Spring 2012: Saturday (4/14) – LaSal Mountain Loop

Today turned out to be cold, windy, and with a potential of rain so we decided to take a drive.  The LaSal Mountain Loop is 60 miles that takes you through the Manti-La Sal National Forest and offers great views of the 12,000 foot plus peaks and the red rock canyons far below.  You are up in the hills surrounded by Aspens.  We managed to come up on a grouse the size of a turkey sleeping along the side of the road. We then came up on about a dozen actual turkeys in the middle of the road.  The route continued down through Castle Valley and back out along the Colorado.  After a nice lunch at the Moab Diner in town we settled in for a relaxing afternoon.

These are the LaSal Mountains from the loop road.

Here is that fat, sleepy grouse - she never moved an inch.

In town everything was already green but up here the Aspens hadn't even started to bud.

Here are some of the turkeys beside the road - no toms, only hens.

Here is why they call this area Castle Valley.