Originally developed by a rancher named John Atlantic Burr to move his cattle between summer and winter grazing grounds, the Burr Trail is now one of those classic Utah “backways” that the State frequently advertises as it takes you into some of Utah’s most beautiful and extraordinary country with views of the Henry Mountains, the colorfully contorted Waterpocket Fold, red Circle Cliffs, and Long Canyon.
I’ve been lucky enough to spend A LOT of time in a bunch of America’s parks and have huge appreciation for what the National Parks Service does while accomplishing their mission.
I was speeding through Canyonlands National Park on my way to Grand Viewpoint for sunrise when I saw the Mesa Arch trailhead parking lot had only three cars in it. For a Saturday morning in the spring, I simply couldn’t believe it.
We were pretty bummed to have not finished the entire trail, but after hearing that it rained and snowed throughout the entire day and into the night, we were pretty relieved and we knew we made the right decision.
The pitter-patter of rain against my tent in Cascade Canyon was not a welcome sound the next morning. It was still early, so I just kept lying there – no desire to get out of my tent until I could at hear someone else moving.
Knowing our third day on the Teton Crest Trail was set to be our longest and knowing there was an 80% chance of afternoon storms, we got moving towards Mt Meek Pass and Alaska Basin fairly quickly.
After the Teton Crest Trail crosses Fox Creek Pass and reenters Grand Teton National Park, the trail then traverses the Death Canyon Shelf for nearly four miles.
I had gone into this trip with the highest of high expectations, but felt pretty ‘blah’ that first morning. It had been nice, but not ‘best trail in the country’ nice.
The late-August weather was absolutely perfect – Warm in the sun, cool (almost cold) in the shade, a slight breeze, and barely a cloud in the sky.