Cornering Consciousness

Track Stats Distance: 55 mile out-and-back Trail Rating: Moderate - Requiring high-clearance four-wheel drive Climb: Approximately 1300 feet Highlights: The Honeymoon Trail, fossils, incredible vistas Map:  Honeymoon Trail Traverse of the Colorado Plateau The Traverse The Honeymoon Trail is a popular track through Warner Valley, up the Colorado Plateau and southeast to Pipe Springs where it continued on to Lee's Ferry and beyond. It was the route used by turn-of-the-century Mormons making the trek to the temple in St. George for, among other things, to get married. Hence the name. Chastity never came at such a high price, considering the terrain and obstacles presented along this trail, not the least of which is its traverse of the edge of the Colorado Plateau. I've wanted to scout the upper part of this trail before I engaged the climb below. And I'm glad I did. There are a couple of ways to access the graded road that leads to the Honeymoon Trail...

Track Stats Distance: 43.6 mile loop Trail Rating: Moderate - Requiring high-clearance four-wheel drive Climb: Approximately 700 feet Highlights: Dinosaur tracks, petroglyphs, mind-bending geology, incredible vistas Map: Warner Valley Traverse The Traverse Warner Valley sits on the southwestern border of Washington County and the Arizona Strip, a kind of no-man's land under the stewardship of the BLM. It's a destination for all off-road enthusiasts alike, not to mention those who like to discharge firearms, and as a result of all this activity, its environs are littered with everything from brass to toilet paper, beer cans being the most popular refuse. Sad, because this area holds vistas and geology unlike anything on or near the Colorado Plateau, our biggest secret in southern Utah, even though it might appear no one gives a crap about it.  I drive through Warner Valley a couple of times a week, shaking up my commute between St. George and Hurricane, ...