Kodachrome Basin State Park

A couple of years ago a travel newsletter dropped into my inbox with recommendations for substitutes for crowded popular tourist spots. This one said instead of Bryce Canyon National Park visit Kodachrome Basin State Park nearby; just as beautiful but without the crowds. I’ve been wanting to see it ever since.

In fact, I wanted to camp here, but in January when I was making reservations for this area, none of the twenty-seven serviced sites that would fit our 35 foot trailer were available. But since I added the time at nearby Bryce Valley Ranch RV and Horse Park we could at least come and visit.

Kodachrome Basin was named after the famous Kodak color film by a National Geographic team that came here in 1949. You can see why.

Our first stop was Chimney Rock, and there were no crowds.

In fact, there was only one other car parked and we never saw those people.

This is one of nearly 70 such spires found in the park. They are made up of sedimentary rock, but the exact origin of these pipes is unknown.

Another draw for us was that dogs are allowed on the trails and there were two trails that looked like they were okay for the stroller. This is Matey in his stroller at the beginning of the Grand Parade Trail.

Although there were difficult spots I was able to negotiate the mile and a half trail.

It took us past spires,

and close to huge stone walls,

There were rugged, colorful formations.

There were areas where the canyon walls were beginning to form hoodoos.

One of the rock spires was right by the trail.

It was a lovely trail.

Matey and I then did another short trail. This was hard packed gravel and suitable for wheelchairs, so pushing the stroller on it was easy.

Though only four-tenths of a mile long it was packed with beauty.

It had its own sedimentary pipe. I let Matey pose in the closest shade patch for scale.

It had plenty of the famous color,

and some huge red boulders that looked almost like sand dunes, but were rocks.

Kodachrome Basin is certainly beautiful, and I would recommend going to see it,

but as a substitute for Bryce? I don’t think so.