When you are ready to leave the viewpoint on the crest, you can hike back the way you came for a picturesque 0.7-mile hike with 60 feet of elevation change. Looking east toward Silica Dome Looking southeast from the crest Looking down the canyon to the south toward Fire Canyon Overlook The longer Rainbow Vista Trail ventures down this canyon. Look south over a canyon where the terrain suddenly transitions from yellow back to fiery red sandstone. If you’ve been to Death Valley, this view may remind you of the perspective of Manly Beacon from Zabriskie Point. Ridges of yellow and orange come to a crest at Silica Dome. Look east over an area of lighter colored formations. Keep turning around and the crest delivers knockout panoramas of landscapes not visible below. Of course, that’s just the slice of the view that you are already familiar with. Farther to the west, the trailhead is partially visible through a garden of boulders. Below your vantage point to the northwest is the orange-red sand you walked across, dotted by small green brush. Just across White Domes Road, the ridges are a hard-to-imagine mix of yellow, peach, dark red, and white. Gaze north down the trail you came up and enjoy a loftier view of the multi-colored, mutli-textured terrain visible from the trail below. Head to the sign and when you get there, you’ll get a good look at the sandstone formation in front of you, which has a cross-cutting pattern similar to the Beehives. Look for a trail marker with a sign that has a picture of a camera on it. Head in the direction of the rock formations on the other side of this open desert area, aiming to the north (left) of the rock that somewhat resembles a pyramid. The colorful landscape north of Rainbow Vista Trail ![]() A range of blue-gray mountains rises beyond that, the Muddy Mountains. Beyond that lies a taller ridge of red-orange sandstone. The nearest formation has tilted rocks painted cream and pink. To your left, look northwest across White Domes Road toward three distinct ridges in the landscape, each painted with different colors. Several paths stray across the sand, so following this part of the trail is not clear cut. To hike to the crest, bear left at the split and head across the open area. However, if you hike up the trail to the outcropping first and then continue on to Fire Canyon Overlook, you should be able to put off the confusing junctions for the hike back when you are much less likely to get off course. The false path is more worn-in than the actual trail, leading many hikers (including your humble writer) to blow right past the real trail and march up to a dead end canyon with less to look at. Just after turning right at the marked junction, you’ll need to veer left at what amounts to an unmarked junction to avoid taking a well-worn path that only goes a short distance to the southwest. If you turn to the right, in order to continue on the longer trail, you will need to watch out for a misleading spur that dead ends. The split in Rainbow Vista Trail and the crest with the viewpoint The easiest way to reach this viewpoint is to stay to the left at the split. The crest boasting the nice 360-degree views lies straight ahead and is a mini-summit roughly shaped like a pyramid. The trail curves around both sides of this open area. Ahead is an area of open desert backed by paler colored rock formations. ![]() Trudge gradually downhill through the sand and come to a marked split, 0.15 miles from the start. Sandstone formations along the south side of the trail Pass a monolith on your right to get a view of a large assembly of formations that look like an enlarged version of the towers of wet sand you might make when building a castle at the beach. Set out east on a sandy trail between tall formations of red sandstone. It is an “Adventure in Color” for you to experience by car and on foot. This is wild, virtually untouched wilderness. The great maze of canyons, domes, towers, ridges, and valleys before you are carved from sand deposited during the time when dinosaurs walked the earth. ![]() You are looking across 150 million years of time. The views get even better once you leave the road and start hiking. Arrive at a turnout for Rainbow Vista, step out of your car, and you’ll be blown away by the landscapes to the north painted in whites, yellows, and pinks. Drive up White Domes Road from the Visitor Center in Valley of Fire and you might be thinking that the landscapes of red sandstone couldn’t get any more amazing.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |