Head of Sinbad Pictograph Panel in the Capitol Reef Area. Courtesy/LAM

Happy Canyon, in the Robbers Roost country is one of the wild places covered at the May 15 meeting in Fuller Lodge. Courtesy/LAM

LA MOUNTAINEER News:

Between Utah’s more famous and most visited national parks, centered on the less known Capitol Reef National Park, one finds challenging slot canyons, high mountains, intriguing rock art, and true solitude. 

Low visitation pressure is an invitation to backcountry exploration. The May 15 program of the Los Alamos Mountaineers, by Rick and Lynne Stinchfield, will cover this remote region.

Their program will cover several slot canyons and narrows, in Capitol Reef, the San Rafael Swell, the Dirty Devil River region, and the Little Rockies area. Looking up from the canyons, they will touch upon the Henry Mountains and the high plateaus west of Capitol Reef. Desert Archaic and Fremont Culture rock art will be included, though specific locations may be protected. The Stinchfields will discuss logistics like the best times to visit, permits, travel, and camping.

Rick Stinchfield says that they “are easterners who took too much time moving incrementally west until settling in Pagosa Springs, Colo.” While based in Iowa, they traveled extensively in the west, eventually leading university classes on field experiences in Colorado and the northwest. In 2004 they began volunteering in interpretation at Capitol Reef for six weeks each spring and fall. Their guide to Capitol Reef hiking and touring was published by Westcliffe Publishers in 2010, and a second guide to south central Utah beyond Capitol Reef is nearing completion.

The public is welcome to the Wednesday, May 15 meeting in the Great Room of Fuller Lodge. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. (trip and event announcements, etc.), followed immediately by the program.