It's official! We are on our way to Alaska. On Monday, March 18, 2019, we left Arizona behind and headed north. Our first stop -- Leeds, Utah, just a few miles north of Saint George. Two years ago we drove through this area on I-15 on the way from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas. We loved all the red rocks and made a promise to come back. This time, we have a full week to explore, but we are not sure the weather will cooperate with us. We decided to use our best weather day to paddle Sand Hollow.
On Tuesday, March 19, 2019, we launched our kayaks from the red sand day use beach at Sand Hollow State Park.
Sand Hollow is a man-made reservoir constructed in 2002 to provide surface-water storage. The reservoir is an off-channel impoundment that receives water diverted from the Virgin River.
Bright red Navajo Sandstone bluffs surround the lake. Our photos appear hazy, because a prescribed burn was taking place on the BLM land next door.
In addition to swimming, fishing and boating, Sand Hollow is one of the area’s most popular spots for ATVs and OHVs, offering riders more than 6,000 acres of sand dunes that have open riding as well as technical trails.
To create better fish habitat, man-made objects have been added to the lake. Those objects include an old Volkswagen bus and a Cessna 320 twin-engine airplane that originally crashed on St. George Boulevard. The crystal clear water makes for great diving. The red sand, plus the blue sky, make the lake water appear a brilliant green.
Winds were light, making the surface very reflective. The low red hills in the photo below are the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. The snow covered peaks are part of the Pine Valley Mountains.
This part of Utah has seen several volcanic eruptions. This sandstone formation was covered with lava. As the cliff erodes, the basalt falls away, exposing the red sandstone.
We never get tired looking at snowy peaks.
We were surprised to see an osprey in Utah. A century ago, small groups of ospreys could be found along the lakes and streams. However, these magnificent raptors were hunted and chased from their riparian homes. These birds are now making an impressive comeback and are being welcomed by human residents who were once the main reason for their demise.
This red sandstone island is a popular destination for kayakers and paddleboarders.
As we approached, we could see the tilted layers of the Navajo sandstone. Nooks and crannies were filled with bright green plants.
This young tree is doing its best to set up housekeeping.
What's not to like about red rocks and snowy mountains?
A small group of double-crested cormorants have taken over the campground diving platform.
We spent part of our time trying to determine if this rock outcrop is an eagle about to take off or a crab crawling down to the water's edge. What do you think it looks like?
The red rock island had several coves which were fun to poke into.
After circling the island, we turned our kayaks back to shore.
On our way back to our campground, we decided to poke into the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. This area is part of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, a multi-jurisdictional area set aside to protect populations and habitat of the threatened Mojave Desert tortoise and other at-risk native plants and animal species. If the weather cooperates, we will try to explore at least some of the 130 miles of trails.
Until then, stay thirsty my friends.
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