Day 4 (3rd May 2011) - Grand Canyon, Moenave Dinosaur Tracks and Kayenta - Carolyn, Rich and Emma

Today started  really early for those wanting to see the sun rise over the Grand Canyon. It was absolutely stunning watching the sun coming up over the Canyon and illuminating the different layers of rock, really highlighting the geological history particularly the Coconino Sandstone and the Limestone.


 Figure 1: Grand Canyon at Sunrise
Time: 5:55am
Location: South Rim looking over to the North Rim

The day started at Hermit’s Rest where the majority walked down the Bright Angel Trail to gain a better view of the Canyon. Everyone managed to make it at least a mile and half down the uneven and winding footpath which for most was a lot more challenging than yesterday’s due to a massive temperature rise. 


Walking down the trail we were able to see some Native American artwork over a stonework arch illustrating the wildlife found within this area, the clearest of which being an Elk. Once within the canyon it was possible to the array of different rock types and their astonishing colours.


Whilst taking a well needed break along the trail, there were volunteers restructuring rock formations in order to improve the trail. The resources used to do this were from within the canyon as the rocks were laid down to edge the pathway, showing that the Grand Canyon is conscious of their resource management, whilst encouraging tourism and preserving as far a possible the natural environment.

Despite the gentler gradient of the trail in comparison to the steeper gradient of the Kaibab yesterday, everyone had underestimated how far the climb back up was, the only motivational factor being what was meant to be an amazing ice cream shop, and my god the ice cream did prove to be out of this world, every bite was mouth watering.


Figure 2: Map of Bright Angel Trail
Sourced from: http://hikingohioparks.com/grand-canyon/bright-angel-trail

Back at the top of the Bright Angel Trail before going to the ranger talk we saw further examples of the resource management at the Grand Canyon as recycling bins had been placed at the top of the trails and around the visitor centre. Alongside this in the toilets at the visitor centre there was information about the sustainable water system at Grand Canyon, whereby rain water is used in their drainage system and recycled. 

The afternoon consisted of everyone going to a ranger talk which educated us on the Grand Canyon’s National Park service. We were told how the service’s main aims are to protect the natural environment, its 200 mammal species and over 2000 of its plant species. One of the services main priorities was to ensure that the ancient history and native human culture is still prominent within the park. The ranger talk also allowed us to take part in the Junior Ranger programme which consisted of a questionnaire booklet of the canyon being completed and a ranger talk attended. The end result was that everyone received a junior ranger badge. We all learnt that you are never too old to take part in the kids’ programmes.

Our adventure at the Grand Canyon came to a close at around 5pm. A final stop at a historic tower  site, brief presentation and a group photo marked the end of a spectacular two days which we would recommend to anyone.

And so we travelled from the sublime to the surreal as we journeyed onwards to the Navajo Indian Reservation. The contrast was remarkable as we descended from 9000ft above sea level to approximately 6000. The temperature rose, the trees thinned out and the tourists evaporated but the spectacle remained the same as we rode through tumbling fields and saw some of the sights of the beautiful Painted Desert.

After the wealth of Las Vegas and majesty of the Grand Canyon, the Reservation needed a little adjusting to. The story of Native American Indians being driven from their land unfairly by white settlers is well known but what may not be as familiar is the sense of community that they share. We learned that the money made from the energy plant, is returned to community projects such as schools and healthcare and that the Elder Tribe Council has chosen a path of shared well being over opulence. As a result, the buildings we encountered were run down, often abandoned and many would try to profit selling hand made goods or information to tourists.

While these small market stalls were seen along the roads, there was one that really stood out; the Dinosaur Tracks. Here we found ourselves standing, where dinosaurs had millions of years ago. The theory along the lines that tracks would be laid down in mud by dinosaurs and then an event such as a volcano erupting would lead to volcanic ash and lava covering the tracks and so preserving them. Another theory is that very heavy dinosaurs left tracks further down in the soil’s profile which are then uncovered over time, however this method was unlikely as the dinosaurs were smaller according to the tour guide. The low-key method of presenting these tracks had many of us doubting their legitimacy; after all, we were encouraged to stand in the tracks themselves. However we were assured these were the real things but it was difficult to imagine that these markers of history were being well looked after as the tour guide would often pour water into the tracks and we were treading all over them.


