Vada Benchmark

It had been a busy week and we needed a "low key" hike for our Saturday getaway.  So, we decided to head towards Panaca, Nevada and hike Vada Benchmark, which is near the Nevada/Utah border.  Tom had found the BM earlier in the year and the pictures he sent intrigued us to go and see it for ourselves.  Although we traveled nearly 100 miles (one-way) for a three mile hike, it was good for us to explore an area that we hadn't been to in many years.

We don't have a trail, just a destination in mind . . . Vada Benchmark
(This isn't Vada BM . . . it's two more bumps, on the ridgeline, past this one)

Yikes!  A rattlesnake skin shed . . .
This is why we only hike in Southern Utah during the colder months!

Up on the ridgeline we followed wild horse trails through the unique boulders

This is what we were expecting to find . . . a survey tripod from 1944!
 In March 2021, our friend Tom found it tossed over the cliff edge.  He repaired it & put it
back in its' proper place over the benchmark for others to see.

Today, eight months later, we found the tripod laying in shambles . . .
Not sure if it was done by wind or humans (probably the latter)
Such a shame!

The Vada Benchmark

We are in Nevada looking southwest toward Panaca

Reference marker #2 is pointing to the benchmark

Reference marker #1 was a little harder to locate

We should have done our homework before hiking up Vada . . .
After we got home we discovered that the Panaca charcoal kilns are
 in the valley below, to the left of the rock formations . . . we shall return!

This was a short hike . . . only about three miles round-trip, but with 900 ft of elevation gain.  If you'd like a topo map and GPS tracks of our hike you can click here for a link to Tom's Peakbagger.com post.  We had a different starting point, thus the difference in mileage.  Best advice . . . find a place to access the ridge and check each of the major bumps as you work your way up.  The third obvious bump has the Vada BM.

Elephant Rock & Cottonwood Mtn

When we climbed Sandy Peak in October, Tom mentioned that Cottonwood Mountain had a summit register that had been placed there by Barbara Lilley & Gordon MacLeod.  Funny, we had no idea who these people were, but the way Tom said their names - almost in a revered tone of voice - intrigued us to ask him more about what made them so special.  He said they are highly respected members of the Sierra Club who have logged countless peaks over their lifetimes.  Barbara (92) still hikes and Gordon (95) has since passed away (Nov 2019).  And so our interest was piqued as we wanted to see one of their registers for ourselves!

Here's the view of Cottonwood Mtn (from Sandy Peak) that got our conversation started
This picture provides a nice view of the route we took from Elephant Rock to Cottonwood Mtn

We parked here and followed an old road to the ridge where we began the Elephant Rock hike
Later, we would descend Elephant Rock and use the Willow Creek Trail to get us to the base of Cottonwood Mtn

From the top of Elephant Rock Mtn we could see Sandy Peak (where the first picture was taken)
 & the Lower Bear Valley

Standing atop Elephant Rock Mtn and looking north . . . Cottonwood Mtn looms in the distance
Surprisingly, the high point of Cottonwood Mtn is the pointy peak above Kent's hat!
We will follow the Willow Creek drainage which is to the right of Cottonwood Mtn

Hiking in the Willow Creek drainage . . .
The aspens had already shed their leaves, but it was still a pretty sight

We weren't cold, but these plants look cold! 

The ice crystals were striking on the fall foliage

Near the top of Willow Creek, we met a cougar hunter, from Parowan, with his pack of hounds

It's warming up . . . the frost has melted

We have arrived at the base of Cottonwood Mtn . . . supposedly there is a trail to the top??
We didn't come across it until we were 400 ft from the summit . . . Man, this was a long, hard bushwhack! 

    We had nice views of the Tushar Mountains, to our north, as we worked up the spine of the Mtn

We weren't expecting to see a mushroom in November!

The snow, on the north side of the ridge, really sparkled

There it is . . . The "Holy Grail" we have come to see!
We have made it to the top of Cottonwood Mtn . . . Woohoo! 

Here are the names we have come to see!
Barbara would have been 75 and Gordon 80 when they placed this register!

Our friend Tom (and his faithful companion Lola) signed the register in 2018
 (He's another infamous peak bagger in his own right!)
Three years later it was our turn to sign the log!
We counted 22 entries over a 17 year period! 

For the most part the summit is covered in Mountain Mahogany and there are no views . . .
However, a short hike to the west provides a few views to the southwest

Heading back down on the TRAIL . . . wished we had found this sooner . . . like when we were ascending!
(If you ever consider doing this hike, please email us so we can give you directions on how to find the trail)

Kent looks so small as he nears this rock formation . . . 
About halfway back to the trailhead

Back to our vehicle . . .
This is the rock formation that gives Elephant Rock Mtn it's name . . .
You definitely have to use your imagination, but if you try, you can see the elephant head!

Altogether this hike ended up being about 6.5 miles (r/t) with approximately 2,500 ft total elevation gain between the two mountains.  If you are looking for a short hike with great views you many want to consider just hiking Elephant Rock . . . you can click here for a topo map and GPS tracks from Tom's Peakbagger.com entry.  For the route to Cottonwood Mountain you can click here for his entry . . . the views are limited on this hike, but the walk through Willow Creek Drainage is very nice.

Bunting Trail

We all wanted to hike, and the weather was forecast to be beautiful, but the question that lingered was, "Where did we want to go?"  After a half hour of throwing options back and forth, Tom suggested retrieving Bunting Benchmark.  We knew, from a trip last year to Kanab, that the BLM had a maintained trail to the top of Bunting Mesa.  Upon reaching the top, we would have to use some route finding skills to traverse to the mesa's western side (about 1.5 miles) in order to recover the benchmark.  This seemed to fit the bill for everyone . . . so plans were made to rendezvous in Kanab the next morning.

