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"Picture Perfect" Kodachrome Basin

I spent a few hours at Bryce Canyon then dropped down to nearby Kodachrome Basin State Park, a few miles south of Cannonville, and camped there that night.  This park with the funny name is one of my favorite places to camp in southwestern Utah.  In fact, it's one of my 10 favorite state parks in America. 

Above:  This unique (and rather obscene-looking) rock formation is known as a "sand pipe."  Kodachrome Basin State Park is the only place in the world where these rock formations are found.  Geologists think they were ancient natural wells that gradually filled with silt and hardened, then everything else eroded away.

Kodachrome Basin is a few miles off Utah Highway 12, so it's not usually too crowded.  But it is incredibly beautiful.  Best of all, there are hot showers here to wash off all the red Utah dust.  Kodachrome Basin is a quirky park with lots of surprises, like chukar partridges that strut through the campground looking for a handout, and a tall rock that bears a striking resemblance to Fred Flintstone (which, not surprisingly, is called "Fred Flintstone Rock"). 

The only bad thing about Kodachrome Basin State Park is the persistent no-see-ems and cedar gnats that congregate here from April through October.  These pesky little critters won't take "no" for an answer and I swatted at them in vain while trying to chow down some Doritos and salsa at my campsite.

Oh, in case you're wondering about the name:  a group of visitors came through here in the 1940s and, stunned by the colors, decided to name it "Kodachrome Basin" in a nod to Kodak's new color film called Kodachrome.  Soon afterwards the name started to appear on local maps.  The Kodak company, though, got huffy about the trademark infringement and demanded that the name be changed, which it was.  Then Kodak changed its mind and decided the name would be good publicity, so the name was changed back to Kodachrome Basin. 

Believe me, you can shoot a lot of Kodachrome – or in my case, Fujichrome – in this park.

Above left:  The entrance to Kodachrome Basin State Park, near Bryce Canyon.  This fascinating park is one of my Top 10 State Parks in the U.S.

Above right:  Here's the campground at Kodachrome Basin.  I've camped at this particular campsite in the fall, winter,  spring, and now in the summer – and it's always beautiful.

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