Wade’s Walkabout
Snow Hiking:
Better Amidst Red Rock By Mark Wade
Thoughts of winter or early spring can conjure scenes of skiing and snowboarding, but it’s also a great time for walking or hiking, even in snowy conditions. While the St. George area occasionally receives some snow, southwestern Utah has some excellent higher elevation destinations where snow is more common. These areas include Pine Valley Mountain, the Kolob Terrace, the mountains east of Cedar City and Beaver and along the high plateaus around Bryce Canyon. Our preference is to find any location amidst the colorful red rock where the snow is deep. Getting Out There One recent adventure—the day after a snowstorm—led us to a series of rock outcroppings where we could explore in and around large crevices of rust colored sandstone. From a parking area near the road, we circled through stands of sage, following a naturally eroded passageway until we reached the base of the nearby formations. Bob Grove and I, with our wives Susan and Denise, traipsed below the rock contours, ducking beneath snow-laden scrub oak branches while attempting to avoid cold gifts of moisture inside our collars and down our backs.
About the Author Mark Wade is active in hiking, writing, photography, and videography. He works as a tourism marketing consultant, for which he has won numerous awards. He is a weekly guest on the KSL Outdoors radio show. Mark is the former Director of Tourism for southwestern Utah and has served on the board of directors for various tourism associations.
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