Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument including Singing Canyon

We took a day trip along Scenic Byway 12 and Burr Trail Road to Singing Canyon, a small slot canyon in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

The monument is a massive area, almost two million acres, administered by the Bureau of Land Management.

The drive we went on was just a tiny fraction of it; inspired by this article.

The Grand Staircase is a massive series of cliffs, going from Cedar Breaks National Park to the Grand Canyon; here’s an image from the Wikipedia article:

The Grand Staircase

Heading along Scenic Byway 12:

Scenic Byway 12

Lots of interesting rocks along the road:

Road and rocks

Monument sign:

Sign

One of the visitor centers for the monument, in Cannonville, Utah:

Visitor center

Visitor center

Back on the road:

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Another visitor center in Escalante, Utah:

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Jenn & David

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Trying a prickly pear cactus candy snack from the first visitor center (pretty tasty):

Cactus candy

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

Singing canyon, so named due to its amazing acoustics, which we can confirm; we had it all to ourselves, too:

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Jenn & David

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Singing canyon

Interesting rocks outside the canyon — actually it’s still in a canyon, Long Canyon:

Singing canyon

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Looking down into Long Canyon:

Road and rocks

Road and rocks

We encountered a couple of free-range cows on the road:

Cow

Road and rocks

Rocks

Rocks

Road and rocks

An enjoyable drive, and impressive slot canyon.

Pipe Spring National Monument and Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

A day trip to Pipe Spring National Monument and Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, amongst other places.

Pipe Spring National Monument sign:

Pipe Spring National Monument

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Diorama:

Diorama

Exhibit:

Exhibit

Outside, behind the visitor center:

Mountain

Sign

Old cart

Bridge

Display

Display

Display

Display

Building

Inside

Inside

One chicken wandering around:

Chicken

Longhorn bull:

Bull

Building

Roof:

Building roof

Cart

The main building:

Building

The building was closed, but I peeked through the gate:

Inside

The spring goes through that building, and out the side:

Spring

Into a pond:

Pond

Pond

Pond

Wagon:

Wagon

Some interesting rocks on the drive to the sand dunes:

Mesa

Interesting rocks

Tourist trap cave:

Tourist trap cave

Interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park:

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

David

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

We stopped for some food at Thunderbird Restaurant, “Home of the Ho-Made Pies”:

Thunderbird Restaurant

Info:

Info

Dessert menu:

Menu

Restaurant decor:

Restaurant

BLTs:

BLTs

We had pie slices for dessert, and got a whole pie to go:

Pies

Pie

We went back there another day for dinner:

Chicken Alfredo

Chicken cordon bleu burger

More interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

Rock shop:

Rock shop

Rock shop

You guessed it, more interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

Interesting rocks

Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater Volcano, and Wupatki National Monuments

We took a day trip to three national monuments east and north of Flagstaff, Arizona: Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater Volcano, and Wupatki National Monuments:

Map

Starting with Walnut Canyon National Monument, with cliff dwellings:

Walnut Canyon National Monument

Visitor center video:

Visitor center video

Model:

Model

Walnut Canyon path:

Walnut Canyon path

Walnut Canyon:

Walnut Canyon

Walnut Canyon

Info

Walnut Canyon

Walnut Canyon

Structure

Info

Structure

Structure

Then the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument:

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

Visitor center

Visitor center

Info

Lava field:

Lava field

Lava field

Lizard:

Lizard

Lava field

Lava field

Lava field

Info

Lava field

Lastly, Wupatki National Monument, with pueblo communities:

Wupatki National Monument

The Wukoki house was our favorite part of all three parks:

Info sign

Wukoki house

Wukoki house

Info sign

Wukoki house

Wukoki house

Wukoki house

Wukoki house

Wukoki house

Wukoki house

Wukoki house

Wukoki house

Very windy:

Jenn & David

Wukoki house

Wukoki house

Wukoki house

Wukoki house

Wukoki house

Wukoki house

Wukoki house

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Visitor center

Wupatki pueblo

Wupatki pueblo:

Wupatki pueblo

Wupatki pueblo

Wupatki pueblo

Wupatki pueblo

Wupatki pueblo

Wupatki pueblo

Wupatki pueblo

Wupatki pueblo

Wupatki pueblo

Wupatki pueblo

Wupatki pueblo

Wupatki pueblo

Wupatki pueblo

Wupatki pueblo

Wupatki pueblo

In our travels, we encountered lots of tumbleweeds:

Tumbleweeds

Tumbleweeds

Tumbleweed GIF

Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments

We visited the Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments in Arizona.

The Montezuma Castle National Monument consists of two parts, separated by a few miles: Montezuma Castle, and Montezuma Well.

Montezuma Castle is a 20-room Indian pueblo ruin, built into a cliff:

Montezuma Castle

Montezuma Castle

Montezuma Castle

Montezuma Castle

Info:

Info

Info

Info

Montezuma Castle

Montezuma Castle

Montezuma Castle

Montezuma Castle

Info

Info

Beaver Creek

Model:

Model

Model

View from a distance:

Montezuma Castle

Montezuma Castle

Info:

Info

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Montezuma Well is part of the same National Monument, but physically separated:

Montezuma Well

Well Come:

Montezuma Well

Info:

Info

A park ranger had a snake (rattlesnake, I think?) in a bucket, that he had caught near a path (snake warning, Mom!):

Ranger with a snake

The snake wasn’t having a good day:

Snake

A structure built into the cliff above the well:

Structure

Structure

The well:

Montezuma Well

Montezuma Well

Montezuma Well

Info

Info

Info

A ranger and Jenn talking about the info:

Ranger and Jenn

Montezuma Well

Montezuma Well

Ducks:

Ducks

Steps leading down to the well:

Steps

Ruins:

Ruins

Water is flowing into the well, so of course it has to have an outlet:

Outlet

Outlet stream:

Outlet stream

Steps:

Steps

We then went to the Tuzigoot National Monument, ruins of a hilltop pueblo village:

Tuzigoot

Tuzigoot museum:

Tuzigoot museum

Tuzigoot museum

Info:

Info

Info

Info

Walls:

Walls

Walls

Walls

Walls

Going inside

Inside

Top

Walls

Walls

Walls

Jenn and David