October 14, 2023

By Tim Briese

After going to Wyoming in 2017 to see a total solar eclipse we knew that eclipses are quite a memorable sight to see when one is in the direct path of totality. An annular solar eclipse, in which the moon blocks the entire sun except for a thin ring around the moon, was passing right through Utah in October, where Teresa and I were going to visit anyway that month, so it was an easy decision to go see it. The centerline of the eclipse path was going to go right through the remote canyon country of southern Utah which I was quite familiar with. Lodging prices anywhere near the eclipse path were outrageous and selling out quickly. I studied maps and determined that the eclipse path would pass right over UT 276 a few miles north of Bullfrog on Lake Powell. We obtained reasonable lodging at the Super 8 in Green River and could drive down a fast, remote highway about an hour and a half to our destination the next morning. Green River was bustling with eclipse tourists that night and a sign on I-70 warned of heavy eclipse traffic. We left in the dark around 630 the next morning and cruised south on lightly traveled roads across the desert.

sunrise on the utah desert

We took a dirt track a short distance off of UT 276 near the Henry Mountains and set up for eclipse viewing. I determined that we were probably no more than a mile or two from the exact centerline of the eclipse path. There were a handful of other people set up with cameras, tripods, and chairs scattered around in the desert but not many. The eclipse would start to appear around 930 and reach its maximum about 1030. We had about an hour to spare while we waited so we went on a hike over to some interesting looking rock formations.

we hiked over to the beige colored slickrock formations to explore

Back at the truck we watched with our eclipse glasses as the moon gradually engulfed the sun.

watching the eclipse

It got noticeably cooler and the sunlight on the landscape became more dim as the eclipse progressed. During the few minutes when the moon covered nearly the entire sun there was nothing but a very thin ring of the sun visible around the dark orb of the moon. It was an astonishing and unique sight to see, and we were moved with awe more than we expected we would be. I attempted to take photos of the event with a tripod and a filter on my phone camera but it exceeded the capabilities of my equipment, or maybe rather the capabilities of the photographer.

a photo taken part way through the eclipse

After the eclipse we drove a few miles south on the highway to Bullfrog to see Lake Powell, which we hadn’t visited in years.

lake powell

Then we embarked on a drive of the Burr Trail, a 65 mile adventure route that goes through remote and scenic land in southern Utah from Bullfrog to Boulder. There is not a trace of civilization along the entire route. I had driven it once many years before but remembered little about it. The road is mostly hard surfaced these days except for a stretch that goes through a remote section of Capitol Reef National Park. It took us about six hours to do the drive with all of our stops for photos as well as a hike along the way. The variety of scenery is fascinating and seemingly endless.

shortly after we embarked on the burr trail

When we reached the national park we met some hikers who told us about Headquarters Canyon, a short hike to a slot in the Waterpocket Fold, which is a rocky sandstone ridge that runs for dozens of miles through the length of the park. We parked and set forth on the mile and a half roundtrip hike to the slot canyon.

this guy was on the trail

in the canyon

After this the road climbed up the infamous Burr switchbacks through a weakness in the cliffs of the Waterpocket Fold.

the burr switchbacks

view from the top of the switchbacks

a colorful tree along the road

Then the road wound through rolling terrain through a juniper landscape with distant vistas before it climbed up into Long Canyon, one of the most scenic parts of the drive.

in long canyon

After several miles we reached another slot canyon just off the road that was obviously quite popular, with many other visitors.

the entrance to the slot canyon

Shortly after that the road made a dramatic climb up out of Long Canyon and soon we arrived in Boulder. From there we headed south a few miles on UT 12, deservedly designated as an All-American Scenic Byway.  We soon reached Escalante, where we spent the night.