🐫 Camelback and the Vortex ꩜, with Rock Art

Rating: 4-5 miles total. 1100 feet of climbing.

This hike is in conjunction with Red Rock Hiking.

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This is a two part hike. First we stop along the highway to Gunlock for a quick steep 300ft dirt road climb up to a good rock art location. The glyphs are found on various large black lava boulders scattered over a hilltop above the highway and the Santa Clara River.

Following that, we drive past Gunlock and up to Camelback, where we get to travel around on an expansive and complicated outcrop of red and white sandstone, with a central ridge in the shape of a very large camel's back. Various routes go up and around and over and behind everything in sight. It's great.

While it's pretty solid, most of the rock has significant slant, and therefore you will need some ankle strength to maintain your poise for the duration of the hike. If you have any sort of recent experience on rougher terrain, that should be sufficient.

Camelback itself is a square mile of amazing redrock goodness, out near Gunlock. It requires moderate rockwalking skills, plus the stamina to climb and descend an accumulated 800 vertical feet of elevation.

And yes, it has a "vortex" of sorts, really just a glorified solution pit in the redrock, but it is pretty cool. Be aware, though that many have visited it and it's full of carved signatures on the inside. Modern petroglyphs if you will.

In short, it's a great easy-to-moderate exploration trip on red rock that's very much like Zion National Park.

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The Drive: It's about 40 minutes on good pavement and about two miles of very easy, wide dirt road. Most any car can make it with a bit of ground clearance.

Prep: 2-3 big bottles of water, good foot gear, leather gloves, optional hiking pole, sun hat, and shades for the bright white rock.

See you there! M+J :)

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Notice: Meetup organizers are not touring guides and are not park rangers. Expect the same risks and take the same precautions you would if you were hiking alone. You are solely responsible for your own safety and well-being. By signing up for and/or attending this Meetup event, you acknowledge, understand, accept, and agree that hiking and other outdoor activities can be dangerous and can cause serious bodily injury and possibly death. The organizers of this group and current and former members cannot be held responsible or liable in any way for the actions of any participant - including you - at any event. All attendees participate at an event at their own risk and are solely responsible for any damage to their property, and/or injury to themselves or their guests. By signing up for and/or attending this Meetup event, you affirm that you understand this disclaimer and that you knowingly and voluntarily agree not to bring any type of claim arising out of or related to this Meetup event against the organizers of this Meetup group.