Cactus Atlas

Cactus Atlas

🌵 American West | Ghost Towns, National/State Parks, Camping, Off-Roading, History

Welcome to the Cactus Atlas! We are Glenn and Amy and invite you to join us as we visit all sorts of locations across the American West. We tour both natural and man-made attractions.

Our base of operations is in the Phoenix, AZ area. We do a lot of hiking, camping, and road trips in anything from national parks to remote locations in wide-open spaces. We hope to be a great resource if you are planning a trip to the American West.

Glenn handles the filming and bulk of video planning, while Amy takes over editing, comments, and social media. Together we also hope to delight you with our exciting adventures! Don't forget to check out our website, cactusatlas.com, for blogs, photos, and more information!

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Пікірлер

  • @marshmallows5641
    @marshmallows564115 сағат бұрын

    Beautiful landscape as always! Loving seeing all the nature it's so calming. Thanks for the adventure.

  • @darlahenri8095
    @darlahenri809516 сағат бұрын

    The theories I favor are 1. Was used as observatory(s), 2. used slaves, increasing and decreasing dependingly. Involving cruelty, oddities, unusual, strange, incomprehensible, not understandable. Thanks Mysteries need solving.

  • @user-hs6kv2il2q
    @user-hs6kv2il2q17 сағат бұрын

    We stayed at a hotel in New Orleans and the rooms were named for the movie stars who stayed there. This reminds me of that hotel.

  • @jameshouse1268
    @jameshouse126817 сағат бұрын

    I really enjoyed this latest episode. We love the Kanab area and then Zion, Bryce, and Red Canyon. It was so fun seeing your take on the Sand Caves and Belly of the Dragon. We enjoyed the Mossy Cave hike. It was very pleasant early in the morning (only 2 other people were there)! Hopefully, you’ll fit it in while Bryce. I’ll be looking forward to your future episodes of your summer adventures. Southern Utah can’t be beat! Our “travel styles “ are the same! Take care always. 😊

  • @user-hs6kv2il2q
    @user-hs6kv2il2q17 сағат бұрын

    This is an awesome trip. Love that you are stopping along the way. I think of the trips I have taken and what I missed by not stopping.

  • @RangelandRebel15
    @RangelandRebel1517 сағат бұрын

    Prime grade Cactus Altas right here! You could spend a very long time in that area of the country and still not see it all. Thanks for the ride along yall!!

  • @adustyboot-f6h
    @adustyboot-f6h18 сағат бұрын

    I really enjoy your videos and posts. We're going to be in the area of the Sand Caves in September. How long did the full hike take? Thanks.

  • @SwiftyTravels
    @SwiftyTravels21 сағат бұрын

    Beautiful country up there in that part of Utah! I’m looking forward to this series! 👍😀

  • @user-naturegirl
    @user-naturegirl21 сағат бұрын

    Parry Lodge sounds like a place we will visit in the future, thanks for the info.

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlas19 сағат бұрын

    You're most welcome! Pretty convenient to loads of interesting and awesome places in the area. 😊

  • @twn5858
    @twn585822 сағат бұрын

    People love their dumb Hollywood movies.

  • @kathietee291
    @kathietee29123 сағат бұрын

    Thanks, Glenn and Amy, for this very interesting road trip video. Loved the Parry Lodge and its history! And what a beautiful place to end the video at the Escalante Petried Forest state park. Thanks for letting us come along!

  • @kennethbrinkerhoff9245
    @kennethbrinkerhoff9245Күн бұрын

    I have the great pleasure of living in Kanab

  • @shannanichols2642
    @shannanichols2642Күн бұрын

    Really enjoyed the video, it was peaceful, beautiful and entertaining. ❤😊

  • @janinemaurice6199
    @janinemaurice6199Күн бұрын

    Make time for Mossy cave trail next time

  • @kathietee291
    @kathietee291Күн бұрын

    So beautiful!

  • @kathietee291
    @kathietee291Күн бұрын

    I really enjoyed the scenic area of this route, just so beautiful! Would be fun picking through the sparkly rocks, too! Another fun and informative video, Glen. Thank you so much!

  • @MissAstorDancer
    @MissAstorDancerКүн бұрын

    Just stunning, as usual!!! The editing is so good, as usual! And while I always enjoy the music you pick, this episode is really UP THERE in terms of music choices.....ESPECIALLY the beautiful music you used for the Sand Caves! What a fun and beautiful way to spend an hour of my evening!!! (I re-watched several sections!!) Thank you both so much!!❣

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    Oh my goodness... that means so much. Thank you! 🥲

  • @tommyphillips6584
    @tommyphillips6584Күн бұрын

    We stopped at the sand caves in December and had a few tricky spots to get to. Had to some crab walking and some sliding on way back down.

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    I hear you. It's not a super simple little climb to get up there. 😅

  • @user-naturegirl
    @user-naturegirlКүн бұрын

    Thank you, Cactus Atlas, for doing road trips that are "doable." We have been following your channel for a little while and really appreciate your giving suggestions for road trips that one can manage and still enjoy the beauty of nature without tearing one's vehicle up. (smile)😊

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    Our pleasure! Offroading is still fun for us but can be tiring. Sometimes, we like the easier things as well. Lots more of that kinda stuff coming soon! ☺️

  • @WillySmith-sd4em
    @WillySmith-sd4emКүн бұрын

    Utah is a beautiful state. In the late 70's i lived in Vernal, Utah in the northeast part of the state. Very close to SKINWAKER RANCH! :)

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    Absolutely agree. Utah is one of our favorite places. 😄

  • @WillySmith-sd4em
    @WillySmith-sd4emКүн бұрын

    @CactusAtlas much different than it was in the old days. I remember when Moab was a boarded up ghost town basically. Now there's brew pubs!

