Discover the Desert: Escape the heat at this Southern Utah marvel

Written by Alysha Lundgren
August 25, 2024

ST. GEORGE — St. George is stunning, surrounded by red cliffs and a sprawling desert landscape. But as beautiful as it is, sometimes Southern Utahns need a little break from the heat. And I know just the place.

The sun sets over Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah, June 25, 2022 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

In this episode of Discover the Desert, I travel to over 10,000 feet in elevation to take in the incredible views at Cedar Breaks National Monument. It’s an amazing place to escape Washington County’s scorching summer heat.

Cedar Breaks is one of my favorite places in Southern Utah. Its carved amphitheater, reminiscent of Bryce Canyon National Park, sprawling meadows, stunning wildflowers and some of the coolest, oldest trees in Utah make it a must-see.

From Cedar City, the breaks are a short 30-minute drive or just a bit longer. Those driving from Washington County should plan about an hour and 20 minutes for travel time, but there’s plenty to see along the way.

Cedar Breaks National Monument superintendent Kathleen Gonder said the monument is the perfect place to find some solitude.

St. George News reporter and Discover the Desert host Alysha Lundgren talks with Cedar Breaks National Monument superintendent Kathleen Gonder at Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah, July 31, 2024 | Photo by Aaron Crane, St. George News

“You can be by yourself,” she said. “You can listen to the sound and be quiet. You can hear the birds chirping. You can hear the pika and the animals. And, oh my gosh, this view – you just, you just – it beats a postcard.”

The monument contains over 6,000 acres of high desert landscape on the Markagunt Plateau. I stopped by the North View Overlook on state Route 148 before hitting up the Alpine Pond loop. The view of the “breaks” was breathtaking.

They were formed over 60-90 million years. During the Cretaceous period, Cedar Breaks was at the edge of a sea. Gonder said the area used to be much lower in elevation and relatively flat.

“If you dig down – please don’t dig – but you would find shark’s teeth, those types of aquatic fossils that you would find in the bed of an ocean,” she said.

The sun sets over Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah, Sept. 3, 2021 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

As the sea retreated sediment was deposited in an ancient waterbody called Lake Claron, according to the National Park Service.

“By about 60 million years ago, streams were bringing sand, silt and mud into Lake Claron, where it settled to the lake bottom,” the service states. “Small organisms like snails fed in the muddy ooze, adding their calcareous skeletons to the detritus upon their death. Trace amounts of iron in the sediment would combine with oxygen and water, ‘rusting’ many of the layers into warm red, orange, and pink hues.”

Over millennia, the lake rose and fell, and the climate changed. These changes to the landscape can be seen in the unique and colorful layers that make up the amphitheater. Beginning about 10 million years ago, the land started moving upward, driven by the action of the Hurricane Fault.

St. George News reporter and Discover the Desert host Alysha Lundgren explores Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah, July 31, 2024 | Photo by Aaron Crane, St. George News

Multiple smaller streams then carved the amphitheater, eventually flowing into Cedar City’s Coal Creek. St. George News reported that the watershed at Cedar Breaks could change rapidly, following more routes and creating a rounded amphitheater.

Gonder said the ground is “very susceptible to rain and freezing. And so we here at 10,000 feet, we get well over 200 days a year of freeze-thaw, freeze-thaw, and it just breaks the soil and crumbles it. … So if you look out and you can see the different colors. Those are different types of soil that have different hardness to them, so they erode at different rates. So you’re going to start getting these fins, you’re going to get hoodoos.”

Hiking Cedar Breaks

Cedar Breaks has multiple trails and overlooks available to visitors, including the Alpine Pond loop, which is in a figure-eight shape. The trail features upper and lower options and is about 1 to 2 miles long, depending on your choices. There are two trailheads: one at the Chessman’s Ridge parking lot and one at the Alpine Pond loop parking lot, adding to the “choose your own adventure” design.

Bristlecone pine trees grow along the Alpine Pond loop at Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah, July 31, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

I prefer to begin at Chessman’s before winding my way through stands of quaking aspens, green meadows adorned with colorful wildflowers, and amazing views of the breaks. A short 5-minute walk from the parking lot leads to a stand of bristlecone pine trees.

These gnarled pines might look old, but they’re actually younger than many of the ancient trees that grow on the mountain, like those found at the Spectra Point Overlook, according to the National Park Service.