The Bunting Trailhead is located on the southwest side of Kanab, Utah

The trail ascends gradually for the first 1/2 mile

It became more challenging as we neared the base of the cliffs
(This trail wastes no time in getting you to the top!)

 Once we reached the top of the mesa we started seeing a lot of fresh deer tracks

Using a GPS we worked our way west to reach the Bunting Benchmark . . .
 Do you see anything wrong with this picture?
(Guess it was as hard to find good workers then, as now! Ha!)

This little mushroom was growing under a juniper tree near the benchmark

  Cottonwood Canyon and its' namesake trees that line the creek bed miles below

The unique rock formation was perched on the edge of the canyon wall near the benchmark


One of several deer skeletons we came across up on the mesa

We couldn't resist climbing up this rock to check out the views

Not exactly what we expected to see . . . a frying pan!

Looking north toward the southern end of Bryce Canyon National Park . . .
Notice the miles of canyons and cliffs that lie in between in the area known as the Grand Staircase

It turned out to be a great day for a hike . . . good visibility in every direction

Beyond the White Cliffs we could see Mollies Nipple thirty-five miles away

We were surprised at how steep parts of the trail were as we descended
(Ironically, they didn't seem that steep going up)

What a gorgeous day and an enjoyable hike!
Fall, winter and spring are the best time of the year to hike in Southwest Utah

We really enjoyed this outing and couldn't have asked for a better day to explore the Kanab area.  Although going across the mesa was nothing special, the trail going up and the views from the eastern rim of Cottonwood Canyon were outstanding.

If you're interested in doing this hike (or a portion of it), you can find the topo map and GPS tracks of our trek on Tom's Peakbagger.com post by clicking here.  Round trip was about 7.5 miles with 1,900 ft of elevation gain . . . most coming at the start.

Gardner Peak

Several of our friends have used the Gardner Peak Trail to reach the rocky outcrop that overlooks Pine Valley.  All of them said it was an interesting and rewarding hike.  So, we were a little surprised to find that Tom had never climbed this peak . . . seems he was well aware of it, but had shied away due to the bushwhacking that was reportedly involved to make it to the summit.

Kent called Tom to see if he would be interested in doing a hike on Saturday.  Before he could tell him where we were going, Tom answered, "Yes, let's go . . . what time do you want to meet?"  Then Kent told him we were doing Gardner Peak . . . too late for Tom to back out . . . he was committed!

We enjoyed a good trail to the base of the peak, but once we encountered the steep ascent that was covered with snow and deadfall, we all agreed the summit wasn't that important . . . we were satisfied with a good long hike, that gave us and our dogs plenty of exercise!

It was fun watching the sunrise on our way to the trailhead . . . pink, purple and orange!

Picturesque Pine Valley is located 35 miles north of St. George . . . 
The Gardner Peak Trail starts in the Pine Valley Recreation Area on the east side of town

The Santa Clara River originates in the Pine Valley Mountains and flows through the valley

We had a good trail all the way to Jodes Flat

This high elevation meadow took us by surprise

A change of seasons

Chipper wears his pack well

Rock cairns guided us through large sections of huge boulders and Ponderosa pines

We weren't expecting to come across a spring so high up the mountain

We had a short search for the trail in the burnt remnants of the 2020 Gardner fire
(It actually wasn't too hard . . . we split up to find the next cairn and moved on)

Gardner Peak starts to come into view . . . it does look steep!

This interesting craggy formation stood out . . . we could see it both coming and going
(Several hikers have commented that it is a good reference marker to use when hiking this peak)

Someone obviously carved this for a reason . . . take heed, it's for real!
(If you choose to go farther, be prepared for a 900 ft ascent in ½ mile . . . without a trail!)

There really is such a thing as 'tree huggers!'
(There were many enormous Ponderosa pines on this trail)

Ascending the peak was not easy . . . too much deadfall, forest litter and rocks under the snow
(We certainly could have made it, but our safety and lack of desire to summit,
 just didn't seem to justify the risk)

Lola and Chipper wait patiently as Tom looks for an easier way up . . . 
We decided to turn back with no regrets

This poor tree with its' roots growing around the rocks couldn't escape the fire

 Mountain Mahogany fuzzy tails disperse seeds into the wind

There were several fun rock formations along the trail

Chipper rarely sits still . . .  so  Allison decided to take a quick selfie

Tom and his best buddy Lola taking a lunch break and sheltering from a chilly breeze

We came across a few small pools of water in the rocks from recent storms 

Who could resist a picture with Dino or Dina the Dinosaur . . . not us!

Heading back down the trail and into the snow on the northwest side of the ridge

Soon, we crossed a saddle and were on the sunny south side enjoying the Fall afternoon
We had nice views of Pine Valley, which is surrounded by the Pine Valley Mountains

Back to where we started . . . the dogs enjoyed a drink from the river

There it is . . . Gardner Peak (9,488)
Whether you reach the summit or not, this hike has a lot to offer

There are many places we would like to visit in the Pine Valley Mountains, but all seem to require miles of hiking rugged terrain to reach our desired destinations.  This hike certainly reinforced our feelings of just how much effort is needed to reach the top of these mountains . . . no wonder you find so few people up there, even though they are a hop, skip and a jump from St. George!

This hike gained approximately 2,600 ft over 4.5 miles (9 miles r/t).  If you would like a topo map, along with GPS tracks, you can click here for Tom's Peakbagger.com entry.  Another article that we found very helpful and gives a lot of historical information, was written by Sue Birnbaum and can be accessed by clicking here.