Cottonwood Canyon Road & Calf Creek Falls

This past July, we finally got to take a trip down Cottonwood Canyon road, which cuts through the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. You may think it’s silly that we’ve been dying to drive down some dirt road for years, but how silly do we seem NOW?

This is a section that is referred to as the Candyland. Drive up to the top of that hill in the background and look back down on the Candyland, and it looks like this.

Pretty cool, if you ask me. Plus, Cottonwood Canyon Road gives you a view of something called The Cockscomb, which has been on my photographic bucket list for quite some time. The Cockscomb is a fascinating geologic feature that was created when two sedimentary layers–oh, just freaking look at it. It’s cool.

Drive to the end of Cottonwood Canyon road, and you get a view of some really pretty pink cliffs that I was going to say were part of Bryce Canyon, but Bob tells me I’m wrong.

Another geologic feature that lies along Cottonwood Canyon road is Cottonwood Canyon. Shocking, eh? At first when Bob suggested we hike into the canyon a ways, I got all slot canyon snobby and was like, “Well, I don’t know, is it really worth it?”

I mean, what’s there to see? Some massive boulders? Really? BEEN THERE.

Crazy stripy rocks–DONE THAT.

Weird angular striations of geological history–SEEN IT.

Different shades of sandstone thrown together in a gorgeous array of light and dark tones, well . . .

Even I had to admit it was sort of pretty.

But then the morning sun climbed high enough to start reaching into the canyon and suddenly everything started lighting up in these beautiful warm shades of color, and I shut the hell right up.

First, it was only the very top of the canyon that caught the sun.

Then, before you knew it, the whole place was lighting up these beautiful shades of pink and yellow and orange and gold.

I especially love the contrast of the dark leaves against the golden sandstone.

I learned my lesson that day: never diss a slot canyon in Utah. Never.

(P.S. Anyone know what this creepy alien-looking plant is called? Delicate facehugger perhaps?)