail, and Hwy 12. The trip also included part of the Grand Staircase /Escalante National Monument and the Dixie National Forest.

Bill and Nancy went with Larry and Annette in the Jeep, largely gravel roads, a couple of 4 wheel drive side trips, one exploring where they had not gone before. The primary purpose of the trip was to see all the beautiful desert flowers that are currently in bloom; especially with the moisture they have had here this year.

I'm including here only a dozen or so representative photos (taken by Annette, Larry, and Bill).

A simple but distinctive rock formation to get us started.

Some of the flowers Annette photographs so well:

It is about 42 miles from Hwy 24 down the east side of the Fold (the distinctive Capital Reef red rock mountain formation - we see the west side of the Fold from the Utah house). Here is a photo taken along this route, looking south, the Fold, here, is on our right.

Turning onto Burr Trail, to the right. The road on south goes to Bullfrog Marina and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, where there is a ferry across the upper end of Lake Powell. We went up Burr Trail.

From part of the way up the Burr Trail, looking back into the valley where we turned...

One of our side trips was Stop 9, Strike Valley Overlook. A few miles off the trail, where we set up for lunch before hiking up to the overlook. Nancy stayed near the Jeep, sketched, and wrote poems.

Larry and Annette lead the way up the trail to the overlook. (See Part 2)