“That pleasure which is at once the most pure,
the most elevating and the most intense,
is derived, I maintain, from the contemplation of the beautiful.”
-Edgar Allan Poe

Behold 360 degrees of phenomenal views! The single track trail starting at the Grafton Cemetery is stunning. It’s a really short, uphill hike. There are a few steep sections with minor drop offs. Nothing major, but probably not a hike for young kids. I don’t really have too much else to say about the hike other than the area is truly beautiful! I think the pictures will speak for themselves. Enjoy! 

Peace & Love.

“Unless we remember we cannot understand.”
-E. M. Forster

Grafton, Utah was settled in 1859-1862. Near Zion National Park, it is absolutely gorgeous! During their brief history they endured many hardships. The Black Hawk Indian War caused the town to be temporarily evacuated. On the banks of the Virgin River, they were prone to severe flooding. Numerous tragedies and illnesses struck one year known as The Hard Year of 1866. The town was mostly abandoned by 1921. Grafton has been featured in several movies, including 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. For more detailed info and historic pictures check out The Grafton Heritage Partnership Project.

The Historic Rockville Bridge

To get to Grafton you drive through the town of Rockville and across this historic single lane bridge. It was built in 1924 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Before the Zion Mount Carmel highway was finished, this was the route from the Grand Canyon to Zion National Park.
This is the only Parker Through Truss type of bridge left in Utah.

Grafton

A dirt road leads you to the hauntingly beautiful ghost town. With green pastures, rustic wood fences, and old buildings, it feels like you’ve stepped back in time. You can almost hear the children running and laughing.  You can easily imagine the men working outside. The history as well as the landscape make this place feel extremely sacred.

The Grafton Cemetery
1862-1924

This cemetery is the resting place of 74-84 Mormon Pioneers and Southern Paiutes.  The headstones vary greatly in material and design.  They are all incredible. 

There is a short hiking trail that starts at the cemetery. It has some of the most stunning views! Here is a post about it.

Peace & Love.

“Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
-Dylan Thomas

Observation Point Trail: 2,100 foot elevation gain. 8 miles. Strenuous. Diverse trail. Switchbacks. Slot canyons. Higher than Angel’s Landing. Less crowds. Supreme views.

Imagine how magical our lives could be if we live each day with purpose.
Be adventurous. Do good. Seek beauty.
What if everyday we chased our passions?
Lets strive to do more, be more.

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine
– and shadows will fall behind you.”
– Walt Whitman

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.
Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.
The winds will blow their own freshness into you,
and the storms their energy,
while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”
― John Muir, The Mountains of California

Vow to make it our quest to find the
wondrous beauty hidden in this glorious world.
Together lets seek it out, appreciate it, protect it.

Gazing up at the azure sky
Fluttering leaves of gold, ablaze in the light
Trees reaching high
Cliffs standing bold, oh what a site

As you hike around a corner, an incredible view suddenly and drastically opens up. The trail has a mighty drop off. About halfway along this final section my husband froze in fear. I told him to just wait there and I would finish the hike by myself. I continued on for about 5 seconds until my better judgment kicked in and I realized I shouldn’t leave him there alone, clinging to the side of the cliff. I took a few minutes to take in the wondrous view and then we turned around. At first I was a little bummed out about not completely finishing the hike, but then had some profound insights from that experience.

It’s good to push yourself, that’s the only way you will improve in life. BUT, it’s incredibly important to know when you should stop pushing yourself. Everyone has their limits. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Focus on your successes. It’s good to be gentle and understanding. So you didn’t completely finish the hike? That’s okay, you still saw some amazing views!

Henry David Thoreau said, “The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling. Yet we do not treat ourselves nor one another thus tenderly.”

“My sorrow, when she’s here with me,
thinks these dark days of autumn rain are beautiful as days can be;
she loves the bare, the withered tree;
she walks the sodden pasture lane.”
-Robert Frost

As the light of day begins to fade, the canyon becomes quiet and still.
We are left to ponder our life. Each day is a gift.
Did we live today with purpose?

