May 4 – La Sal Loop Rd and Fischer Towers

After yesterday, we did a mostly all driving day today. We took the La Sal Loop Road which took us up into the La Sal Mountains where it was nice and cool. Then we headed to a crazy rock formation called the Fischer Towers. We couldn’t resist a hike to get closer. Finally we drove down the Colorado River Gorge to get back home.

As the Loop Road heads up into the mountains you are passing through open range country so you have to watch for cattle crossing the road.

We stopped at our first of many viewpoints to look back down at Moab.

We came to a turnoff to a dirt road called Geyser Basin Road. I couldn’t resist.

We came to a spot where the road was still snowed covered and closed at an elevation of 9800 feet. Our campground is at 4500 feet.

We turned around and headed back to the main loop road.

I saw another little dirt track that I thought might lead to a nice lunch lookout spot.

But it got too rough so we turned around.

The loop road headed higher.

We had lunch at a viewpoint at the highest spot at around 8800 feet.

Looking down into Castle Valley and Castleton Tower.

Heading back down.

Then we headed up Highway 128 to the dirt road turnoff to Fischer Towers.

Looking back to Castle Valley before we head off on the short hike.

The towers are a collection of very tall, very thins walls and spires. After looking at these pictures they are a very pale imitation to being there. You just don’t get the depth to the scene.

 

The one with the squiggle on top has become somewhat famous. A bank commercial showed a woman perched on the very top standing on one foot. I think it had something to do with reaching her goals.

So now all the climbers try to do it. Unfortunately we didn’t see anybody but there had been someone earlier according to another hiker.

The walls are huge. There are people walking across the bottom in the picture below.

 

Since this was originally going to be a no hike day, we only did about a 1 km portion of the trail. It was very hot and it was getting late.

Back out on Highway 128 we followed the Colorado River Gorge back to Moab. Although the high walls were gorgeous, by this time we were in going home mode and didn’t stop.

There were so many bushes beside the road that we never got a good picture of the river.

There was a great paved bike path that went a long way up the river from Moab. It even had its own almost bridge that hung over the river and paralleled the roadway when it was narrow.

This was our last day around Moab. Tomorrow we head to Capital Reef National Park.