Figure 3: Moenave Dinosaur Tracks
Time: 4:30pm
Location: Moenave, Navajo Nation

Finally on this day, we find ourselves in Kayenta. Arriving late, we found ourselves in a town completely foreign to us, in the dark, surrounded by a culture and people we have never experienced before. Many of us have experienced the stray dogs that follow you around, some of the others experienced the passive-aggressive humour of the locals but all have gained insight into the world of the Navajo Code Breakers through an impressive display at the town’s Burger King outlet of all places. However, we learn that this is due to the proud manager being the son of one of the Code Breakers. Kayenta was also interesting because we were in the middle of a desert like landscape but there was McDonalds, Burger King and a Subway available, a factor that would suggest resources are not being appropriately distributed.

Day 9 - Sunday 8th May 2011 - Zion National Park, Utah

Figure 1: A map showing the area covered by Zion National Park. Source: http://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/directions.htm 

Introduction

Our MIP day was on Sunday 8th May 2011 at Zion National Park, Utah. The activity was to collect information on initiatives in place at Zion National Park to evaluate the extent to which it is a good example of “sustainable tourism”. Before we arrived at the park we were looking forward to the day because we were unsure what to expect, compared to the other national parks, and it was our MIP day so it would be different to the other days.

Figure 2: The MIP's. From left to right... Ritchie, Sandeep and Matthew

Visitor Centre (built in 2000)

The first place we visited was the Zion Canyon Visitor Centre. We started by looking at the displays, taking leaflets and going into the gift shop. This gave us an idea how Zion National Park implemented sustainable tourism. The displays outside the visitor centre gave us very useful information about the history of the park, geology, wildlife, plant life and how they are being environmentally sustainable. Some information we found out about the sustainability of the visitor centre via the display boards was:

·      Built incorporating natural features

·      Energy efficient building while being attractive

·      Operating expenses while protecting the environment

·      Natural lighting and ventilation

·      Passive downdraft cool towers

·      Trombe wall heating

·      Roof mounted photovoltaic system reducing energy use by 70% and prevention of releasing 181 tons of CO2 

After finding out all this information we then decided to have a little look into gift shop within the visitor centre. The gift shop we found was very good offering a range of gifts and souvenirs which people could buy; though we found out they didn’t offer any snow globes which we all found very disappointing. Before we left the gift shop after buying all our little bits and bobs we had two things we wanted to do, firstly we bought our junior ranger books so we were able to gain our junior ranger badge which we have been doing at every park, secondly we all had to get our notebook stamped with the passport stamp which also we had been getting at all the national parks. After all this time and getting bored of what the visitor centre offered we then moved on to the shuttle buses to move onto our next destination.

At the Visitor Centre there was a big focus on the shuttle bus. Compared to the other national parks we visited this focus stood out. The Grand Canyon for example also had a shuttle bus service but they did not seem to promote its sustainability and there were so many areas to park vehicles.

There were many boards showing the routes tourists can take and why the shuttle was put in place. The shuttle bus service only began in 1999. Before this there were around 5,000 tour buses, cars and motor homes travelling into the narrow routes of the park with only 450 car park spaces. The shuttle bus helped ease travel around the park by reducing traffic jams and competition for the limited car parking spaces available. We found a quote on one board saying “By taking the shuttle you become an active partner in preserving the canyons future”. As MIP’s we found this was a very good initiative in encouraging the use of the shuttle and found them really easy to use. They were very busy each time we got on from stop to stop but they were a very convenient way of travel around the park. They were very frequent and regular. The most amount of time we personally, as a group, waited for a shuttle was around 2 minutes.

Zion Human History Museum

At the History Museum we attended a Ranger-led Programme on Californian Condors (this was to gain our Junior Ranger Badge). We found this talk very interesting and two of us volunteered at the front to show how big a Condor’s wing span is, which made us all chuckle (refer to photo below).

Figure 3: Ritchie volunteering to show how big a Californian Condors wing span is.

At the end of the talk we took the opportunity to ask more questions about the Condor’s and found out that the main group that keep track of them are called Paragon Fund, who work with Zion National Park. They are kept tracked of by the use of radio transmitters and tagged with specific numbers. We all then cheekily asked questions about how the Rangers are sustainable at the park. They are encouraged to ride bikes around the park and use hybrid/electric vehicles. The Ranger said how solar panels were put in last year and also told us how other initiatives to encourage sustainable tourism maybe put in place in the near future, for example a bio fuel burner instead of the boiler at the park. After the ranger talk we walked inside the museum to see if we could find out any information about the park and sustainability though we didn’t find a lot of information we did find a brilliant quote about their mission for the park. The quote said “our mission is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations”.