“You only get one life.
It’s actually your duty to live it as fully as possible.”
― Jojo Moyes, Me Before You

Here’s to raging against the dying of the light.

Peace & Love
-Kayla Oliver

Kanarra Creek Trail is located just outside of the small town of Kanarraville, Utah. It’s right off I-15 between St. George and Cedar City. There are two dirt parking lots at the start of the trail that charge $10 for parking. I’m cheap and parked for free at the Town Hall which is about .5 miles from the trail. Besides saving ten bucks, I actually really recommend you do that for a couple reasons. It’s a beautiful walk through the town, and the walk to the trail provides a nice warm up before hiking the steep inclines, as well as a nice cool down when you are finished. The trail is about 4.8 miles round-trip. If you park in town like I did then it’ll be closer to 6 miles.

The trail starts as a hilly dirt road. You’ll hike on that for awhile until it becomes a single track trail. After that the rest of your hike will be in the creek. You’ll eventually go through a stunning slot canyon then come to the Kanarraville Falls. There’s a ladder you can climb up that will lead to more small waterfalls. You can keep hiking or turn around if you aren’t able to climb the ladder. I personally kept hiking, but you won’t be missing out on much if you don’t continue. Make sure to wear shoes that can get wet, bring plenty of drinking water, and a snack or lunch. The water is pretty shallow so I don’t think a walking stick or trekking poles are necessary (do what you think is best though). I wouldn’t recommend bringing your dog or small kid, unless you want to carry them. The entire hike is beautiful and varies in scenery. It’s like a mini version of the Zion Narrows.

“There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!”
– Percy Bysshe Shelley

“Touch us gently, Time! Let us glide adown thy stream, Gently, – as we sometimes glide Through a quiet dream!”
– Bryan Procter

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”
-Henri Matisse

“Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees,
and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it. ”
– Henry David Thoreau

“If it weren’t for the rocks in its bed, the stream would have no song.”
– Carl Perkins

I abruptly stopped on my journey as these roots caught my eye.
Completely enthralled by the profoundness of this exposed root system.
Expansive, intertwining, and steadfast.
How could one not be enchanted by the beauty?
We are surrounded daily by grandeur and miracles.
So much can be learned from our Mother Earth if we open our hearts and minds to her.

“When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy, And the dimpling stream runs laughing by;
When the air does laugh with our merry wit, And the green hill laughs with the noise of it.”
-William Blake

Slot canyons feel cool and calming. The air smells clean and crisp. All is quiet.
Nothing else matters. You are completely living in the moment as you are cocooned by sandstone cliffs.

“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.”
-Henry David Thoreau

A tree growing out of a cliff, high up in the slot canyon. Absolutely amazing.

Kanarraville Falls.

“Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first September was crisp and golden as an apple.”
– J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Another waterfall.

“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.”
– Nathaniel Hawthorne, The American Notebooks (Notebook, Oct. 10, 1842)

View of Kanarraville.

I am completely intrigued by this old house in Kanarraville.
I wonder what the interior looks like. How does it smell? What did this house look like in it’s prime?
Who was the family that called this place “home” back in a bygone era? What were their lives like?  Were they happy?
Why was this beautiful house neglected? So many questions…

I sincerely appreciate you for taking the time to read this post!
Peace and love.

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.”
-Aristotle

The Narrows at Zion National Park is one of the most beautiful and phenomenal places on earth. Hiking in the North Fork of the Virgin River, with 2,000 foot tall sandstone cliffs towering above you, sometimes as narrow as 20 feet, is absolutely thrilling! It’s easy to see why National Geographic ranked The Narrows as #5 of America’s Best 100 Adventures

The bottom up hike starts at the Temple of Sinawava. The last shuttle stop and end of the road. You’ll hike one mile on the Riverside Walk until you reach the end of the trail. After that the river is your trail. Make sure you have protective footwear with good traction, a hiking stick or trekking poles, and are wearing quick dry synthetic clothing. For more detailed info on the hike, check out nps.gov.

