July 2007

A Kodachrome Moment

I first saw the name Kodachrome Basin while poring over a Utah state map, and it intrigued me; I’ve always been fascinated by the unknown. Why hadn’t I ever heard of the place?

Mention Utah and familiar names such as Zion, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef and Canyonlands come to mind. The state is known for its seven national monuments and five splendid national parks and wonderful rocks in the form of spires, arches, and monoliths.

The parks are all worthy of a visit, certainly, but a small state park in south-central Utah is also deserving of your time: Kodachrome Basin. I found it one spring, and, no matter what brand of film you prefer for your camera, this park is appropriately named. You may spend hours taking photographs of awe-inspiring sites.

Kodachrome Basin State Park is nine miles south of Cannonville off State Route 12, 22 miles east of Bryce Canyon National Park. It is a potpourri of delights. A maze of towering cliffs embrace a clean, well-kept campground on three sides, while a number of red-tinged rock monoliths emerge from the ground at scattered points. Look closely and you’ll see that one resembles the cartoon character Fred Flintstone. Another used to resemble a dinosaur, but it was struck by lightning and looks like a dinosaur no more.

A geologist’s delight, the 2,200-acre park contains multicolored rock formations in shades of red-yellow, pink, white and brown, depending on the time of day.

Kodachrome’s most unique features, however, are the spires or “chimneys” of rock that jut from the valley floor or protrude from the sandstone rocks that nearly surround the park’s campground. The combination of multihued rocks, occasional green vegetation, and chimneys led the National Geographic Society to name the area Kodachrome Basin (with the consent of Eastman Kodak Company.)

If you can, imagine a miniature Yellowstone National Park. At one time, hot springs and mud pots bubbled at Kodachrome, while geysers blew randomly. Geologists believe that Kodachrome’s ancient springs and geysers filled up with sediment, and then solidified. Over time, the softer surrounding sandstone eroded, leaving petrified geysers and the chimney-like formations seen today.

Geologists believe that Kodachrome Basin predates Bryce Canyon by 57 million years. While the formations at Bryce Canyon are fragile red sandstone formed by the continual freezing and thawing of the seasons, the formations at Kodachrome are a cement-like concoction of calcite and sandstone formed by wind and water.

If you like small and quaint places, you’ll love Kodachrome Basin. Six hiking trails ranging from one-quarter-mile to three miles long offer a closer look at the region.

I stayed only two days and one night, yet managed to hike all but one trail. I even had time to drive out to Kodachrome’s Chimney Rock—a separate road leads to this sandpipe and display area—to photograph it at sunset.

If you have an extra night or two, the park’s serene, desert setting makes it a fun place to just sit back and relax.

In addition to hiking, favorite park activities include horseback riding and mountain biking. In the summer, a concessionaire provides horse rentals. One-hour, two-hour and half-day trail rides are available, as well as stagecoach rides.

If you want to see the region from a motorcycle or four-wheel drive vehicle, head south to Cottonwood Canyon and the Paria River areas, where you’ll find unlimited possibilities to explore colorful canyons, mesas and arches. Don’t miss Grosvenor Arch, an elaborate double arch approximately 10 miles southeast of the park. The road to the arch becomes gravel, but it’s smooth enough to be traveled by motorhome or with a towed car.

Kodachrome Basin now is encircled by the new Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, established in 1996 by presidential decree.

When visiting Utah’s more popular national parks, be sure to save a few rolls of film for Kodachrome Basin.

IF YOU GO

Kodachrome Basin State Park: P.O. Box 238, Cannonville, UT 84718; (435) 679-8562. Park Admission for day use is $6 per vehicle. The campground is open year-round and has 27 sites, 22 of them no-hookup RV sites. Amenities include a dump station, fresh spring water, picnic tables, and modern rest rooms with hot showers. A 45-foot maximum RV length limit is imposed. There is a 14-day stay limit. For group site information and reservations, call (800) 322-3770. Campsites cost $15 per night.

Utah Travel Council, Council Hall/Capitol Hill, Salt Lake City, UT 84114; (800) 200-1160; www.utah.com.

Utah Tourism and Recreation Information Center (UTRIC), Council Hall/Capitol Hill, Salt Lake City, UT 84114; (435) 538-1467.

Donna Ikenberry is a writer and photographer who lives in South Fork, Colorado.