After only finding the quote inside the information we decided to move into the shop to get sworn in as junior rangers. This didn’t quite go to plan as the women looking at our junior ranger books kept moaning about how they weren’t completed blah blah blah so we left quickly while moaning about how she was annoying!. Outside we filled up our 1lt water bottles ready to get the shuttle bus so we could start our amazing hiking adventure along emerald pools trail. Here we found out about how the park saves on waste and water with the display above the spring taps, this told us that the park:

·      Works out 167 bottles per person and 38 billion end up in landfill sites

·      End to end they would circle the equator 217 times

·      Uses 20 million barrels of oil per year and creates more than 2.5 million tons of CO2 to make these water bottles

·      Every time you fill up a reusable bottle you save one bottle from landfill

·      Save money

·      You can refill an average reusable bottle with tap water once a day for 10 years, 5 months, 21 days before it would cost you for one quarter of bottled water

• Americans use 50 billion plastic water bottles annually

·      At every shop we went to you couldn’t buy bottled water because Zion national park promoted the reuse of bottles for water to save waste (refer to picture below).

Figure 4: Signs promoting the use of re-usable bottles all around Zion National Park.

We then jumped onto the shuttle bus which luckily arrived just when we decided to leave and make our journey to our next destination where it starts to get very very interesting!

Emerald Pools Trails via Zion Lodge

We found the Lower part of the trail so much fun when we ran under the waterfalls. We did not expect to be able to get so close and so wet. This trail was not so challenging but still so entertaining. From here one of us got so keen and ran up to the Upper part of the trail. The other two ran up after him. Here we first saw a pool. It felt so tranquil we carried on climbing up to get a better look of the waterfall here. Two of us clambered up a huge rock and sat on the ledge at the top. The other group member decided this would definitely end up with a leg in a hole between rocks so stood back and took lots of photos. At this point we were recommended by others on our fieldtrip to have a look at the Middle part of the trail. On the way down we turned off to this trail and found the other pool. Here there were fewer tourists as we believe this may be due to it not being signposted too well. There were a lot of danger signs here due to how slippy it was. A very friendly tourist took a photo of us all and one of us soaked the other two by kicking up water. We then decided it was time to run back down and through the waterfalls that soaked us on the way up. On the way down these waterfalls got us even more wet. This trail on the Upper bit was more challenging and we got to clamber over and up rocks (well worth it). We then arrived at the Zion Lodge.

Zion Lodge

Here we did not find any promotion of sustainable tourism but they did have the Spring Water taps and many places to throw away trash. More importantly we discovered our lecturer was sooo right about the pizza being bang tidy. We decided this could be our treat for completing the trail and then discovered it was nearly time to leave Zion and meet our lecturers back at the Visitor Centre. We took the shuttle bus back down and completed our Junior Ranger Programme by getting sworn in. The people at the Visitor Centre were a lot friendlier than at the Museum and we gained our badges J

Conclusion

Zion National Park seemed to care a lot more about sustainable tourism compared to the other parks we visited earlier in our fieldtrip. There was a lot more focus on the sustainability of the park and promotion of it for all tourists to see. Zion is in the top 10 National Parks of America when it comes to the amount of visitors and still yet relatively new with their facilities (for example the Visitor Centre building). As MIP’s we were thrilled we had this activity at this park and all agreed it was possibly the best National Park we had visited in the South West USA. If we were able to choose a place that would be worth spending more than one day at we would definitely choose Zion National Park. Personally we felt a bit gutted there was not enough time to do another trail and get a better look at the park.

Located in South West Utah close to the border of Nevada and Arizona.

Day 10 - Hurricane to Las Vegas

Day 10: 9^th May 2011

Time: 7.30am

Location: Hurricane, Utah to Springs Preserve, Nevada.

A map of Interstate 15 showing the route we travelled from Hurricane to Las Vegas 

Source : http://aquadoc.typepad.com/waterwired/2007/07/index.html

Another early start to the day meant leaving Hurricane, Utah at 7.30am to reach Springs Preserve, just outside Las Vegas at 9.30am. During our transition from Hurricane to Springs Preserve, we went back an hour due to the time differences of the two states. This meant that we were now eight hours behind the UK opposed to seven in Utah. The total distance of the journey was 145 miles, with a good 90 miles of desert before reaching Las Vegas.

