Wahweap Hoodoos (Part I of 11/11/19)
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| White Hoodoo of the Towers of Silence Cove |
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| Hoodoo Central |
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| The Tower of Silence White Hoodoo |
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| Driving to Big Water |
Lynn Sessions wrote an article in December 2015 for
The American Southwest about the Wahweap Hoodoos that is worth repeating on this site.
The Hoodoos Of The Towers Of Silence – Mother Nature’s Wonder Work In Southwest, USA - MessageToEagle.com
The hoodoos of the Towers of Silence are one of the most recognized geological formations of the American Southwest.
They can be found in lower reaches of Wahweap Creek of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah and northern Arizona, around the Lake Powell region.
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| Trail Sign at Parking Area |
Ghostly, eccentric white rock spires topped with reddish-brown capstones peer out across the broad, empty wash and were formed by differential weathering.
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| The Fence without a Hiker Gate |
The cap of the hoodoo is Dakota Sandstone and it is100 million years old, and the post of the hoodoos is Entrada Sandstone that is 160 million years old.
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| Sun Rising on the Wahweap Creek Wash |
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| It has been dry here! |
The Paiutes believed that hoodoos are the remnants of people who were turned to stone.
The word Wahweap means “bitter water” in Paiute, referring to alkaline seeps that can be found along the canyon. Early settlers used the name Sentinel Rock Creek, likely in reference to the hoodoos.
The Wahweap Hoodoos – usually described as three separate groupings (or ‘coves’) – the White Hoodoo, Hoodoo Central, and the Towers of Silence – are separated by just a few miles. (sic)
The first cove, also known as “Riverside Cove,” looms immediately above the floor of the wash. It contains some of the largest and most robust hoodoos.
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| Riverside Cove of White Hoodoos |
The second cove, called “Hoodoo Central,” is located in a recess on the canyon wall, contains a variety of hoodoos ranging from short and stubby to tall and spindly.
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| Riverside Cove |
The third cove, also known as “towers of silence,” is a third of a mile to the north, hiding behind a jutting prominence. This cove contains the most delicate and fragile, otherworldly hoodoos along with rippled sheets and mounds of white sandstone.
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| Skinny Hoodoo in Riverside Cove |
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| Rita on Riverside Cove Trail |
Indeed, Mother Nature creates unbelievable, amazing and often weird structures.
~Lynn Sessions
So, Rita and I left Kanab very early in the morning ... 6am ... and drove east on US Hwy 89 to Big Water. Left into Big Water. Right on the Glen Canyon NRA Road. And, left onto the worn dirt road to the Fish Hatchery. This road leads down the hill along the wide Wahweap Creek wash. There is a small trailhead parking lot for cars that don't want to cross the wash just before the crossing. Then, we crossed the wash (with only inches of water running through) and parked at the last trailhead parking lot half a mile further marked with the Trailhead sign.
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| Kay on Riverside Cove Trail |
It has been a very dry summer and fall so the conditions for crossing this wash in a Subaru were excellent. In fact, the entire hike was done in perfect weather.
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| Leaving Riverside Cove |
We hiked up the dirt road just a little further and found a trail sign pointing toward the wash. The only obstacle of the hike was the barbed wire fence that appeared fairly new. The fence is there to keep cars out but there was no hiker gate. We shed our packs and squeezed through the barbs.
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| Welcoming Hoodoo in Hoodoo Central |
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| Hoodoo Central |
In the interest of making the 9 mile hike as short as possible, we headed straight up the wash. This meant that we had to wade through a brushy island. There were use trails that were always available whenever we got out of the rocky/sandy waterway. There were also sticky weeds that got into our legs and socks. We marched on at a decent pace. The miles went by fast enough. The views on this hike don't change. Either you are watching the distant wash to the north on the way up or you are watching the distant wash to the south on the way down. However, the thing that occupies your mind is dodging the rocks and sand and sticky bushes. ... And, this is constant.
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| Sentinels at Hoodoo Central |
We hiked in the wash part of the time and in the brushy islets part of the time. As we neared our destination, we saw a wall on the left side of the wash that looked like there were two hoodoos in the making on its face. (See photo #9)
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| Gathering at Hoodoo Central |
Closer and closer, we finally saw that we were right to assume that this was the first section of hoodoos, the Riverside Cove. A trail through the brush led us right up to the base of these magnificent natural structures.
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| Towers of Silence Cove |
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| Towers of Silence Hoodoos |
We followed the trail that winded around the hoodoos on the white entrada sandstone. At one point, the trail took us on a short scramble down. We were very careful not to damage any of the delicate rock. We took a lot of photos and the trail led us on around to the next cove, Hoodoo Central. Here, there were at least three very impressive hoodoos with many other smaller ones. It kind of looked like a little village of hoodoos! I don't know if it was the time of year or the time of day but these (as well as the Towers of Silence that was around the next corner) were in the shade. Whatever time of year that you decide to visit, your best bet on light for photos is sunrise. Our watches said about 10 o'clock.
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| Silhouettes |
After we finished at Hoodoo Central, we hiked on around the last corner. Et voila! There she stood. The White Hoodoo of famous photos worldwide.
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| Talking Hoodoo in Towers of Silence - Shhh! |
She was magnificent! Cloaked in pure white sandstone. We sat at her heels and had a snack break. Absolutely breathtaking! ... even in the shadows.
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| Towers of Silence Cove |
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| Wahweap Creek |
Alas, it was time to return to the cars. Our route back was slightly different since we stayed in the wash most of the time. TBH, I don't think either way was shorter. On the way back, we passed three hikers going up. They were about 100 yards separated from us in the wash. Finally back at the fence, we still did not find a hiker gate. Squeeze! We got back in the car and drove back toward Kanab. Our second hike would be a short one. But, the Wahweap Hoodoos can now be checked off of my bucket list!
9.2 miles; 450 feet elevation gain; 5 hours; average moving speed 1.7 mph
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| Returning to the Fence without a Hiker Gate |
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| Trail Signs lead down to the Wash |
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| The Road Wash Crossing |
Toadstool Hoodoos (Part II of 11/11/19)
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| The First and Largest of the Toadstool Hoodoos |
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| A Few nearby Toadstools |
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| Trailhead Sign |
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| The Wash Trail |
The Toadstool Hoodoos parking lot is on the north side of US Hwy 89 between the turnoff for Cottonwood Canyon Road and the Paria Contact Station. It is a popular hike for travelers since parking is right next to the road. We stopped here and started hiking out the trail that is ~ .75 miles one way. It was a nice day so the Toadstools stood out in front of the blue sky. These hoodoos are made of red sandstone with heavy capstones. Not as delicate as the Wahweap Hoodoos but interesting nonetheless. Soon, we were headed back to Kanab.
1.5 miles; 140 feet elevation gain; 45 minutes; average moving speed 1.7 mph
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| A Choice of either the Wash or the Raised Trail |
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| A Fat Toadstool |
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| The Largest Toadstool Hoodoo |
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