Anderson Valley

This past weekend Andy, the Dogs, and I went for a short afternoon hike in New Harmony called Anderson Valley. Located in the foothills of the Pine Valley Mountains, New Harmony is a little town just south of Cedar City. 

The hike and town are across the freeway from Kolob Canyons, the northern, and mostly overlooked, part of Zion National Park. This led to some spectacular and unexpected views.

The further you get from the freeway, the more awe-inspiring the view becomes. The Kolob Canyons are a hidden secret of Zion, all of the spectacular views without the three hour shuttle lines.

After driving through little New Harmony, we found the trailhead and started off.

We wove our way through the desert shrubs and up towards the mountain ridge, following fence lines and crossing over creeks. Glancing across the valley, the canyons of Zion opened like a book, allowing us to stand in our world of green shrubs and view the towering walls of pink and red.

As we climbed higher, the low-lying shrubs turned into walls of green. At times we found ourselves in a shallow ditch shoulder to shoulder with these 6 foot bushes. They were such a brilliant green and we soon realized that what looked like small plants that were covering the mountains were actually these proud bushes.

Southern Utah got a whole ton of snow this winter (and some yesterday even) so the small creeks that can normally be stepped over took a bit more effort. Juneau took the first chance she got to jump in, the sun and her black fur make for a hot experience when we hike in the desert. 

Last summer, like most summers here in the high desert, there was some pretty big wildfires that burned the Pine Valley Mountains. You can see here the skeletons left behind.

Their eerie white bark contrasted with the bright greens and together they painted the hike in ways I didn't expect for the desert.

Cedar City was named for the trees in the area, but despite settlers first thoughts, the forests of trees in this area are Junipers, not Cedars. The mistake was made based on the smell of the bark, which is very similar to Cedars. In a way, Juniper is the lifeblood of this area. The wood has a natural resistance to rot, they recover well from fire, and are great privacy trees. That is why most fence posts in the area are built with Juniper wood, or in this case, the whole tree.

When we got up above the little valley, volcanic boulders lined the area and made for a great stopping point for a snack, some views, and a quick nap.

Anderson Valley, even though we only hiked a portion of it, was a perfect hike to get out of the house and explore more of our backyard.