Nearer Zion the vegetation was very green, with lots of sheer rock faces and different geographical layers unfolding throughout the transition. The weather was not as we had anticipated due to torrential rain and strong winds which made driving between the two states challenging at times. However; as Las Vegas was closely approaching, the weather got brighter and the vegetation became scarcer, which lifted the mood of each bus. At the end of Interstate 15, the industrialisation and congested roads became a very big shock to the system in comparison to the other locations we had previously visited.

Springs Preserve is the original water resource for Las Vegas, before the building of the Hoover dam; until it dried up in the mid 1900s. Springs preserve is built around the Las Vegas Spring and was named by explorers after the grassy meadows of the mist of the desert. The reservation is approximately 180 acres in size and is mainly designed to: commemorate the history of unity and provide a vision for Las Vegas’ sustainable future. All of the buildings in the reserve are made from wood that has been reclaimed by timber so new trees do not need to be cut down from a 12 mile long bridge that used to go over a river. Approximately 12% of water consumed by inhabitants of Las Vegas is ground water with an underground supply that also feeds desert springs. A main objective is to conserve this and make Las Vegas sustainable for the future. With regard to physical geography, Springs Preserve began to be created approximately 1.5 billion years ago with the whole surrounding area being under the ocean. The sea retreated and the underlying tectonic plates began to move forcing rock upwards allowing canyons and rock layers to be formed. Roughly 20,000 years ago after the last ice-age Las Vegas was a marsh land which allowed wildlife to thrive and prosper in later years. Over the next 10,000 years temperatures rose drastically. This meant that rivers and springs vanished resulting in life no longer being able to be sustained. The fauna of the preserve was very impressive with native plant species adapting different techniques for finding and storing water. Some of the plants store moisture in their thick leaves to adapt to the surrounding areas of the desert; scientifically known as Xerophytes. Mojave Yucci is an example of a plant that does this as the shallow roots spread out to soak up as much water in fresh tissue. Resource management and sustainability is a key theme throughout the centre and investment.

This shows the flash floods exhibition at Springs Preserve which educates people about the possible effects flooding could have in the region and how it is caused.



Wind power is evident due to wind turbines that are installed on top of a tall building which consequently collects kinetic energy from the wind making it economically and environmentally sound. A further example of renewable energy is the use of solar panels layering the visitor’s car park. This is an effective method as Nevada is one of the sunniest spots in the US and can therefore capture the energy of the sun and transfer it into heat or power. This is also financially viable and beneficial as excess power can be sound on to external power authorities all over the country. Leaflets provided from tourists were printed on 100% recycled paper emphasising the conservation and preservation of the local environment. The toilet facilities were very modern which were specifically produced to be sustainable to follow the ongoing trend of the conserve. The lighting was very dull with energy saving bulbs and the water had a triggered sensor reducing the risk of waste.

Throughout the persevere; tourists were focussed as the main pioneers due to the free entry and both educating and demonstrating the easy ways to recycle both at home and helping the local environment. The preserve caters for all age ranges which we found very impressive. This was due to the positive and effective segregation of the educational services and areas provided. The visual aids such as the animals, the flash flood demonstration, movie and replica of a house equipped with sustainable measures, located in the desert resource education centre all make the experience enjoyable and pleasant for tourists. Benches located around the conserve under shaded canapés also accommodate for the older generation. Finally, children would appreciate the preserve due to ‘hands on’ experiences both visually and physically.

This is a photograph of Springs Reserve which shows the rich vegetation at the centre, the buildings are vey unintrusive and fit with the desert setting.



Source: http://www.my-photo-blog.com/spring-preserve/springs-preserve-1-2

This trip to Springs Preserve was very educational and eye opening due to the interesting and remarkable themes available. The preserve covered all key themes such as: physical geography, resource management and tourism. It was a vital middle ground between the tranquillity of the National Parks and the congestion and brash Las Vegas strip.

After leaving the reservation at 11.30am we did not realise that a near fatal collision, was on the cards when driving from the preserve to the main strip in Las Vegas. This therefore, welcomed us into LAS VEGAS!

We had a group photo under the legendary Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, signifying that we had arrived in Vegas

Source: Greg Spellman

We drove the Las Vegas trip to a soundtrack of Viva Las Vega by Elvis Presley which sent a buzz of excitement through the bus as we could see the legendary hotels approaching. The Las Vegas strip was very exciting and overwhelming due to the vast amount of people, wealth and infrastructure which we had been withdrawn from our systems in previous days. A quick stop off point for a group photo in front of the fabulous Las Vegas sign certified our extravagant location. We were kindly allowed to explore the premium brand outlets located just outside Las Vegas. This location was very popular to tourists due to the shopping facilities available, free parking outside and discounted items that are not available on the main strip. One thing that was prominent when travelling to our hotel (Flamingo) was that the new hotels had restrictions with regard to the infrastructure and vegetation. This is so therefore, so that the continuing theme of sustainability and resource management is addressed and followed. A key example of a hotel that has done this is the Encore Hotel which is located on the main strip of the Las Vegas Boulevard.

As we drove down the strip we could see all the iconic hotel which we had learnt about in class like New York New York (below)

Source: Laura Jones

“Confronted by the desert, the first thing Americans want to do is change it. People say they love the desert, but few of them love it enough to live there”. (Mark Reisner). 

Day 9

Introduction

Our MIP day was on Sunday 9^th May 2011 at Zion National Park, Utah. The activity was to collect information on initiatives in place at Zion National Park to evaluate the extent to which it is a good example of “sustainable tourism”. Before we arrived at the park we were looking forward to the day because we were unsure what to expect, compared to the other national parks, and it was our MIP day so it would be different to the other days.

Visitor Centre (built in 2000)

The first place we visited was the Zion Canyon Visitor Centre. We started by looking at the displays, taking leaflets and going into the gift shop. This gave us an idea how Zion National Park implemented sustainable tourism. The displays outside the visitor centre gave us very useful information about the history of the park, geology, wildlife, plant life and how they are being environmentally sustainable. Some information we found out about the sustainability of the visitor centre via the display boards was:

·      Built incorporating natural features

·      Energy efficient building while being attractive

·      Operating expenses while protecting the environment

·      Natural lighting and ventilation

·      Passive downdraft cool towers

·      Trombe wall heating

·      Roof mounted photovoltaic system reducing energy use by 70% and prevention of releasing 181 tons of CO2

After finding out all this information we then decided to have a little look into gift shop within the visitor centre. The gift shop we found was very good offering a range of gifts and souvenirs which people could buy; though we found out they didn’t offer any snow globes which we all found very disappointing. Before we left the gift shop after buying all our little bits and bobs we had two things we wanted to do, firstly we bought our junior ranger books so we were able to gain our junior ranger badge which we have been doing at every park, secondly we all had to get our notebook stamped with the passport stamp which also we had been getting at all the national parks. After all this time and getting bored of what the visitor centre offered we then moved on to the shuttle buses to move onto our next destination.

At the Visitor Centre there was a big focus on the shuttle bus. Compared to the other national parks we visited this focus stood out. The Grand Canyon for example also had a shuttle bus service but they did not seem to promote its sustainability and there were so many areas to park vehicles.

There were many boards showing the routes tourists can take and why the shuttle was put in place. The shuttle bus service only began in 1999. Before this there were around 5,000 tour buses, cars and motor homes travelling into the narrow routes of the park with only 450 car park spaces. The shuttle bus helped ease travel around the park by reducing traffic jams and competition for the limited car parking spaces available. We found a quote on one board saying “By taking the shuttle you become an active partner in preserving the canyons future”. As MIP’s we found this was a very good initiative in encouraging the use of the shuttle and found them really easy to use. They were very busy each time we got on from stop to stop but they were a very convenient way of travel around the park. They were very frequent and regular. The most amount of time we personally, as a group, waited for a shuttle was around 2 minutes.

Zion Human History Museum

At the History Museum we attended a Ranger-led Programme on Californian Condors (this was to gain our Junior Ranger Badge). We found this talk very interesting and two of us volunteered at the front to show how big a Condor’s wing span is, which made us all chuckle.

At the end of the talk we took the opportunity to ask more questions about the Condor’s and found out that the main group that keep track of them are called Paragon Fund, who work with Zion National Park. They are kept tracked of by the use of radio transmitters and tagged with specific numbers. We all then cheekily asked questions about how the Rangers are sustainable at the park. They are encouraged to ride bikes around the park and use hybrid/electric vehicles. The Ranger said how solar panels were put in last year and also told us how other initiatives to encourage sustainable tourism maybe put in place in the near future, for example a bio fuel burner instead of the boiler at the park. After the ranger talk we walked inside the museum to see if we could find out any information about the park and sustainability though we didn’t find a lot of information we did find a brilliant quote about their mission for the park. The quote said “our mission is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations”.

