Cedar Breaks National Monument - October 6, 2009

I had the better part of a day to fill after I left Zion National Park - my next stop for the night was the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. That drive would only take a few hours so what to do? I had a couple of options - Bryce Canyon National Park, Pipe Springs National Monument, or Cedar Breaks National Monument. I bet you can guess which one I chose.

The drive from Zion up to Cedar Breaks took a little over an hour up US-89 and then left onto Utah Highway 14. This part of Utah Highway 14 isn't as scenic as the drive from I-15 to the turnoff to Cedar Breaks. I drove that part during my initial visit in 2006.

Cedar Breaks is up there, as in altitude. Over 10,000 feet up. I like altitude so that doesn't bother me (me, who is scared of heights or, more accurately, falling off the heights, is okay with being high up - go figure!). What did get to a bit was the temperature. Cedar Breaks "shuts down" in mid-October, the same as the North Rim at the Grand Canyon. At this altitude, you never know when the snow will come (as I would find out the very next day at the North Rim). After the shut down, you can visit but at your own risk. Although at Cedar Breaks they may actually shut the gates, who knows. At the North Rim, they do not plow the road leading in. If you get stuck, they do not patrol at night so you may wait a while for your rescue.

I digress.

It was chilly at Cedar Breaks. Sunny, breezy, and almost cold. I was only there about an hour or so. I did not do the 2 hikes this day that I did on my previous visit. I did take many pictures of the ampitheater from the various viewpoints along the 5-mile road, which spans the length of the Monument. Cedar Breaks isn't all that big. I haven't yet explored the part not next to the ampitheater; the ampitheater is what everyone comes to see.