C edar Breaks is just one of many dramatic canyons in southern Utah, but the geological marvels of this area extend well below the surface, in the form of lava tube caves. The words “Mammoth Cave” on our map piqued our curiosity, and after some twists and turns down dirt roads, we found it. At first we were disappointed that it appeared to be just a big hole in the ground, but clambering down a few boulders, we located the entrance. Bats rely on this cave for their winter hibernation, so the entrance has been gated to enable it to be locked off to visitors during the winter. In summer, however, visitors are welcome, and all it takes to cross into the netherworld is a limbo-style scramble through a dog-door-size open gate.
didn’t expect much, given his indiffer- ence, but in this part of Utah, often called Color Country, places that would be national parks in other states are simply nice spots to the locals. Venturing out on the well-groomed trail of Cascade Falls, we soon found our- selves on a canyon rim, much like Cedar Breaks. Suspended halfway up the red- rock cliff walls, our path took us along the weaving contour of the rock face. Ponderosa pines punctuated the brilliant orange sandstone views. In places where the trail could
have had a tricky climb or descent, we found solid staircases. From toddlers to great-grandparents, folks of all types were on the trail on this Sunday afternoon, and the grins on their faces said it all. A four-year-old walking alongside me for a while kept saying, “Wow, this is beautiful.” When I met him again at the loud, crashing water- fall’s edge, he said, “Look at this!” and
Once inside, we stood up in a large grotto, the air cool and slightly damp on our skin. Turn- ing a corner, we instantly found ourselves in inky darkness. Mark flipped on a flashlight and handed another one to
me. Suddenly the walls were awash with color, and we found our way along the pebbly path to the end of the pitch-black cavern, a quarter mile from the entrance. B a c k a b o v e
ground at the visitor center in Duck Creek Village, we asked a forest ranger to recommend an easy hike. He casually sug- gested the Cascade Falls Trail. “There’s a view and a waterfall,” he told us, shrug- ging his shoulders noncommittally. We
Built in the 1920s and painted in rusty tones by millennia of oxidizing iron, the Red Canyon Tunnel continues to dazzle.
Summer 2013 COAST TO COAST 13
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