Wonderland of Rocks - 2.27.2024
We parked at the unpaved parking lot located a quarter-mile NE of the very popular paved parking lot for Barker Dam... and started hiking on the Wall Street Mill Trail.
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In less than a tenth of a mile the trail splits... the trail to the left goes over to the Walt Bagley Homestead (aka 'The Pink House')... but we will stay on the main trail.
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Less than a tenth of a mile from the previous photo the trail splits again. Folks doing the trip to the Wall Street Mill can make a loop out of the hike from here by taking either trail here and coming back via the other trail. We took the trail to the left.
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No... we did not park one of our cars here.
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Continuing to hike on the Wall Street Mill Trail... with Queen Mountain on the horizon. We are getting fairly close to the Wall Street Mill, but we will head into the Wonderland of Rocks on the left before we reach the mill.
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After hiking two-thirds of a mile we left the Wall Street Mill Trail and are entering the Wonderland of Rocks.
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Hiking NW into the Wonderland of Rocks.
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Less than a third of a mile after entering the wonderland Star Dancer wanted to show us a very interesting area that was roughly 80 feet of elevation gain up a gully.
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Looking back and watching Denali Girl coming up to join Star Dancer and me.
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Still gaining elevation... here looking over at South Astro Dome and North Astro Dome on the horizon in the middle of the photo.
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Denali Girl squeezes through some boulders.
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I decided to separate from Star Dancer and Denali Girl and see how high I could go up.
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High enough to look NE over to Queen Mountain on the horizon.
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High enough to look SW beyond the wonderland rocks to Quail Mountain (the high point in the park)... barely visible on the horizon in the middle of the photo.
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Looking down at Denali Girl from my high point... now I need to find a way to go back down and join the ladies.
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Denali Girl took this photo of me up near my high point.
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I've come down from my high point and need to crawl through this little tunnel to reach the ladies.
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Going through what feels like a tunnel... a good photographer would have been able to show you what was out there in the distance.
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Gaining elevation trying to find the ladies.
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I have found Denali Girl as she works her way past two Yucca plants.
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Lots of vegetation in Star Dancer's gully.
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We have found Star Dancer at what seems like a dead end.
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Wow... kind of looks like a staircase leading up to the top.
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Denali Girl took this photo of me trying to climb up the staircase... but that is high as I could go because the rock was kind of pushing into my stomach... and I wasn't sure if I could handle it coming back down.
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Coming back down.
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Back down on the desert floor... and continuing to hike NW in the Wonderland of Rocks.
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Continuing to hike NW in the Wonderland of Rocks.
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Continuing to hike NW in the Wonderland of Rocks... with South Astro Dome and North Astro Dome on the horizon in the left-center of the photo. It would be relatively easy to get over there and then loop back out of the wonderland... but we are going to loop out of the wonderland by going in a different direction.
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Continuing to hike NW in the Wonderland of Rocks.
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Denali Girl makes herself small.
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Still hiking NW in the wonderland... but getting ready to start hiking east toward Queen Mountain.
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Getting ready to turn to the east.
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Now hiking through a narrow gap... and we can see a little piece of Queen Mountain through the gap on the horizon.
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Dodging Yucca plants as we hike east in the wonderland... with Queen Mountain on the horizon.
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Now hiking SE as we try to reach the Wall Street Mill.
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Ride'em Cowgirl.
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Looking back at where we came from.
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Now hiking SE we need to get through this narrow little canyon if we are going to reach the Wall Street Mill.
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Coming down the little canyon in the previous photo.
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Denali Girl is making herself small.
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Denali Girl is not smiling... but we are still married.
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One challenge after another in this little canyon.
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We are almost out of the little canyon.
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Denali Girl hiking out of the little canyon.
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Coming out of the little canyon.
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We are out of the Wonderland of Rocks and getting very close to the Wall Street Mill.
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No... this isn't our truck.
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After hiking a total of 2.3 miles we have reached the Wall Street Mill... and are getting ready to close the loop portion of our hike.
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Now hiking south back to the parking lot.
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The parking lot is a stone's throw away... the total hike was 3 miles, gaining 263 feet of elevation.
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