Bogley

tanya · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 5642 Location: Ivins, UT

mroy wrote:
The north rim campground is free again this winter. It got down to 14 degrees when I spent the night there on Oct 22. The backcountry office on the north rim closes today. The Kaibab Lodge just outside the park remains open through the winter. If the highway is closed you can always try one of the dirt roads just outside Fredonia that go to the more western portions of the park since portions of that area are at lower elevations.

I was wondering if it was free again. The article I wrote for the St. George Today Magazine for November was on the North Rim and all the info I could find online said people needed a permit. Last year when we went though it was open and free. November is my favorite time of year to hit the North Rim. I agree about the North Kaibab Forest Roads. Those are fun to explore and the views of the Grand Canyon are just as nice as from inside the park boundries.

Highway 67 has been closing about mid-December the last couple of years, but it closes when ADOT can't plow it by one man in a 10 hour shift.

What trails did you do while you were there?

mroy · Joined: 20 Jul 2005 Posts: 229 Location: North Ogden

tanya wrote:
Highway 67 has been closing about mid-December the last couple of years, but it closes when ADOT can't plow it by one man in a 10 hour shift.

What trails did you do while you were there?

They always say it closes with the first significant snowfall early on - that's good to know it's really open a bit later than that.

I did Bill Hall -> Thunder River -> Tapeats -> Deer Creek Loop It's one hell of a trail.

Here's my TR:
http://www.mikepearce.us/PermaLink.aspx/31c37284-b103-4b1c-9baa-258c0c1168d7
Here's the pics:
http://www.mikepearce.us/tapeats-deercreek/default.asp

tanya · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 5642 Location: Ivins, UT

mroy wrote: They always say it closes with the first significant snowfall early on - that's good to know it's really open a bit later than that.

I did Bill Hall -> Thunder River -> Tapeats -> Deer Creek Loop It's one hell of a trail.

Here's my TR:
http://www.mikepearce.us/PermaLink.aspx/31c37284-b103-4b1c-9baa-258c0c1168d7
Here's the pics:
http://www.mikepearce.us/tapeats-deercreek/default.asp

Excellent! That's quite the profile on that hike and quite the dirt tan! Last fall we headed to Thunder River and then once we got there we decided to do Deer Creek in the same day instead of following the rest of the trail ---- sadly we got just above Deer Creek and decided it would be dark when we tried to head out and then clear back to our camp spot on the Esplanade. I wish we would have had patience and had just hiked down Thunder River instead. That's a trip we will have to do again and spend the extra day.

photos of Thunder River
http://www.zionnational-park.com/images/albums/index93.htm

The photos link to a trail report as well.

mroy · Joined: 20 Jul 2005 Posts: 229 Location: North Ogden

Cool pics - I think we've successfully derailed the topic completely ;)

If I were to do it again and plan on 3 days for it, again, I would camp in Surprise Valley and day trip it through the loop. Maybe head up the red wall the 2nd day if there was enough daylight. Without packs, the loop would be very easy to do, and I enjoyed camping in Surprise Valley a whole lot more than I did in Deer Creek, and both Tapeats sites didn't look all that great to me.

The haul to Deer Creek from Surprise Valley looks so easy on the topo. If you were just going to the spring it's only half as bad, like Thunder River, it's kind of the middle of the last big elevation drop.

tanya · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 5642 Location: Ivins, UT

mroy wrote: Cool pics - I think we've successfully derailed the topic completely ;)

If I were to do it again and plan on 3 days for it, again, I would camp in Surprise Valley and day trip it through the loop. Maybe head up the red wall the 2nd day if there was enough daylight. Without packs, the loop would be very easy to do, and I enjoyed camping in Surprise Valley a whole lot more than I did in Deer Creek, and both Tapeats sites didn't look all that great to me.

The haul to Deer Creek from Surprise Valley looks so easy on the topo. If you were just going to the spring it's only half as bad, like Thunder River, it's kind of the middle of the last big elevation drop.

I am actually doing better than usual --- I am not talking about sex at least. :haha:

I would (I think? -- but I often change my mind) rather just stroll up and down Surprise Valley than lug a backpack there, but it does cut down on the trips if you are doing both Thunder and Deer. --- Red Wall --- Scott mentioned something once about the Red Wall -- I never got there? I really enjoyed camping on the Esplanade. We found a sandy spot that was not too hard and there were big hoodoos all around which were cool.

mroy · Joined: 20 Jul 2005 Posts: 229 Location: North Ogden

tanya wrote:

I am actually doing better than usual --- I am not talking about sex at least. :haha:

I would (I think? -- but I often change my mind) rather just stroll up and down Surprise Valley than lug a backpack there, but it does cut down on the trips if you are doing both Thunder and Deer. --- Red Wall --- Scott mentioned something once about the Red Wall -- I never got there? I really enjoyed camping on the Esplanade. We found a sandy spot that was not too hard and there were big hoodoos all around which were cool.

Yeah, you made it to the Red Wall - that's the rocky staircase section between the esplanade and surprise valley. The traverse trail between tapeats and deer creek is bad route finding while you're along the colorado, then a short steep climb up and then a nice smooth trail. Without a pack it shouldn't take more than two hours, with a pack three, so it's not much more to just do a loop then to just do one side.