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Home > Archive > Jul 12, 2007

Twisted Forest Gives Scenic ‘Breaks’ From Summer Heat
By Sharon May
Managing Editor
If you feel like giving your legs a good stretch between plays at the Shakespearean Festival or just want to find some relief from summer’s heat, think Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Surprisingly, it’s really not that far from town – from Cedar City or from Dixie. Just 17 beautiful miles east on Highway 14 from Cedar City to the turnoff to Brian Head on Highway 148 and another few minutes brings you to Cedar Breaks National Monument. Even if you go no farther than the visitor center, you’ll find stunning rim views of the colorful formations of what seems a giant bowl of cascading orange sand castles.
Signage information states the pinkish-orange rock is Wasatch limestone – not sandstone, much to my surprise. It’s the same formation found at Bryce Canyon, which explains why Cedar Breaks is so similar to Bryce. From the visitor center, easy trails along the rim take you to other overlooks, each spectacular.
At over 10,000 feet in elevation, the temperature is a good 20 degrees cooler than in Cedar City – and add another 10 degrees cooler compared to Dixie. On a 109-degree day in St. George, it was a delightful 78 degrees for my hike.
In July, the meadows of the Markagunt Plateau flash with bright wildflowers – lupine, penstemon, larkspur, primrose, columbine and more. The monument’s second annual Wildflower Festival continues to July 22. The festival features guided ranger walks and hikes, photography workshops, interpretive fieldtrips and other activities. Ask about these opportunities at the visitor center.
Near the visitor center is a pleasant picnic area (perfect for a between-plays repast), and a campground is also nearby. Park entrance is just $4.
For a bit more of a hike, the Twisted Forest trail offers far-reaching views – all the way to Cedar City, northwest beyond Parowan and Cedar Breaks and Brian Head to the east and northeast. The trail also crosses through a hillside of gnarled, bleached, and yet – somehow – still living bristlecone pines. Pondering the age – hundreds to 2,500 years old, according to tree-ring studies – of these twisted pines as you walk among them can put a hiker’s troubles in proper perspective. It’s akin to gazing into the Grand Canyon and feeling your relative smallness – and the pettiness of your worries when considering the vast geologic time spread before you.
As I rubbed the wind-polished trunk of one of these venerable trees – curiously bald of needles, my own lifespan seemed such a brief interlude, and a lot on my mind smoothed into place.
The Twisted Forest trail, marked with a large information sign at the trailhead, leads into the Ashdown Gorge Wilderness, an area rife with flowery meadows, thick aspen stands and conifers such as spruce and ponderosa, springs and streams, and many trails accessed from various points. At just over a quarter mile to the ridge-top ending of the trail, the Twisted Forest trail is a quick look into and over this wilderness.
The trail begins with a short meander to the start of the bristlecone pines, where a few younger trees (what, maybe only a hundred years old!) demonstrate why the tree probably got its name. The pliant needles surround the branch like a bottlebrush, thick and soft when rubbed upwards from the base.
Once the path reaches bristlecones, it heads pretty much straight up a high, pointy hill. Have shoes with good tread because the trail is steep and scrabbled from this point. As you head uphill, the views expand, and so do the bristlecone pines. Contemplating their twisted shapes will give you time to catch your breath and prepare for another stretch of climbing. Before you reach the highest point of the ridge, you’ll probably think, “This is high enough,” because the view grows increasingly spectacular. But don’t stop; the payoff is indeed worth the climb. Trust me, you’ll know where to stop because – without spoiling your surprise – it would be a step down to go farther.
At the trail’s end, while you gather your breath, you’ll gather the sights, which are truly memorably impressive. This is one of those places you’ll want to show to your friends and family and return to the next time you consider where to go for a quick but spectacular (and cool) hike.

Before you go, it would be a good idea to purchase a map of the Cedar City Ranger District of Dixie National Forest. You can purchase a map at the BLM Interagency Office, 345 E. Riverside Drive in St. George (688-3246) or at the Cedar City Ranger District, 82 N. 100 West in Cedar City (435) 586-2401.


When You Go

Length: Twisted Forest Trail is 1.20 miles roundtrip
Elevation gain: last quarter mile to overlook, about 250 feet gain
Difficulty: easy, but with moderately strenuous uphill climb to overlook
Payoff: Spectacular views at the end of the trail – well worth the climb.
Getting there: From Cedar City, take Highway 14 east approximately 17 miles and take the turnoff to Brian Head and Cedar Breaks (Highway 148). At the junction with Highway 143, take it left toward Brian Head. When you get to the large sign for the turnoff to Brian Head, set your trip odometer. Road 204 is .7 miles past the sign, on the left. Follow 204 2.4 miles to Road 265 (go left at the “Y” – toward Sugar Loaf). Follow 265 for .9 miles and turn left onto a narrow road numbered 964. The well-marked trailhead is in .2 miles.

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