April 13, 2022: After catching sunrise’s first colors on the buttes of Monument Valley, we pack up our motel room and head east out of the valley, into Utah. We make a brief stop at the Goosenecks to see the impressive, deep meanders of the San Juan River before ascending a steep gravel road to reach Cedar Mesa. With the Bears Ears looming over us to the north, we enter Natural Bridges National Monument and begin a steep descent from the canyon rim to the bottom of Sipapu Bridge - a beautiful trail replete with reflected light on the canyon walls, towering ponderosa pines, and a series of ladders for climbing up and down the slickrock. We bushwhack about a mile up the White Canyon, crossing over the wash multiple times, to reach a series of ancient ruins and pictographs hidden against the canyon wall. After a grueling ascent back to the car, we drive east to Blanding and get burgers at the Patio Diner before passing into a deep sleep.
April 14, 2022: In the morning, we return toward Cedar Mesa. On the east side of Comb Ridge, we take a brief walk to see the ruins overlooking Butler Wash before crossing the ridge and hiking up Mule Canyon to see a beautiful group of ruins, which appear to be ablaze from sunlight reflecting off the slickrock in mid-day. In our hour sitting in front of the ruin waiting for the light, we meet an indigenous guide who shows us a group of pictographs and handprints near the ruin, as well as several groups of hikers who share an appreciation for the natural and archeological heritage of the Colorado Plateau. At noon, we exit the canyon and stop at the well-developed Mule Canyon Ruins before returning to Blanding. We explore the Edge of the Cedars State Park and museum before eating lunch in town.