Riverside Walk.

In awe of the varying colors of sandstone.

“We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal.
We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.
This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.”
-Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Mystery falls trickling into the Virgin river.

We live in a wonderful world. Nature is art. Its beauty surrounds us. Our duty is to open our eyes. Seek out the good. Let it soak into our souls, and be filled with gratitude. 

Fellow hikers and I watched in admiration as this father carried his two children through a pretty deep water crossing.

The farther you hike, the less people there are. That’s when the magic amplifies!

“The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.”
-Rabindranath Tagore

View from the shuttle window.

Mountain climbers preparing to sleep cliffside! Impressive yet terrifying.

Divine end to the day with the sunset illuminating The Watchman. I will never tire of that view.

“Come live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove,
That valleys, groves, hills, and fields,
Woods, or steepy mountain yields.”
-Christopher Marlowe

The waterfall cascading down the mountainside.

Cascade Falls is geologically fascinating and has many beautiful views. The water from the falls comes from Navajo Lake. Water drains through a sink hole at the lake, then flows a couple of miles underground through an ancient lava tube. It pours out the side of a cliff and cascades down the mountain, through the forest, and becomes the North Fork of the Virgin River.  It’s amazing to go where it starts. If there was no North Fork, there wouldn’t be the Zion Canyon Narrows.

“A mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth. The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water. Even so, life is but an endless series of little details, actions, speeches, and thoughts. And the consequences whether good or bad of even the least of them are far-reaching.”
-Swami Sivananda

The trail is about 1 mile round trip and it brings you right to the mouth of the waterfall! Along the trail you are serenaded by the sounds of birds singing, insects buzzing, and the roar of the waterfall cascading down the mountain. All in harmony, the great music of nature. The trail is well maintained and has benches along the way. It’s at a pretty high elevation so it’s important to slow down and not push yourself if you aren’t accustomed to hiking in high elevations.

Cascade Falls exiting the lava tubes.

Dancing down the mountain.

Fantastic view of Zion in the distance.

Butterflies.

This tree looks like he’s weathered many storms but is standing proud
and watching over the other trees.
A “shepherd of the forest” if you will.

The Trail.

“I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees,
and for the blue dream of sky
and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.”
-E. E. Cummings

I wanted to get this posted yesterday for the 100th birthday of the National Park Service… but I was too busy watching Stranger Things on Netflix (again). You know, priorities.

Bryce Canyon became a National Park in 1928. The landscape is absolutely extraordinary! There are many towering hoodoo spires, forests, and wildlife. Bryce Canyon has sweeping views that on a clear day you can see 3 states. There are hikes available for everyone. From pretty intense hikes, to wheelchair accessible stunning views. I hope that you will enjoy these pictures from my latest Bryce Canyon adventure.

“Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer. Camp out among the grasses and gentians of glacial meadows, in craggy garden nooks full of nature’s darlings. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings, Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” -John Muir

Hot Springs & Geysers

As the Summer sun was setting, a slight chill began to fill the air. We walked along a boarded path amidst a field of hot springs and geysers.

Night was soon approaching, so most people had left. With only each other in sight, we stood silently in awe. The sounds, sights, and smells engulfed our senses. The hissing of steam vents so loud it sounded like a great steamship. Bubbling mud puddles looked otherworldly.  A vast amount of gurgling hot springs filled the air with the smell of sulfur so strong you could almost taste it.  And the geysers, what a wonder to behold. It was magical to be next to large and small geysers erupting. As I stood there watching in reverence, my eyes filled with tears. We live in an incredible world.

Waterfalls & The Wild

“We need the tonic of wildness…At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.”   -Henry David Thoreau