Cinder Cone, Utah
Number 3 of 70--April 16, 2023
On my way back to St. George, I'd noticed a mini-volcano on the map and learned that it was simply called the Cinder Cone, and had a trail to the top. Yippee! Again, it was a mere 500 foot ascent, but heck, it's a volcano! And a young one at that, just 27,000 years old. Better check it out. There are actually several of these in the area, little bursts of the Earth's innards that lasted only briefly then became extinct, say the scientists. This one is the most accessible.
I parked. I hiked. I summited. The trail was fun as it corkscrewed up and around the igneous cone, then shot up at the end on slippery dirt, gravel and clumpy pumice. The view was worthy, especially looking down into a substantial crater that presented a boot path all around the rim and down perhaps a hundred feet into its bottom. To award myself additional brownie points, I did the loop and hiked to the bottom and back to the summit, before retreating to the car, happy to have achieved Summit Number 3.
