Sandstone Mountain
Number 2 of 70--April 15, 2023
After countless trips over many years to the red rock country of Southern Utah, I realized that I'd driven past an interesting area west of Zion National Park many times and never stopped: Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. The 45,000-acre area was included in the 2009 omnibus bill that protected millions of acres across a number of states.
I contemplated a 9-mile loop hike going in via Red Reef and out Cottonwood, but the little creek was flowing proudly with deeper pools than usual above the first pretty falls. A tiptoe up the Moki Steps (carved into steep rock) led to a small, striking canyon with deeper pools. I was wearing jeans, however, and did not feel like getting drenched. So I sat and enjoyed an orange, then backtracked to the easy Silver Reef Trail to see the dinosaur tracks there. Cool! I might have changed into shorts and continued the loop hike, but decided I'd rather knock out another summit in this picturesque area if possible.
A quick look at the map led me to a sandy trailhead to climb Sandstone Mountain, a mere 500-foot ascent by trail over a couple of miles. Easy enough? Well, not quite. The trail quickly turned to deep, dry sand for much of the way up and was obviously used by ATVs and possibly larger vehicles, though I saw none, nor any other hikers the entire way. The weather was warm, not miserable, but the sand made it feel a touch longer than it really was. After a huff and a puff, I tagged the flat, deserty, nondescript top, Summit Number 2, snagged a photo, and rambled south.
The maps showed an appealing loop option descending via the Sidewinder Trail. The trail proved elusive, however, and I spent well over a half hour looking for it. I stared at my phone's GPS and topo app, strutted downward where it seemed most likely to be hidden, then climbed back up empty handed, or footed, as the case may be. After much back and forth among the rocks and brush, and wondering if I was doing anything more than increasing the odds of disturbing a rattlesnake (I didn't), the trail finally revealed itself with a few boot tracks and some subtle cairns.
Bouldery cliffs and drops made for a scenic scoot down. I bounded downward, generally losing the trail in confused topography, before happily spotting the car with 5 percent battery left on my phone. In the end, it was a satisfying hike, sufficiently adventurous for a relatively short outing. Would I do it again? Nah, probably not, but no regrets. Given the extra effort and bepuzzling nature, I'm definitely counting it!
