Hiking the trails is perfect for those with a base level of fitness and suitable for a wide age group. The outrageous scenery of Cedar Breaks is candy for your eyes. Head back to camp and enjoy a delicious meal as the beauty of the Milky Way lights up the astral sky above. Watching the shadow play across the Amphitheater as the sun sinks below the horizon is sure to put a smile on your face.
If you have time, a memory not to be missed is finishing the day at Point Supreme. Seeing this rainbow of muted colors within the badlands of Cedar Breaks creates a fantasyland you never could have imagined. Magnesium oxides are responsible for the purple hues. Iron oxides found in the rocks of the Amphitheater are the cause of the red, orange, and yellow colors. Their elegantly twisted bodies will show you the way. Continuing on to Rampart Point (2 miles, one-way) you will follow an alpine stream through a beautiful forest of grand bristlecone pines. From here you will get a closer look at the amazing geology of Cedar Breaks. Beginning with the scent of wildflowers in your nose you will gradually make your way to the perfect overlook of Spectra Point (1 mile). Hiking to the Spectra and Rampart Points will take you along the Amphitheater’s rim. Return to the Alpine Pond Trailhead via the upper loop walking through meadows of wildflowers. The apex of the Alpine Pond Trail is the picturesque vistas of Chessmen Point. Bristlecone pines are some of the oldest living organisms on earth and some in the monument have been dated to be more than 1,500 years old. Beyond the pond the trail will take you to the rim and beneath several bristlecone pine trees. Arriving to the pond you will most likely see marmots sunbathing on its peaceful shore. The Alpine Pond Trail takes you through a ghost forest of dead spruce offering views of the amphitheater framed by the skeleton trees. Beginning in the mid-1990’s a massive bark beetle outbreak made its way through the monument and surrounding Dixie National Forest, killing over half of the mature trees, adding even more unique color and texture to this fascinating environment. Here you are given a close look at the devastation inflicted by the spruce beetle epidemic. You can follow the lower loop into a forest of spruce trees. A hike to the Alpine Pond is a great way to stretch the legs.
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