Posted by Timothy Tonge on September 24, 2007 at 12:12 AM
Had scheduled some time off last week, and headed into Western Colorado and Utah. My first stop Wed 9-19 afternoon was Rattlesnake Canyon, near the Colorado Monument in Western Colorado.
The 12-13 mile road in was dry and passable with my Trailblazer, with my stopping just 200 yards or so from the roads end and parking account 1 spot I didnt want to attempt. That said, it was every bit of an hour to travel the 10 miles.
After the drive, another 2 1/2 to 3 mile hike into the various arches is needed, with nine arches in the area. This represents the largest concentraion of arches in Colorado.
Posted by Timothy Tonge on September 24, 2007 at 12:13 AM
Rattlesnake Canyon is just below the arches, here is an image looking towards the canyon itself.
Posted by Timothy Tonge on September 24, 2007 at 12:16 AM
A third image taken from the trip.
Light was good in the late afternoon, which was fortunate as that's when I did hike in (didnt know if light would be better in morning or afternoon before I hiked in). Allow the better portion of a morning or afternoon, as the drive will take an hour each way plus a 6 mile round trip hike, ending in a 400 foot ASCENT out of the canyon (always hate when the uphill portion comes at the end of the hike).
Posted by Tim Behle on September 24, 2007 at 1:45 AM
Those are some beautiful shots. It looks like your weather cooperated better for you, than it did for me today. I went though a different Rattlesnake Canyon in SE Arizona. There was a sign at the mouth of the canyon that read "It's named Rattlesnake Canyon for a reason, Be Careful!"
Posted by Mel Ladewig on September 24, 2007 at 9:09 AM
Very nice Timothy. The glow on the arch in the first shot is particularly nice.
This is an area that I'd like to get to as well. Thanks for the trip report.
I like the 2nd shot for the feeling of elevation and separation from the BG. Thanks for the report.
Posted by Rick Dunn on September 24, 2007 at 7:15 PM
Cool shots, Timothy! I'm really diggin' that second one. If you ever want to do a "hotspot" writeup on the area, I'd love to add it to the RMNP collection - looks like a fascinating place.
Posted by Momo Vuyisich on September 24, 2007 at 7:34 PM
The light under the arch in the first photo is great. The others are very nice too. Thanks for posting.
Posted by Dan Walters on September 25, 2007 at 7:56 PM
Discussion
8 repliesThe 12-13 mile road in was dry and passable with my Trailblazer, with my stopping just 200 yards or so from the roads end and parking account 1 spot I didnt want to attempt. That said, it was every bit of an hour to travel the 10 miles.
After the drive, another 2 1/2 to 3 mile hike into the various arches is needed, with nine arches in the area. This represents the largest concentraion of arches in Colorado.
Light was good in the late afternoon, which was fortunate as that's when I did hike in (didnt know if light would be better in morning or afternoon before I hiked in). Allow the better portion of a morning or afternoon, as the drive will take an hour each way plus a 6 mile round trip hike, ending in a 400 foot ASCENT out of the canyon (always hate when the uphill portion comes at the end of the hike).
This is an area that I'd like to get to as well. Thanks for the trip report.