Southern Utah is full of red rocks with interesting shapes and formations. One such formation you can find are the toadstools which pop up in various places. Originally, I thought you could only find them at Goblin Valley State Park. I recently learned just how wrong I was. As it turns out, there are several places in the area which feature toadstool formations. So, I will add photos to my portfolio as I can. Recently, I did just that. Check out what I captured.
I really must hand it to social media. I learn about so many photography locations thanks to the algorithms and people sharing their photos. Such was the case with these toadstools. I was surprised by just how close they were. Sometimes, cool landscape photography locations require quite a drive. Not so this time. It was less than 2 hours away!
Making the drive happen was interesting with scheduling issues. The rain lately also complicated things. Still, when the window came, we drove out to the site for some landscape photos and exploration.
Surprisingly, though perhaps not so much, this area is tied into Escalante National Monument. I didn’t know that before. However, there’s a lot of land tied up in that monument. I suppose I should have considered that possibility. Still, the signs told me for sure.
Thanks to the clouds, and a later start than I wanted, we arrived at the parking area during some beautiful sunset light. It wouldn’t hold until we completed the hike. By the time we reached the toadstools, blue hour was fully upon us. Still, blue hour is useful.
This area may be an open trail, but you can’t see a trail so easily. There’s only a few post markers every so often to show you that you’re still on the trail. The lack of a clear trail made me a bit uncomfortable. Thankfully, there were others more experienced on the trail who showed us where to go, even if in haste. Also, the trail parallels a wash. During the wrong time of year, this trail could be dangerous.
You also must climb onto the rocks surrounding the wash. That’s where the trail is. If not, then you will fairly rapidly come to a ledge which you cannot climb. In wetter times, it would be a waterfall. Otherwise, it was a pleasant hike. The desert was in bloom so I could enjoy what greenery this red dirt offers. The flowers were beautiful too.
This was a pleasant and enjoyable trip. I want to make it again and come back with more photos.