After only finding the quote inside the information we decided to move into the shop to get sworn in as junior rangers. This didn’t quite go to plan as the women looking at our junior ranger books kept moaning about how they weren’t completed blah blah blah so we left quickly while moaning about how she was annoying!. Outside we filled up our 1lt water bottles ready to get the shuttle bus so we could start our amazing hiking adventure along emerald pools trail. Here we found out about how the park saves on waste and water with the display above the spring taps, this told us that the park:

·      Americans use 50 billion plastic water bottles annually

·      Works out 167 bottles per person and 38 billion end up in landfill sites

·      End to end they would circle the equator 217 times

·      Uses 20 million barrels of oil per year and creates more than 2.5 million tons of CO2 to make these water bottles

·      Every time you fill up a reusable bottle you save one bottle from landfill

·      Save money

·      You can refill an average reusable bottle with tap water once a day for 10 years, 5 months, 21 days before it would cost you for one quarter of bottled water

·      At every shop we went to you couldn’t buy bottled water because Zion national park promoted the reuse of bottles for water to save waste (refer to picture below).

We then jumped onto the shuttle bus which luckily arrived just when we decided to leave and make our journey to our next destination where it starts to get very very interesting!

Emerald Pools Trails via Zion Lodge

We found the Lower part of the trail so much fun when we ran under the waterfalls. We did not expect to be able to get so close and so wet. This trail was not so challenging but still so entertaining. From here one of us got so keen and ran up to the Upper part of the trail. The other two ran up after him. Here we first saw a pool. It felt so tranquil we carried on climbing up to get a better look of the waterfall here. Two of us clambered up a huge rock and sat on the ledge at the top. The other group member decided this would definitely end up with a leg in a hole between rocks so stood back and took lots of photos. At this point we were recommended by others on our fieldtrip to have a look at the Middle part of the trail. On the way down we turned off to this trail and found the other pool. Here there were fewer tourists as we believe this may be due to it not being signposted too well. There were a lot of danger signs here due to how slippy it was. A very friendly tourist took a photo of us all and one of us soaked the other two by kicking up water. We then decided it was time to run back down and through the waterfalls that soaked us on the way up. On the way down these waterfalls got us even more wet. This trail on the Upper bit was more challenging and we got to clamber over and up rocks (well worth it). We then arrived at the Zion Lodge.

Zion Lodge

Here we did not find any promotion of sustainable tourism but they did have the Spring Water taps and many places to throw away trash. More importantly we discovered our lecturer was sooo right about the pizza being bang tidy. We decided this could be our treat for completing the trail and then discovered it was nearly time to leave Zion and meet our lecturers back at the Visitor Centre. We took the shuttle bus back down and completed our Junior Ranger Programme by getting sworn in. The people at the Visitor Centre were a lot friendlier than at the Museum and we gained our badges J

Conclusion

Zion National Park seemed to care a lot more about sustainable tourism compared to the other parks we visited earlier in our fieldtrip. There was a lot more focus on the sustainability of the park and promotion of it for all tourists to see. Zion is in the top 10 National Parks of America when it comes to the amount of visitors and still yet relatively new with their facilities (for example the Visitor Centre building). As MIP’s we were thrilled we had this activity at this park and all agreed it was possibly the best National Park we had visited in the South West USA. If we were able to choose a place that would be worth spending more than one day at we would definitely choose Zion National Park. Personally we felt a bit gutted there was not enough time to do another trail and may be challenge ourselves a little more and even see the C

Day 8 - Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon National Park- Sonia, Ben and Aaron

Day 8 - Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Time: 6am

Location: Moab, Ut

We were all up bright and early this morning for a 6am start. After a quick stop at the supermarket we got straight on the road and headed towards our first destination, Capitol Reef National Park which is situated in the heart of Utah’s canyon country, 8 miles from the town of Torrey in south-central Utah and easily accessible from State Route 24.

The map below (Figure 1) shows all the destinations and stop off points of the day.


Figure 1:

Source: Ruby's Inn (n.d.)

Time: 08:50am

Location: Capitol Reef National Park, Ut

Although we were all shattered after a busy week and an equally busy day off yesterday (for most of us anyway!), we all managed to smile sweetly for a group photograph (Figure 2) and then wake up enough to appreciate the ‘rock art’ depicted on the rocks at Capitol Reef. The morning was sunny and pleasant.

