A Day of Adventure: Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Red Canyon Hoodoos, and Kodachrome Spires

Dear Isaac, Maia and Virtual Wanderers,

My day started too early when my air mattress plug came uncorked at 5 AM. I guess that’s better than tornadoes. My chief suspect is Kachina. And, seriously, I am missing those couple of hours of sleep. I guess at 70, sleeping directly on the ground is a little too much nature for me.

Kachina, prime suspect.

After what seemed like forever packing up this AM, we stopped and played in the sand, again. There is a nature trail and I did it the year I was packing both Sazi and Maizzy. My dogs aren’t heavy, but it adds up when water and weight distribution in sand. That said, it’s a fun way to experience the Dunes. We just did a small portion of the hike because I planned to hike at Red Canyon today. The days are short and the errands are long, time is rationed carefully. Here is our route for today.

Kokopelli, Kachina and Cimarron in the Dunes with Zion in the background.
The pups and I hiking at Coral Pink Sand Dunes.

We have obviously driven through Red Canyon every time we come on this circle trip. The difference is we are usually going the opposite direction. It’s a new perspective! I have always stopped at Bryce Canyon National Park, but it’s not dog-friendly and the turnouts on the scenic drive, while spectacular, are getting too familiar.

Red Canyon Visitor’s Center.
Hoodoo trail at Red Canyon.

I did some research and found the Red Canyon Visitor’s Center that hosts several dog-friendly, short hikes. We stopped and did the Hoodoo Trail. It’s very short but it has amazing views of spectacular hoodoos. And a perfect length for Koko’s heat tolerance. I should have mentioned that we found an awesome hamburger place just a couple miles up the road before we arrived. They had a bakery, too. I wish I remembered the name.

Kokopelli, Kachina and Cimarron on the dog-friendly Hoodoo trail.

After food and hiking, we headed to Kodachrome Basin State Park. This is Utah Mini 5 State Park #3 on our journey. It’s funny how campgrounds have their own personality. This place has big sites with lots of space in between, but no tent pads.

Nature Trail at Kodachrome Basin State Park.

It’s unbelievably gorgeous here. Utah frisson. It’s part of the Grand Staircase, like Bryce and Red Canyon. This place has amazing rock spires and the rock structures are red and beige. It makes it unique. We took the nature trail today. It’s stunning.

Picture from the Kodachrome nature trail.

Tomorrow, we will hike a bit before we leave. Koko just isn’t a hiker if it’s hot or sunny, so we’ll see. Then we head towards home. Three days and two more nights left. Hopefully, the air mattress holds.

Cimarron, Kachina, and Kokopelli cruise the Kodachrome nature trail in a stroller.

PS I don’t have internet to post so I’m hoping these posts save and I don’t have to rewrite it all.

TTFN GM Hartt

UPDATE 9.23: Here is an Instagram reel I made with more photos of this day.

One thought on “A Day of Adventure: Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Red Canyon Hoodoos, and Kodachrome Spires”

  1. Pingback: Horseshoe Bend and Coral Pink Sand: Adventures in the Southwest with Senior Rescue Dogs – Traveling Grandma and Her Pup Crew

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