Hiking South Utah

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I wanted to talk to you about the Babylon Trail. This is one of those trails that should be more of a favorite than it seems to be. It is quite accessible, less than an hour from trailhead to river, and has some nicely varied terrain. You start east of the hamlet of Leeds, a mile or two by dirt and sandy road. There is a nice parking lot that tantalizes you with its view of a small range of sandstone mountains. Through those mountains, you make your way to the Virgin River in a quiet and scenic location. Along the way you encounter winding paths through the stone, ravines, sand, and a quite exquisite arch as shown in the photo. The entire walk to the river will take you less than an hour even if you are dawdling in your progress. The sights change quickly as you move from valley floor to mountain passageways to sand and finally to the river. It is one of the first trails I got acquainted with on moving back to southern Utah. It is still a favorite.

This spring in the southern Utah desert has been quite extraordinary with dramatic blooms of desert flowers and the flora in general being vibrant and exuberant. The color range has been in shades of white, yellow, lavender, red, orange, blue. Who knew the desert could be so colorful and lively? Hiking the trails with this kind of spring bloom feels like an added gift has been given to me each time I get to experience it. Just in the past week, the weather has changed to more of the summer feeling with rising temperatures. The spring bloom will fade quickly now and that feeling of having experienced something fleeting is already with me. Some say that the desert has little to offer in terms of changing seasonal views, but I think you just have to attune to the changes and appreciate each one for what it brings. Now we hike earlier to avoid the heat, but that feeling of increasing warmth as you watch the sun ascend in the sky makes the mornings especially precious, a time to enjoy the outdoors before the midday sun chases us indoors.