Posted in Utah Nature November 12, 2020 by

You’ll Need The Whole Weekend To Explore All 2,240 Acres Of Kodachrome Basin State Park in Utah

Utah’s state parks are little gems sprinkled all throughout the Beehive State, and each one has unique features to enjoy. Kodachrome Basin State Park offers stunning red rock beauty. You’ll need to entire weekend to explore its monoliths, arches, and many hiking trails, so get your calendar out and choose your dates!

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Kodachrome Basin State Park is a dazzling display of cliffs, monoliths, arches, and endless vistas under a huge sky.
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To get there, take Scenic Byway 12 to the town of Cannonville, then follow the paved road another nine miles.
The vibrant colors of this landscape are what inspired its name. Back in 1949, the National Geographic Society contacted the Kodak Film Corporation to get permission to name this park "Kodachrome."
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For those of you who were born long after the demise of film cameras, "Kodachrome" was a brand of color film developed by Eastman Kodak in the 1930s. It was one of the first color films available, and it was used for both still photography and cinematography.
You'll see many different shades of tan, grey, orange, and red, each representing a different layer of rock that formed here over millions of years.
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The darkest red layers at the bottom are called the Carmel Formation, and they're 180 million years old! Next, you'll find the Entrada Formation, with three different layers, each getting a little bit lighter in color. Henriville Sandstone is next, then a layer called the Dakota Formation and Tropic Shale. These last two layers are lightest in color and are about 95 million years old.
Basically, when you visit Kodachrome Basin State Park, you're wandering amongst ancient history! There's so much to see here, that you'll definitely want to plan to stay an entire weekend.
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Take a drive through the park to see some of its beautiful rock formations. Under a bright, blue sky, it's pretty easy to fall in love with the brilliant layers of rock that makes up the geologic features here.
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Kodachrome has about 67 sedimentary pipes - tall, cylindrical spires of sandstone stretching high into the sky. Geologists have several theories about how these pipes formed, but they were all eventually carved out by eons of erosion.
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See some of this beauty close-up by taking a hike on one of the five hiking trails here.
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Make sure to stay on the trail while hiking to preserve the cryptobiotic crust - just one boot print destroys decades of organism growth that supports plant life, absorbs water, and prevents soil erosion.
Kodachrome is also home of Grosvenor Arch - a stately, double arch that stands 150 feet tall.
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Shakespeare Arch was also an iconic landmark in this park for years. Sadly, it collapsed in May, 2019.
To thoroughly explore the park, camp overnight in one of its three campgrounds. Some campsites have power, and all have picnic tables, fire pits, and barbecue grills.
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You'll also enjoy hot showers and a laundromat. Advanced reservations are recommended, and can be made on the State Park's website, or by calling (800) 322-3770.

Learn more about Kodachrome Basin State Park on its website, and make your camping reservations in advance there. You’ll also want to check out the park’s Facebook page to see the latest events there.

Have you visited Kodachrome Basin State Park before? Tell our readers your favorite things to see and do in the comments!

Address: Cannonville, UT 84718, USA