Yant Flat, Dixie National Forest. And Llamas.

I had been amazed the previous day in Zion National Park, but the hike to Yant Flat was beyond fantastic, instantly becoming one of my favorite places ever. The trail begins about ten miles down the road after entering the Pine Valley Mountains district of the Dixie National Forest and is approximately a mile and a half hike through gradual sandy hills until it abruptly terminates at an unbelievable mass of sandstone formations, most of which are petrified sand dunes. The organic forms and swirled colored sandstone is set against the green of the surrounding forest, the blue of the sky, and the jagged shapes of the mountains beyond, making it seem as though the rock was randomly deposited in the midst of a foreign landscape. Adding to the incredible-ness is the huge scale of the rocks which dwarf you and often made it difficult to pick out a person in a photo. Tom, Terry, and I climbed around for almost an hour; for me, it was like a playground, and I explored much of it, finding hidden patterns in the rock and interesting formations unseen from the overlooks.

Plus, we drove past llamas on the way to the trail. Excellent day.