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Red Cliffs National Conservation Area Waterfalls

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Second Waterfall on Quail Creek

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The Red Reef Trail in St. George, Utah follows Quail Creek to a pair of waterfalls that are at times completely dry.

The trail head starts at the Red Cliffs Campground. The best spot to park, is near campsite #2, if you can get it. Parking is extremely limited, so go midweek or very early in the morning or late in the day or you will struggle with parking.

It’s 2.2 miles out-and-back and it’s an easy trail for kids. The trail passes old cottonwood trees, an alcove with Pictographs, and reflection pools in the creek.

The waterfalls were totally dry in December and January but rain and snow came in February and the water is still flowing headed into April.

If you hike the trail stop, at the alcove on the way to the waterfalls. I will cover the alcove, pictographs, reflection pools, mountains, and other areas of Red Cliffs in following posts.

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Grafton Ghost Town Cemetery Sunset

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Grafton is a ghost town, just south of Zion National Park in Washington County, Utah, United States. Said to be the most photographed ghost town in the West, it has been featured as a location in several films, including 1929’s In Old Arizona—the first talkie filmed outdoors—and the classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The nearest inhabited town is Rockville.

To get to Grafton, you cross the Rockville bridge built for the National Park Service in 1924 to provide a link between Zion National Park and the North Rim area of Grand Canyon National Park.

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Full Moon Over Rockville Steel Girder Bridge Near Zion National Park

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The Rockville Bridge and Grafton Ghost Town are just outside Zion National Park. The bridge was built for the National Park Service in 1924 to provide a link between Zion National Park and the North Rim area of Grand Canyon National Park.

The bridge was designed by the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads for the Park Service, fabricated by the Minneapolis Steel and Machinery Company, and erected by Ogden contractor C.F. Dinsmore. The bridge spans 217 feet (66 m) in a single span, using a steel twelve-panel Parker through-truss.

The Rockville Bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

 

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Quail Creek State Park, Mouth of Creek, Sunset Reflections

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Quail Creek State Park is very close to where we live. It’s a small but popular park for fishing, boating, kayaking, and hiking.

Quail Creek reservoir was completed in 1985 to provide irrigation and culinary water to the St. George area. Most of the water in the reservoir does not come from Quail Creek but is diverted from the Virgin River and transported through a buried pipeline.

Two dams form the reservoir. The main dam is an earth-fill embankment dam. The south dam is a roller compacted concrete dam, constructed to replace the original earth-fill dam that failed in the early hours of New Year’s Day 1989.

The maximum depth of Quail Creek can reach 120 feet, so it is cold enough to sustain the stocked rainbow trout, bullhead catfish, and crappie. Largemouth bass, which is also stocked, and bluegill thrive in the warmer, upper layers of the reservoir.

Standing In the Creek 

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Quail Creek State Park, Sunset Reflections From Overlook

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Quail Creek State Park is very close to where we live. It’s a small but popular park for fishing, boating, kayaking, and hiking.

Quail Creek reservoir was completed in 1985 to provide irrigation and culinary water to the St. George area. Most of the water in the reservoir does not come from Quail Creek but is diverted from the Virgin River and transported through a buried pipeline.

Two dams form the reservoir. The main dam is an earth-fill embankment dam. The south dam is a roller compacted concrete dam, constructed to replace the original earth-fill dam that failed in the early hours of New Year’s Day 1989.

The maximum depth of Quail Creek can reach 120 feet, so it is cold enough to sustain the stocked rainbow trout, bullhead catfish, and crappie. Largemouth bass, which is also stocked, and bluegill thrive in the warmer, upper layers of the reservoir.

Park Overlook at Sunset

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Bond Falls, Michigan UP, Autumn

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I took these shots of Bond Falls about a year ago on my final farewell Autumn photography tour of the Midwest.

Bond Falls is a scenic waterfall created as the middle branch of the Ontonagon river tumbles over a thick belt of fractured rock, dividing it into numerous small cascades. Roadside parking and picnic tables are available near the top of the falls. An accessible boardwalk with six viewing locations.

It takes four things to get a good Autumn image of Bond Falls: Good color, good flows, good technique, clouds. Images of Bond Falls do not look good in the sun.

Bond Falls


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Au Train Falls and Weeping Wall, Alger County Michigan

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There are numerous waterfalls in Alger County Michigan, also home of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

It’s an easy drive to Au Train Falls from Munising. The hike is about 5 minutes.

Much of the time there is so much water there is no formation at all to the falls.

That was the case when I photographed what I call the “Weeping Wall” at the base of road that takes you to the falls.

Weeping Wall


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Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Sable Falls

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Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is one of my favorite spots on Lake Superior. It is a fantastic park for hiking. The waterfalls are exceptional after a Spring or Summer rain.

Sable Falls is best if the water level is not too high as is the case here. Sometimes these huge potholes are completely underwater.

Pictured Rocks NL - Sable Falls (33)
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Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Late Spring Trilliums

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Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is one of my favorite spots on Lake Superior. The park is carpeted with wildflowers at the end of May and early June.

The road to Miner’s Castle is a particularly good spot. I took these images in light rain.


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Starved Rock State Park, Illinois: St. Louis Canyon Canyon and Wildcat Canyon Waterfalls

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Starved Rock State Park is in Utica, Illinois. The park is about 2 hours away from Chicago.

My favorite times to visit, in order, are Autumn, Winter, and Spring. Summer is too crowded and the waterfall flows are typically minimum.

I have covered the area in previous posts extensively and will wrap up Starved Rock in two posts, this being the second to last.

St. Louis Canyon Waterfall

I took that image hiking with a friend this past Autumn. I have been to this spot at least a dozen times but this past Autumn is the first time I made what I would label a good shot. Continue reading “Starved Rock State Park, Illinois: St. Louis Canyon Canyon and Wildcat Canyon Waterfalls” →