Yant Flats near St. George, Utah

We arrived in Utah late last night, after a busy day of visiting the Moab area along the way.  Goblin Valley and Little Wild Horse Canyon were our favorite hikes overall yesterday, and Canyonlands National Park and Capital Reef National Park were interesting to see and add to our list of National Parks we've visited.

I will say, though, it is nice to be here and great to stay put for the next week.  I'm not a fan of all the driving time, miles and miles in the van, although I love seeing the beautiful countryside and checking places off my list, but the kids don't seem to mind too much as long as they get to climb something along the way and play their electronics once the sun sets.  

This morning, we decided to wake on our own time, grab some groceries and then figure out a local hike to stretch our legs and enjoy the sunshine.  When we picked the hike today, we didn't think it was going to be exposed the majority of the way and I didn't count on the last 1/3 mile uphill in sand, but even with the heat, it was an impressive hike and made an impact on the list of cool places we've explored.  

Yant Flat Cliffs promised to be a unique experience and an amazing view and in a few places was called "The Wave" of St. George due to the red and white swirls of sandstone along the cliffs.  This, combined with a few reviews that said their kids loved climbing over the rocks and making up their own trails once they got to the open area, encouraged me to try this hike.  

The directions started out a lot like the directions when we started our hike at Painted Canyon in Mesa, California... "follow a dirt road (4x4 is recommended but in dry conditions other vehicles will be fine) until you reach the coordinates, as there is really not a "trail" marker for this hike".  What would be an adventure without the suspense in trying to figure out where you are going and if you are lost or in the right place?  Right?  

We stopped a few times, sitting once at the top of a narrow gravel road on a hill to gain cell service, while a few dirt bikes scooted around us, as we checked our coordinates again for the "unmarked trailhead", but we finally found our location.  Once we arrived at the coordinates, we were still skeptical until two gentlemen pulled up next to us and we discovered they were going to hike the same hike.

With written instructions, a few bottles of water, a couple hiking sticks and eager kids, we started off.  The hike was 1.3 miles to the flats then off-trail hiking to explore the area.  The first portion was flat and pretty easy, but in the heat of the day, we still had a few complaints.  I made everyone wear pants since I thought we would be scrambling over rocks once we reached our destination, so the heat was a bit more than we anticipated.  

The view was impressive, and the different desert plants and scurrying lizards we spotted along the way kept us interested and eager to see what was ahead.  Once we got to the last portion, possibly the last half of the hike, I was feeling the burn in my legs and Elliot was really turning on his "this is tough" meter.  I really didn't expect hiking uphill in deep sand, like you'd find on the beach, and I was thankful we were only hiking 1.3 miles and not 3 miles, as we would NEVER have made it.  

Elliot, although not happy about the difficulty and heat, toughed it out, and pretty much exhausted, we all made it to the top.  

That view, and the cool breeze that met us, was very much worth the trip.  We sipped some water, sat down for a bit, then set off exploring the area.  I had a hard time keeping up with Derrick and the kids as they scrambled over rocks, partially because I needed to keep myself safe, occasionally stopping to snap photos and maneuvering over the "slick rock" or sandstone while carrying Eli on my back, but their shouts of excitement and heads that would pop up every now and then, kept me moving in the right direction.

Every area had an amazing view and a few areas made my stomach flip-flop with the drop-offs and steep slopes.  

We made it down the slope, to a lower area, and decided to sit in the shade, drink some water, cool down and have a snack before heading back up to the trail to the van.  Eli, not being allowed to run freely because we were on the edge of a cliff, sat at my feet and enjoyed tossing sandstone rocks into the bushes, watching them explode on impact, while his brothers fetched more and kept him entertained.

  

The hike back seemed to be less difficult and soon we were emptying sand from our shoes and heading back down the gravel road to town.  

If we ever come back to St. George, this would be a hike I'd do again, mostly because of the view and also because of the different areas that we didn't explore once we were able to explore off the trail.  I believe there is an eastern exposure we didn't even get to see and I'm excited to explore that side the next time we are here!