Figure 2: Group shot at the entrance to Capital Reef National Park

The National Park was named by early settlers due to the resemblance some of the rock features have. The big, round rock domes found throughout the park reminded people of the United States Capitol Building and the rocky cliffs were named by former sailors who thought they made travel difficult and dangerous similar to ocean reefs. The name 'Capitol Reef' therefore comes from these two observations.

We observed rock art (or ‘Fremont Petroglyphs’ to use their correct name) along Highway 24. These are thought to have been left  by the valley’s 1^st settlers, the Fremont Indians, and is both a historical and spiritual legacy to them.


Figure 3: Anthropomorphic (human like figures) petroglyph

The rock consists of both painted pictographs and chipped petroglyths on the rock and we observed a series of anthropomorphic figures (Figure 3), writing, and mountain sheep drawings (Figure 4) depicted on the 'Petroglypth Panel' wall

Figure 4: Mountain sheep petroglyth

The  rock art observed here today is a cultural resource as defined by the National Park Service since it is "importantly associated with the lives of persons nationally significant in the history of the United States, is exceptionally valuable for study of a period, style of method of construction and is likely to yield information of major scientific importance by revealing new cultures or by shedding light upon periods of occupation over large areas of the United States". (National Park Service, 2010)

  The National Park therefore have an obligation to preserve and look after these Petroglyphs with fines of up to $10,000 and a year in prison for those who damage them, (Capitol Reef National Park, n.d.). Although this punishment is quite harsh, we feel it is a necessary detergent to stop people destroying a priceless cultural resource.

Time: 09:25am

Location: Visitor's Centre, Capitol Reef National Park 

Following this we entered the visitor’s centre to watch a short video called ‘Watermark’ which gave a basic overview to the formation of the rock features at Capitol Reef. The powerful imagery and sound effects used, such as thunder and lightning made the video engaging.

The video put great emphasis on the fact that every landscape is the result of water and time. Landscapes, plants, animals and human life around Capitol Reef are all defined by water and since it is so scarce in this arid, desert region it has to be managed carefully and effectively. 

Although we found this video interesting and informative we did notice a few parts that seemed a bit dubious. Firstly the mention of WW2 starting in 1941 was misleading (the USA joined in 1941 but the war actually started in 1939), and the suggestion that Butch Cassidy hid out in Capitol Reef with his gang is doubtful. Whilst this could well be true, all the National Parks we have visited so far encourage the idea that Cassidy hid in their park, and it is implausible for him to have hid out in them all!

         
In terms of physical geography the Waterpocket Fold, a giant buckle of vast warping rock stretching over 100 miles, is one of Capitol Reef's most important features. Many layers of horizontal sedimentary rock deposited by marine and desert environments hundreds of millions of years ago have been bent and flexed into huge folds as the upper layers of rock have eroded away.
The greatest danger to the Fremont people in Fruita were flash floods at Capitol Reef.

Time: 10:40am

Location: Picnic benches, Capitol Reef National Park

The whole group then engaged in a debate outside regarding the positive and negative impacts of adventure tourism in Moab, see Figure 5. The outcome was that adventure tourism causes more harm than good. We felt both sides were argued well and backed up with lots of positive and negative points from social, economic and environmental perspectives.

Figure 5: Part of the group engaging in a heated debate regarding adventure tourism in Moab

On completing another Junior Park Ranger challenge and being sworn in by Ranger Kate (Greg’s favourite ranger!) it was back to the minibuses for a long drive to Bryce Canyon National Park. 

Time: 11:45am

Location: The minibus, Scenic Byway 12


Figure 6: Map to show location of Scenic Byway 12 in Utah

Source: Rockies Guide (2006)

The majority of this drive was along the National Scenic Byway 12 which “is located in one of the most beautiful places on Earth” (National Scenic Byways Program, 2007). Figure 6 shows the location of Scenic Byway 12 stretching 124 miles from Torrey near Capitol Reef to the US 89 junction shortly after Bryce Canyon.

A National Scenic Byway is a road that has been recognised by the US Department of Transportation for its archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational or scenic qualities (National Scenic Byways Program, 2011) and is an example of resource management.

