Kodachrome Basin

Visited: April 2018

I can't say enough about this park. From 2 year old me being pumped as heck to see some rocks and breaking down when I got tired and hungry and cranky, crying that "I don't want to be in the middle of nowhere, I want to be in the middle of SOMEwhere!"; to a 25 year old adult who was so relieved to finally be in the middle of nowhere, and took up running again to make sure I would have time to do all the trails before I had to leave Tropic, it's just made me so happy that it exists.

It's named "Kodachrome" because the deep hues of the rocks reminded people of the color film prints by Kodachrome Film. National Geographic suggested the name and ok'd it with Kodachrome. The "Basin" part comes from the fact that it's a geologic basin- it's a place where water flows in to (though you won't see much, if any, while you are here).

As I said, I did every trail here over 2 afternoon visits, though I didn't do the FULL loop at Shakespeare Arch. Only so much daylight! I would suggest this arch, the Angel's Palace Trail, and Panorame Point if you don't have time for all of them. I also got a Junior Ranger badge here. I liked hanging out with the seasonal rangers- I think we were both desperate for human interaction with people our own age, not retirees, children, or teachers. I got to drop some knowledge about the state parks system when people were asking the entrance booth, like passing notes for the answers lol. They were cool.

This park's claim to fame is the stone spires that tower seemingly impossibly out of the ground. There's a few theories about how these formed, and I'll let you choose your favorite when you visit! Make sure you visit the small museum attached to the entrance booth to get some great geologic diagrams.

One of the spires

The Angel's Palace

It me

Shakespeare Arch

The Sentinel

Always read the plaque- even if it's seen better days

My Jeep

Junior Ranger!

Me in 2016

Me and my daddy in 1994
(Yes that bright yellow thing is a leash. I was a leash baby. It was the reason I survived and I'm not mad about it in the slightest)

Ran this trail so I would have time for all of them!

Not sure what this was about. No plaque!