Cedar Canyon Wildlife Management Area: Southern Trail

There is snow in the forecast, and quite a bit of it. I decided I needed to get out for a hike before the melting snow makes for a sloppy mess out on the trail over the next week or so. I figured a quick jaunt over to Cedar Canyon again would be a good choice. I made the short drive over there and hit the road that Noelle, Sierra and I had hiked the previous 2 weekends with lots of great bluff scenery.

After the point where the road descends into the first canyon, I took the road that leads off to the left and would follow that for the rest of my hike.

The road meandered a bit after the split. As I dropped down into a second canyon, there was a trickle of water flowing through it.

I then climbed out of the canyon. The scenery to the north continued to be spectacular.

While I didn't see any bighorn sheep this time, I did see some hawks, turkeys, and turkey vultures. The turkeys were too far away to get decent photos of, but I was able to capture some of their tracks in the dirt.

Soon the road led to an unexpected site. It was an old oil well.

I spent a few minutes checking out the relics of the industrial past,

then continued on with more wonderful views.

The road seemed to end at this sign.

Nearby was a clearing with a livestock tank.

I explored the area a bit, but didn't find anything remarkable, so I turned around for the walk back to the car.

As I walked, I noticed a low rocky ridge and decided to climb it for a view. I wasn't disappointed!

I stopped to admire the view for a bit,

then started to make my way back to the car.