Went out from Vegas for a day of rest and relaxation and a night of camping. Camped at Oak Grove Campground above Leeds, Utah. The campground is high up on the mountain and very isolated. It was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corp during the Depression in the 1930s.
My one-person campsite (#2 of 8). Beautiful and absolutely free. The camp no longer has running water so the Forest Service wasn't charging the normal $5 fee. I tried to pay the camp host the five bucks anyway, but he wouldn't take it. I was surprised that they were allowing fires in the rings since there is such a high fire danger in Utah. But I seldom light fires anyway (even in winter) because I prefer the dark. I also prefer hiking in the dark with no flashlight. You can see so much more that way.
The surrounding mountains:
The trail head to a trail that went along the ridge of the mountain:
A beautiful morning after a night of rain:
Heading out the next morning:
Looking across the valley from the Oak Grove area toward Zion National Park:
Looking back up toward where I had been camping in the grove of trees way up on the mountain:
Came across a dirt road that led a different way back to St. George. The sign said it was 24 miles to St. George. Took two hours to make the 24 mile trip . . . but it was very beautiful.
I was surprised when I saw how this picture turned out because it was almost pitch black under this canopy of trees. My camera lightened up the picture so you miss the effect.
Same with this picture. The colors were magnificent, but my camera doesn't show it.
But you can see how red the dirt was in the road.
__________________
Mac McIntire
2003 Ford E250, 5.4L V8,
Might be a nice stop for us on our long-planned, delayed-again (installing solar panels, have to stay relatively close since schedule is uncertain) trip to northern Nevada. It definitely is worth remembering. Thanks for the pics.
__________________
-Don-
Life and baseball both sometimes are not fair, but it is how you play the hops that counts. —Scott Miller, NYT Sports