photos/23/0430-0507_CabinUtah/0504_CrackCynMollyGilson/

By Alan Silverstein, ajs@frii.com (page updated Sun Mar 9 14:33:54 MDT 2025)

Parent directory/folder =photos/23/0430-0507_CabinUtah/

This day I did half of each of two destination hikes (but both in one day), each about 2.5 hours round-trip: Upper Crack Canyon in the San Rafael Swell, and later a loop in the open desert between Mollys Castle and south Gilson Butte east of Goblin Valley.

I stopped short in Crack Canyon after 2.3 mi (4.6 round trip) because of a dryfall I just didn't feel like climbing down and back up (I'm getting a little old for that), and the hike was already "good enough". And later that day I shortcut a possible 7-8 mi loop across open desert because of howling gale-force wind, grit, and dust; also "good enough" doing a 3.9 mi loop and then having time to get to camp before dark.

Image files (Kb): (click on any image for next)

  1. A0_TrailheadMap.png (489)
  2. A1_EnteringCrackCyn.jpg (378)
  3. A2_CottonwoodLight.jpg (443)
  4. A3_JuniperHangingOn.jpg (432)
  5. A4_FirstDryfallsPool.jpg (200)
  6. A5_FirstDryfallsPool.jpg (397)
  7. B1_SubwaySection.jpg (302)
  8. B2_SubwaySectionVert.jpg (175)
  9. B3_SubwaySectionFurther.jpg (178)
  10. B4_GravelPathway.jpg (177)
  11. B5_BareRootsFloodDebris.jpg (468)
  12. C1_PolesInFalls.jpg (136)
  13. C2_ViewDownCanyon.jpg (157)
  14. C3_ViewDownCanyon.jpg (173)
  15. D1_TurnaroundMap.png (484)
  16. D2_TurnedAroundHere.jpg (288)
  17. D3_FurtherDownCanyon.jpg (212)
  18. E1_CottonwoodShadows.jpg (416)
  19. E2_UpToRimZoom.jpg (306)
  20. E3_BackToSubway.jpg (197)
  21. F_WeirdBoulder.jpg (356)
  22. G_MineAdit.jpg (403)
  23. H_FirstHikeMap.png (164)
  24. I1_TempleWashPetroSign.jpg (217)
  25. I2_TempleWashPetroPanelZoom.jpg (373)
  26. I3_TempleWashPetroLeftZoom.jpg (230)
  27. I4_TempleWashPetroRightZoom.jpg (274)
  28. J1_DesertMushroom.jpg (314)
  29. J2_DistantDustSouthPastMolly.jpg (240)
  30. J3_SmallArch.jpg (388)
  31. J4_BackWestToButtes.jpg (322)
  32. K1_WestToMolly0.9mi.jpg (298)
  33. K2_WestToMollyZoom.jpg (334)
  34. K3_EastToGilson2.3mi.jpg (302)
  35. K4_EastToGilsonZoom.jpg (313)
  36. K5_SelfieInWind.jpg (254)
  37. L1_DesertFlowers.jpg (386)
  38. L2_GrassyRing.jpg (407)
  39. M_OnCutoffRoad.jpg (242)
  40. N1_SandDuneOnRoad.jpg (235)
  41. N2_DownRoadNW.jpg (265)
  42. O_SecondHikeMap.png (108)