Category: Uncategorized

Nine Mile Creek

A few weekends ago, I planned a short visit to Central Utah in search of new rock art sites. Being based in Colorado, most of my exploration has been limited to Southeast Utah near Moab, Canyonlands, and Cedar Mesa. My motivation for exploring this new area was seeing some interesting and unfamiliar pictographs in Polly Schaafsma’s The Rock Art of Utah. So I decided on making Green River, Utah a home base for the long weekend, and focusing my search beyond the reef in the San Rafael Swell region, starting in Nine Mile Canyon. My two big takeaways from this trip are that petroglyphs can be just as impressive and awe-inspiring as their pictograph counterparts, and that the rock art in Central Utah is abundant – well deserving of repeat visits.

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East Inlet, Rocky Mountain National Park

Despite feeling familiar with Rocky Mountain National Park, I have only visited the side West of the Continental Divide a few of times. Compared to the popular Bear Lake Corridor – closer to Estes Park – the west side sees far fewer visitors. The trails on this side are also often longer, warranting an overnight stay to truly feel acquainted with them. One of these trails is the East Inlet trail outside of Grand Lake, and my only prior experience here was visiting the first of a series of lakes in this basin, back in 2020. At the time it was late May, and snow prevented any exploration past this first lake. I remember being impressed then, and made a mental note to one day hopefully return.

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The iconic Crystal Mill, standing since 1892

Since moving back to Colorado after my time as a nomad, I have prioritized exploring places I didn’t get around to the first time I lived here. One of these areas is the West Elk Mountains around Marble and Crystal, Colorado, and in early July I decided to visit a friend who lives in the range – down near Carbondale, Colorado. This trip reminded me that Colorado has so much to offer, and that even after five or six cumulative years in the state, I can still be surprised by new experiences and adventures.

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