Hidden treasure (Casto Canyon)

Early Autumn foliage at Casto Canyon

It's kind of off the beaten track though really not far off it: less than 3 miles north of the Bryce Canyon turnoff, and then about 3 1/2 miles in on an unpaved but well-graded road. To - just a canyon, in about the middle of nowhere.

A wide stony wash, still wet in places from recent rains. Red-orange sandstone walls, lucent against the sky, subtly echoed in the autumn foliage. The rain has washed off and settled the dust, leaving all the rock richer in colour and the sky a crazy clear deep blue, near-cloudless.

Still plenty of heat in the sun, but a cool breeze.

Lone horsewoman approaching down the trail

When we arrived, the carpark was full of a mysterious gathering of equestrians, their vehicles, trailers, camp chairs, drinking buckets, and horses. They were waiting for a few stragglers to come in, on some annual trek they like to do. Looked like a lot of fun. A few OHV operators were buzzing around, too. We left Harry more or less out the way and laced up our hiking boots.

Streambed, fossicker, dead tree

In the stream bed is the usual mixture of different rock types, including in this case some varieties of agate in little stones, fist sized rocks, and even fair-sized boulders. The trail runs alongside the wash then crosses it. Where it crossed, we followed the wash for a few turns and then climbed up through piñon and juniper into a shady little side canyon. Mostly sandstone underfoot here.

Breccia, eroded

I thought I saw a therapod footprint in the sandstone, half covered by chips of stone, the three toe marks very distinct and deep. Also a chunk of sandstone with a crystal-edged hole in it. Stupidly did not photograph either. Did photograph some pine cones, a tree, a fine paving stone of eroding breccia (sometimes seriously question my own fitness to live, or at least operate a camera.)

Lens flare, taken in a hurry. Simon gets to use the new hammers
(another rock hammer and an Estwing cracking hammer, since you ask)
and, of course, the safety glasses, at Agate Hill.

It was interesting to see how the photos came out. A lot of the orange looked so washed out compared with the real thing, like the camera had sort of gone "no, look, I'm sorry, nothing is that orange. Let me just fix that for you." Dear reader, it is that orange. The camera lied.

We came here because about half a mile closer to the highway, there's an agate collecting site (called Agate Hill. Where do they come up with these names?) We had planned to go there first but got side-tracked. Well done us ... we did go and collect some agate afterwards, but the canyon itself was the big find of the day.

Would go back 10/10

Road to Casto Canyon, outlook from Agate Hill turnoff