         It was fairly obvious that Highway 12 has been recognised primarily for its natural and scenic qualities and this we believe, makes it a tourist destination in its own right. It is also a convenient connection between Capitol Reef, Escalante National Monument and Bryce Canyon National Park, all of which are popular geo-tourism destinations in southern Utah.

         Whilst the view from the windows were breathtakingly amazing, many of us feel that it wasn’t much different from the fantastic scenery we have experienced from other roads earlier in the week. We did however feel that the contrast in environments  was fascinating, from a Ponderosa Pine belt, sub alpine furs, arid desert, to snow capped mountain peaks (Figure 7) which made for a very enjoyable journey to Bryce Canyon National Park, our final stopping point of the day.     

Figure 7: View of snow on Scenic Byway 12 near Dixie National Forest, Utah

Time: 3:05pm

Location: Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park is relatively small compared with the other National Parks we have visited on this trip (just 145km²) and occupies the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. It is classed as being southwestern Utah in Garfield County though the southern part of the park stretches down in to Kane county. Elevation at the visitors centre is 7894 feet (National Park Service, 2010) making elevation here higher than at the Grand Canyon.

         As a group, we felt this National Park was very different to the others because of the unusual rock formations located here, a series of amphitheatre like structures carved into the limestone. There were ample features and landforms at this park relating to physical geography and geology which we found fascinating.
A rock feature we found particularly intriguing were the Hoodoos as we had never come across these before.


Hoodoos  are erosional remnants that stand above the surrounding landscape and are pinnacle shaped pillars of eroded rock (figures 8 and 9). They are typically soft, sedimentary rocks that can be easily eroded but are being protected by an overlying resistant cap rock or boulder. 
The Hoodoos at Bryce Canyon have formed due to alternating bands of hard and soft rock in horizontal formations which erode at different times and rates. Freeze thaw weathering also plays a crucial role in their formation as the continuous cycle of freezing and thawing widens cracks in the rocks and causes fragments to break away. Bryce's climate is ideal for hoodoo formation since it experiences freezing temperatures around 200 days a year. This explains why hoodoo formations are so plentiful at Bryce Canyon.

Figure 8: Hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Figure 9: Looking down on hoodoos from the Navajo Loop Trail. Distinctive rock layers are visible behind the hoodoos.

The trail was very enjoyable as the scenery was like nothing we had ever seen before.

 Bryce Canyon is clearly a place where tourism thrives. This is evident in the range of tourist facilities we observed here. The visitor centre offered the opportunity to watch a short film, look at informative exhibits and browse the large selection of books, maps and publications for sale.

         Rangers offer a series of talks, evening programmes and guided walks in the summer and free shuttle buses to the most popular viewpoints, similar to that at the Grand Canyon. There are extensive opportunities for tent and RV camping in some of the park and a series of hotels and lodges just a 5 minute drive from Sunset Point including Bryce View Lodge where we are staying tonight.

         The National Park Service manages Bryce Canyon as all national parks and considers it a natural resource since it is a site that possesses exceptional geological features; landforms and observable manifestations of geological processes. It was designated a National Monument on 8th June 1923 and a National Park on 15th September 1928 (National Park Service, 2006)

  


Conclusion

Overall today was an enjoyable day as it was nice to view different scenery both at the National Parks and whilst travelling, and we observed aspects from each of the key themes; Physical Geography, Tourism and Resource Management.

 We feel that the most important thing we learnt today was about how water shapes and creates landforms and is crucial to explain geological and geographical processes. The most interesting thing however was seeing the Hoodoos and beginning to understand how and why they are formed.

References

Capitol Reef National Park (n.d.) Junior Ranger Activity Book. Torrey, Ut: National Park Service

National Park Service (2006) Bryce Canyon: Management. Available from: http://www.nps.gov/brca/parkmgmt/index.htm

National Park Service (2010) Bryce Canyon: Directions. Available from: http://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/directions.htm

National Scenic Byways Program (2007) A Flurry of Feathers on Scenic Byway 12. Available from: http://www.byways.org/stories/72549

National Scenic Byways Program (2011) Fact sheet for the National Scenic Byways Program. Available from: http://www.byways.org/press/pdf/fact_sheet.pdf

Rockies Guide (2006) Highway 12 Scenic Byway Maps. Available from: http://www.rockiesguide.com/guide/rocky_mountains/highway_12_maps.html

Ruby's Inn (n.d.) Ruby's Inn Locator Map. Available from: http://www.rubysinn.com/map.html