Duck Creek CG and Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah

6/19-21 Duck Creek Campground, Utah

This campground is in the Dixie National Forest, just south of Cedar Breaks National Monument. On the map, it looked like a good bet based on location and numbers of spaces, AND at an elevation of 8,000+ feet we knew it would be cooler. It is turning out to be a good choice.

There are several loops, but only the “A” loop has the level, paved pads that are great for RVs. Snuggled in our little space we were surrounded by aspen trees that shimmer like sequins in the breeze. The spaces are spread out, and many weren't occupied, so we didn't feel crowded at all.

The volunteers at the Duck Creek Visitor’s Center, right across the highway from the campground, were very helpful with information and brochures about the local trails, back roads, and best of all, explained how the forest came to be known as “Dixie." It seems the early settlers in this area were from the southern states, and were sent by the Mormon Church to this area to raise cotton and mulberry trees for silk production. They thought the forest looked like what they knew from their southern homes, so called it Dixie.

Considering the short growing season and harsh weather at this altitude it’s not surprising that the cotton/silk enterprise was not successful, but the name stuck, as did the southern tendency to call juniper trees “cedar." Thus the name for the nearby national monument, "Cedar Breaks."

Our first day’s outing was to Navajo Lake,
which had been recommended to us by a fellow camper sometime in the past. As with all other lakes lately, it’s a bit low. We did have a good time using the mud flat at the south end to play ball and admired the wildflowers around the edge.

Later in the day we drove over to Strawberry Valley, down Strawberry Point Road, to the Strawberry viewpoint (are you sensing a trend here?)

View from Strawberry point toward the ridge

After creeping through a beautiful meadow where a herd of pronghorn antelope were grazing we manged to dodge construction equipment and work our way out to the viewpoint.

Beautiful red formations surround the valley and extend out in a ridge far beyond the road we were on. The viewpoint gave us a unique view of Zion, many miles away. Even considering the great distance the peaks are striking.

View of Zion from Strawberry Point

Strawberry valley is currently undergoing extensive development. The many small, modest cabins that have obviously been there for years are being surrounded by massive log and stone structures. There is heavy construction equipment everywhere, and a sense that the quiet rustic tone of the community will soon be gone.

We’ve noticed a lot of bug kill in the spruce trees around us. All across the Markagunt Plateau, the greater area surrounding us, there are thousands of dead and dying Engelmann spruce trees. The culprit is the spruce bark beetle, and much like the bug kill problem we had in Oregon for several years, these insects are decimating the population. Some sort of fungal root disease is suspected of weakening the trees, making them vulnerable to the beetles. Nature will take care of it eventually with fire and a new stand of trees. There’s a lot of fuel here, so don’t be surprised to hear of a huge wildfire in the Dixie National Forest someday soon.

Thursday, June 20 – We loaded up the dog and a picnic lunch drove about 15 miles north to Cedar Breaks National Monument. The Southern Paiute called this area "u-map-wich" . . . ."the place where the rocks are sliding down all the time.”

View from Cedar Breaks Visitor Center

Geology is definitely the star attraction here. 20-25 million years ago a huge basin was formed when areas of the earth shifted. For those missions of years the basin filled with water and sediment. Marine creatures lived, died, dissolved, and the cycle was repeated. Eventually those sediments created the colorful birthday cake-like layers we see today. First glimpsed through the green spruce trees from the highway the formations are dramatic, and no less so when viewed from the many viewpoints.

The next chapter, following all that sedimentation, involved fault movement, uplift and shifting to create mountains, and then volcanic action, sending lava and ash up through fissures to spill over the surface of the strata laid down before. In some places the black basalt boulders are scattered here and there, in other areas the lava flow was so deep and wide it still cannot support plant life, causing the rolling areas covered with the black and broken lava to look like a moon surface.

What an amazing place! At this elevation the temperatures are extreme, and snow and rain take their toll on the softer layers of sediment. Freezing causes cracks, and gravity does the rest. No wonder it’s “the place where the rocks are sliding down all the time.” The scientific description does not begin to describe the beauty of the results. Sculpted cliffs and spires, striking colors that change with the angle of the sun, all framed by trees and shrubs, gnarled and stunted by the harsh climate.

Cedar Breaks was declared a National Monument on August 22, 1933, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The monument subsequently benefited his administration’s CCC program, and many of the current buildings are CCC construction.

Cedar Breaks Visitor Center

The visitor’s center, built in 1937, is a stout little log structure position near the rim of what is called “The Amphitheater”, the 2,000 + feet deep canyon framed by the visitor’s center observation windows. There is another really nice structure, just outside the northern park boundary, up on Brian Head Peak. The little shelter provides an amazingly effective windbreak, and an absolutely breathtaking view of the surrounding terrain.

Most of the monument is at about 9-10,000 ft elevation, Brian Head Peak is over 11,000, so “chilly and windy” is an understatement. We passed several patches of snow on our way up to the peak, and marveled at the range of wildflowers we had seen in spite of the chill. The view from Brian Head Peak is worth the 3 mile drive up. It’s not often you can look down on a ski lift!


See a few more photos here.

The weather turned cooler over the three nights we stayed at the Duck Creek campground, and we even had to turn the heater on a few times. We’re in for a shock I’m sure, as now we’re headed down in to Nevada to much lower elevations.