Along the Butterfield Canyon Road

 

Butterfield Canyon is in the Orquirrh Mountains on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley. It is a relatively unknown canyon because of the narrow winding road with steep grades. Part of the road is still unpaved and quite rough. However, for those with some fortitude, the ride is well worth the 10 mph limitations imposed by the road. If you are at all faint of heart when faced with thousand-foot drop-offs on the side of a narrow road, I would not recommend the drive. The weather was fabulous and the Fall leaves were stunning. 

Early Morning at Utah Lake

 As the seasons change, our walks by Utah Lake bring new views and perspectives. We live in the shadow of some very high mountains so the sun comes up much later than the officially noted sunrise time. We can see the sun on the mountains to the west and then watch the shadow of the eastern mountains move across the valley. Here the early morning light has created a dreamy quality of pastel colors. 

Clouds over the Vermillion Cliffs, Arizona

 It is hard to understand the scale of this image. The cliffs in the background, partially obscured by the clouds are the Vermillion Cliffs. Those cliffs are about 2000 feet high. What appears to be a ridge in the center of the image is Marble Canyon. If you were to travel over to the edge of the canyon, you would be looking down about 470 feet to the Colorado River. From where I am standing for this photo if you were to drive over to the highway along the face of the Vermillion Cliffs, it would take almost an hour to get to the cliffs on the left side of the image. 

The Green River at Split Rock Mountain, Utah

 

The Green River runs south out of Wyoming into Utah but is backed up by the Flaming Gorge Dam. Below the dam, the river turns east and flows into Colorado. In Colorado, the river runs south and then heads west back into Utah where it goes through Split Mountain and continues southwest to Green River where it turns directly south until it joins the Colorado River in Canyonlands National Park. 

Split Rock Group Campground on the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument #2

 

Here is another view of the Split Rock Group Campground on the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument, Utah. It is a spectacular place to camp. We thought we would have a lot more people come with us from our family but some of them didn't make it. Too bad. It was a very nice camp. We had an interesting coyote serenade in the early morning hours. It looks dry and dusty. It is.  

Split Mountain Group Campground on the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument, Utah

 

 Quoting from the National Park Service website for Dinosaur National Monument:

The Split Mountain Group Campground is located along the banks of the Green River at an elevation of 4800 feet. The highly eroded Split Mountain towers over the campground. The campground is near the famous dinosaur quarry, where you can see 149 million-year-old dinosaur bones still encased in the rock. Right beside the campground is the Split Mountain Boat Ramp where river rafters come off the Green River after trips through Dinosaur National Monument's canyons.

 You can see all about this campground on the Recreation.gov website for "Split Mountain Group Campground." By the way, National Forest and National Park campgrounds do not compare favorably with Utah State Parks. This was a lovely place to camp but the facilities at Utah State Parks are much better. 

The Green River in Dinosaur National Monument, Utah

The Green River is the main tributary of the Colorado River. Dinosaur National Monument is located in both Utah and Colorado. The Green River enters Utah from the east from Colorado and then runs west until turning south and eventually joining the Colorado River in Canyonlands National Park. This photo shows part of the Split Mountain Campground along the river which is located right at the mouth of the Split Canyon.