Kodachrome Basin State Park

3/26/07

I knew I wanted to stop here - a small corner of Utah scenery, beautiful but not magnificent enough to gain notice from national eyes. A few friends had been here and recommended I swing by if I got the chance - pretty things to see and not the crowds of the surrounding national parks. Sounded perfect to me.

Kodachrome Basin's claim to fame are its sandstone chimneys. More than 70 of these sand pipes dot the landscape between mountains and prairies. The sand pipes are a denser sandstone than the surrounding sandstone and as the softer sandstone eroded away it left these chimneys standing alone.

I was feeling rather ill when I arrived at he gate so decided to just drive around the park and get my bearings. Out in the prairies of Utah I would expect to see cattle roaming free and I had a a few occasions before reaching the park. Inside the park, however, I was surprised by a small herd of cattle slowly grazing around one of the chimneys. Chimneys inside a state park - I was a long way from Washington.

Thinking the solitude and loveliness were too good to pass up, I decided to at least walk around the nature trail. Assisted by the trail guide, I learned more about the sandstone in the area, plants and animals, and photographic opportunities. I was a little saddened when I left Kodachrome Basin - if it was in Washington, I would make it a favorite haunt - but I was still feeling sick and was hoping to make camp soon and curl up in my sleeping bags with a big jug of orange juice.