Bristlecone pine trees can live for thousands of years and are uniquely adapted to extreme conditions at high elevations, like high winds, cold temperatures and short growing seasons. They’re pretty tough.

A walk on the wild side

In this file photo, a pika perches on a rock in the Tushar Mountains, Utah, Sept. 19, 2023 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News

Each time I hike the loop, I see wildlife. It’s a great bird-watching spot, but visitors may also glimpse pikas, ermines, deer, marmots and others. Pikas are relatives of rabbits known for their spunky attitudes. They live in the harsh conditions of the talus slope, made up of volcanic rock.

Gonder said they are very susceptible to climate change and heat.

“As our climate gets hotter, they keep going higher and higher in elevation because their body temperature can only handle a very small degree change,” she said. “They’re amazing animals.”

Grass grows along the edge of Alpine Pond at Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah, July 31, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

The pond itself is home to various insects and barred tiger salamanders. It was likely created when an underground cave collapsed, forming a sinkhole filled with spring water.

“It is beautiful,” Gonder added. “This beautiful little pond nestled in the trees.”

I love sitting by the water, watching the salamander larvae, and listening to the birds sing. It’s a great place to relax, but remember not to leave anything behind, especially trash or live animals – don’t ditch your fish.

‘Nature is amazing’

In this file photo, fly agaric grows in Dixie National Forest, Utah, Aug. 26, 2022 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News

Despite the harsh conditions, Cedar Breaks is bursting with life. In wetter months, you’ll likely spot various types of mushrooms along the trail. And I’ve seen some weird ones. My favorite, though, is amanita muscaria, or fly agaric. They’re one of the most famous and successful mushroom species on the planet. With their red cap speckled with white spots, they remind me of Super Mario.

You might also notice that there are many dead trees in the area. These skeleton Englemann Spruce were mostly killed in the late 1990s and early aughts by a bark beetle infestation that hit a large swath of the Markagunt Plateau. The good news is that these dead trees, also called snags, can be used as shelter for various animals and as a hunting lookout for birds of prey.

There’s still plenty of color on the Alpine Pond loop and throughout the park, which is a great place to get a peek at some of the area’s gorgeous blooms, including bluebells, lupines and columbines. Gonder said one of her favorite places is the first metal bench seen as you approach the monument from Cedar City.

Flowers bloom at Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah, July 31, 2024 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

“It’s just a sea of yellow flowers,” she said. “And then it’s going to turn purple, and then it’s going to turn white because they all bloom at different times. It is gorgeous. Nature is amazing.”

Cedar Breaks is known for its annual wildflower festival, typically held in June and July. And it’s the perfect place for it, as Visit Cedar City-Brian Head reports the monument is home to over 150 species of wildflower.

The monument hosts various activities throughout the year, including star parties. Cedar Breaks is an incredible place to see the stars and catch a glimpse of the Milky Way. To see a complete schedule, visit the website.

To visit the park, you’ll need to pay a fee—$15 per person and $25 per car. A National Parks Pass costs about $80.

St. George News reporter and Discover the Desert host Alysha Lundgren explores Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah, July 31, 2024 | Photo by Aaron Crane, St. George News

The monument is funded by the U.S. Congress but receives additional funding from other sources, including the Zion Forever Project, where visitors interested in supporting Cedar Breaks, Zion National Park and Pipe Springs National Monument, among others, can donate.

Before setting out, Gonder reminds visitors to pack plenty of food and water.

“Please be aware at 10,000 feet that you might not be sweating and hot, but your body is utilizing the liquid and the moisture, and you are much more susceptible to the UV rays because you’re so close – there’s not as much ozone between you and the sun,” she said. “So please drink a lot of water and bring snacks, good footwear.”

And there’s no better way to end an adventure than with a scoop of Handel’s delicious homemade ice cream. Want free ice cream? Leave a comment on social media and tell the Canyon Media crew where we should hike next for your chance to win.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alysha Lundgren joined the St. George News team in 2022. She began her career as a freelancer, writing resource articles for families of children with disabilities. She's also covered topics such as astronomy, recreation and nature. Originally from Nevada, Alysha fell in love with Utah quickly after moving to Cedar City. In her free time, she enjoys wandering and photographing Utah's gorgeous landscapes or hunkering down in a blanket to play video games or read a good book.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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