THINGS TO DO:
Fossils: Shells, bones, burrows, all of which are plentiful, throughout the Base Camp area.
Rocks & Minerals: Base Camp and the surrounding area have unfathomable combinations of each and petrified wood can be found at two areas on the property.
Tracking: Nothing like hiking down the trail early in the morning and picking out where big horn came through, lizards gathered, or the activities of various types of nightly critters that crossed the trail as we were sleeping. We have three locations where dinosaurs prowled this land 180 million years ago.
Hiking and Climbing: We've got at least a couple days worth of hiking and non technical climbing available. We'll give you several options and what you might see or experience on each.
Mountain Biking: Probably the second most famous (after Slick Rock) and perhaps one of the most difficult bike trails in the region is the Amasa Back loop. Beginning at Base Camp, up and then down Hurrah Pass, through Kane Creek Canyon to the Cliffhanger trail, then to the top of the Amasa Back and down Jacobs Ladder, through Jackson Hole and back to the lodge. If too challenging, there are alternatives running right through the property.
Wildlife: Eagles, Blue Heron, Peregrine Falcon, Raven, Vulture, Canada Geese, Big Horn, Bobcat, Wild Turkey, Deer, Snake, Lizard, Rabbit, Squirrel, Chipmunk, Hawk, Toad, Otter, Beaver, Fish, Owl, Fox, Bat, all live on the property or visit it frequently enough you've got decent odds of observing them.
Colorado River: On most days we can walk a couple hundred feet and jump in the river. Some days, depending on which side of the river the channel is on, the water level can be a bit more challenging than other days, but usually we can find an option.
Boat sightseeing: Give us one day's notice and we'll see if we can get Tag A Long to swing by the lodge and pick you up for a few leisurely hours down and back up the river. It's around $74 per person and quite a trip.
Land sightseeing: We can take the truck, jeep, ATV's or hike it and head off to a vast number of places of interest. The high road, Land of the Skinny People, Stairway to Heaven, Place of a Thousand Eyes, Chicken Corner, Indian cave and petraglyphs, catacombs, slot and finger canyons, uranium mines, tour of the property, Big Horn trail to the Wind Caves, a site where arrowheads were made, Jacobs Ladder, and a Lockhart Basin canyon hike to an Indian granary with petrified corn on the cob still in it.
Tortoise hike: If you haven't gone hiking with Kobae our security tortoise, you haven't really lived. What a character. Try getting Kobae to go where you want him to go. He never goes the easy way and he's not good at taking direction. You're better to take a book, something to eat and drink, and a walkie talkie, let him go where he wants, and call us when he's exhausted your patience and or stamina. The boy can hike. We have plenty of pocket books you can take and in hundreds of days and a thousand miles of hiking with the problem child, we've read most of them. A camera would be a good idea. You won't believe the stuff he tries to do, and usually does.
Petroglyphs: On the way out to the lodge, on the way back, and near the lodge.
Exploring: The catacombs are a ten minute jeep ride from the lodge and you can easily spend a good part of a day exploring them or the mine complex just a few miles past there..
Hogan construction and repair: On those extremely rare rain days, we're pretty much focused on hiking up the hill above the lodge and putting mud on our Navajo hogans to keep them maintained. You are certainly welcome to join us.
Photography/drawing/painting: You don't need to leave the lodge. The landscape is incredible and most mornings and evenings you'll look off the deck and think to yourself "Unbelievable."
Sunrise: Usually, worth getting up for.
Sunset: Even Kobae likes to get back to the lodge in time for sunsets.
Night Sky: When the moon comes up over Hurrah Pass or the Anti Cline depending on the time of the year, it's almost like daylight. You can step off the porch and see your shadow. On nights the moon doesn't come up or is diminished in size, the Milky Way will startle you with the number of stars that appear for you. It's not uncommon for city folk to think we got smog.
Cataract Canyon and Lake Powell: Tag A Long will pick you up at the lodge and take you on a one to four day journey (your choice) down the Colorado River to the confluence, where the Colorado River merges with the Green River, through the infamous Cataract Canyon and it's rapids to Lake Powell. About 120 miles total. As the Colorado flows by Base Camp at about 4 miles per hour, you can do the math as to why it takes so long to get to Lake Powell. Tag A Long can also have your vehicle waiting for you at Lake Powell to continue your journey. Tag A Long doesn't do this every day so it's best to work this one out in advance.
Disc golf: That's right. Our disc golf course has been ranked as one of the three most extreme disc golf courses in the world. Iraq and Antarctica are the other two. Players from all over the country come to play and this is the one they talk about. Don't go left on 1 or right on 5 unless you can swim. Don't go right on 14 unless you can fly.
Base Camp at Disc Golf Course Review:
www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=2774
Nothing: If none of the above is your answer to a mythical question as to what we've listed as options for things to do, you can sit on the back porch and watch the occasional boat or raft come by and just relax, something you may have forgotten how to do.
For something to grow to be even knee high probably took it 75 years. In our mind, anything that fights for 75 years to be two feet high, deserves to live. We have distinctive tires on our vehicles and while we normally escort or lead, if at any time we find you have traveled off the trail, we'll boot your ass. There is no riding here on the property other than to leave and return from the day's ride.
This is an incredible place and we're going to keep it that way.
