The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
Email: andyw@sierra.net
Office website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello friends,
Continuing on with my trip to Utah for those who have an interest in traveling to a neighboring state, I awoke to the beautiful site of Navajo Sandstone cliffs in Zion on our second day. Zion National Park is a canyon where the Virgin River runs along the canyon floor and tall, straight walled red rock cliffs rise into the sky. Aspen and Cottonwood trees grow along the banks offering shade to those whom seek it. We hiked the famous Angel’s Landing trail to the very top (an accomplishment for me). I am not always comfortable hiking steep trails with major exposure. Later in the day we rode our bikes into the park where cars are not allowed and shuttle buses are the only means of transportation to various trailheads. This makes the park much more peaceful and less crowded, at least on the road. I highly recommend a late afternoon ride to the end of the road in Zion. We ate dinner at the Bit and Spur, a Mexican restaurant in Springdale (the small town just outside the entrance to the park). The food is good, the drinks real (something you want to check before entering an eatery in Utah), and the help friendly. The next night we had dinner at a lovely restaurant in Springdale known as the Spotted Dog. This is a little pricey, but the food and atmosphere are excellent, as is the staff. Our next day was spent riding mountain bikes. Before taking off for Little Creek Mesa, an area about an hour drive from Springdale, we stopped to talk with Fred the owner of a local bike shop. Fred is very helpful and will give you many good ideas and maps to various rides in the area. His shop, I cannot remember the name, is located behind the Zion Pizza and Noodle Restaurant. This ride takes you on various loops along the mesa that amounted to a 20mile ride according to Fred, although one member of the group swears it could only have been 8 miles. We stopped many times along the way to take in the views. The ride twists and turns over a relatively level area filled with Juniper Trees and rolling slick rock. I thought the ride was a lot of fun and just right to fill the better part of a day. Last year we rode Gooseberry Mesa. Little Creek Mesa is similar to Gooseberry, but I think there is more vegetation at Little Creek Mesa. The views from the edge of the mesa, where the world drops off instantly, are truly panoramic and often offer vistas back toward Zion Park. Our national parks are filled with many types of vacationers. We spied one lady who was having her picture taken holding a piece of tumbleweed on her head. It was quite the site and gave us a good laugh.
We packed our bags and left the luxury of the Majestic View Lodge in Springdale with its large room, view balcony, spa, and refreshing pool and headed for Capital Reef National Park about 4 hours away. On the way we passed through the Carmel Tunnel at the east entrance to the park that was constructed with large openings in the steep red cliffs that act as windows allowing passengers a sneak peek of the park. Just after exiting the tunnel you can pull over, park, and take a mile hike along the Zion Overlook Trail. This is a very nice trial that will give you great views of the surrounding cliffs and a panorama of the park. Our next stop was a few miles down the road at a scenic view pullout called Checkerboard Mesa. From this vantage point you will have a close up look at the checkerboard lines etched into the sandstone slopes by wind and sand. A very scenic drive, with varying geology, leads you from Zion to Bryce National Park. Bryce is worth a stop and a hike. We hiked a trail leading from the Sunset Overlook to the Sunrise Overlook. The hike is a couple of miles long and leads you down into the center of tall sandstone Hoodoos. All varieties of spires and carved sandstone await your imagination as you drop from the high mesa into the lower levels of the park. The day before we arrived a major rockslide blocked the Wall Street Trail (one we hiked on a previous trip) closing it until further notice. We left Bryce after a nice picnic lunch and continued our drive to Capital Reef arriving just in time for dinner.
Enjoy your day. Andy