  • @jane112wedge
    @jane112wedgeКүн бұрын

    Great video! Been to Belly of the Dragon....there is a short dead end trail after you go through the cave...just fyi. Also, the Mossy Cave trail is fabulous and worth the stop.....and take note for next time, there is an overflow parking lot about 1/4 mile down the road. I'll be in the Zion National Park area for three weeks mid July to end of July....maybe I'll see you and Slim! Make sure you go to the Pizza and Noodle in town for dinner one evening ...best pizza! Stay safe!

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    Thank you! Just might bump into one another, indeed! One of these days will hit up Mossy Cave. 😂

  • @DeborahFlorian-gy6lw
    @DeborahFlorian-gy6lwКүн бұрын

    The sandstone caves look like a palace. Imagine torches on the walls, oriental rugs on the ground.....of course you'd have to get rid of all that sand. first! Thanks Amy and Glenn for this road trip! ⚡️🏜⚡️

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    That would be cool! I can absolutely see it in my mind! ☺️

  • @votrolacres8526
    @votrolacres8526Күн бұрын

    Another great adventure! Those sand caves were amazing and so beautiful. Thanks for taking us along. Looking forward as always to the next video!

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    Glad you like them! We appreciate it. 🙌😄

  • @richardbeee
    @richardbeeeКүн бұрын

    Way up yonder in them sandstone cliffs you can see pick marks on the walls. The way i understand it was that cave is actually an old mine. That sand could only be found in that location. I don't remember for what purpose. Maybe a dam? I'll browse through my old stuff and see what i find. It even has pillars in it. I think i know and since i don't like to advertise other peoples videos on the one I'm watching I'll get with you later. When you see pick marks and pillars, it's usually been mined. Running across the grass brings out the primitive man. Like swinging on a vine.😂 Sounds like Slim will get a work out. Tell him i said Howdy!

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    From what I found, they were mining that area for silica to use in glass making. I forget why they stopped, though. 🤔 It's hard to tell what's pick marks and what's aged grafitti honestly. Probably why it went unnoticed. 😅

  • @bobdurna3588
    @bobdurna3588Күн бұрын

    Wonderful video of one of my favorite routes anywhere. According to a Kanab local I spoke with the sand caves are man made. He said they were mined briefly and that the quality of the sand was conducive to making bullet proof glass…his story anyway. Mossy Cave along with some of the Valley of Fire hikes ranks as one of the best short hikes in the southwest. The cave is actually kind of meh, but the hoodoos, waterfall, and river make for a lot of bang for the short distance hiked. Thanks again for taking us along to this beautiful part of the country.

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    I believe you heard right. After I was editing, I checked info and found it was man-made for glass making starting in the 70s. 👍

  • @baronessbooks9909
    @baronessbooks9909Күн бұрын

    Petroglyph on ceiling

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    Hmmm. Both caves are more modern age but I wonder if someone made an attempt to create one?

  • @baronessbooks9909
    @baronessbooks9909Күн бұрын

    Yeah Bryce is high

  • @shirleyrichards2514
    @shirleyrichards2514Күн бұрын

    Thanks for sharing. I love ❤ your travels 😊

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    Glad you like them! Thank you so much.! 😄

  • @shirleyrichards2514
    @shirleyrichards2514Күн бұрын

    Love that southern Utah ❤ thanks for sharing 👍

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    Us too! Soooo much to do there. 👍

  • @quinlama
    @quinlamaКүн бұрын

    Awesome video! Met you briefly in the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park. Thanks again for your videos! My family and I stayed at Fort Churchill State Park in Nevada after watching your video there. Cheers and keep up the good work!

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    Oh, how fun! I just edited the footage where Glenn mentioned meeting a viewer at that park! Hi! 👋 We hope that you had an enjoyable visit to Fort Churchill! 😄

  • @japponica
    @japponicaКүн бұрын

    Excellent, thank you ❤ from London UK

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    You're very welcome! 😊

  • @ThomasTremmel
    @ThomasTremmelКүн бұрын

    Much thanks for this trip! I grew up in CA and we really enjoed travelling the states in the 80s in rented rvs or privat car. I still have a big chunk of petrvied wood on my chiney "stolen" from AZ, Shame on me. Greetings from Bavaria

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    😬 One of these days when we can afford it, we want to get a piece of petrified wood as well. And Bavaria! Long way from CA! 😊

  • @bbhrdzaz
    @bbhrdzaz2 күн бұрын

    Sheep? why? well the Basque herders from Spain settled the area. Cordes Junction/Lake are named for the Cordes family. My principal in grade school, Mr. Cordes' uncle was whom the town was named after.

  • @reyleondelaselva1789
    @reyleondelaselva17892 күн бұрын

    Great video! The Gold Butte/Little Finland is an area I've always wanted to explore. Alien looking rock formations in that area.

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    Thanks so much! As for exploring it yourself... go for it! 😄

  • @JayDeeBerryman
    @JayDeeBerryman2 күн бұрын

    Let me know if you get a solid answer about your drone flight question. From what I read in studying for my TRUST certificate you are allowed to fly from outside the park. One NPS official even stated they can't really enforce anything that takes place outside the park. State trust land should be differentiated from a national park because they are completely separate land use rules and regulations. It wouldn't make sense if you had to follow NPS rules on state trust land that it wouldn't just be incorporated into the park. You never know with government though. You still couldn't fly over the park but you might be able to get some cool shots from higher up. You're the reason I ended up with a drone, thanks for that LOL. I love your videos and enjoy following along on your journeys.

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    Have yet to get a solid answer, but hat's kind of our thinking too. However, given that we put content out on the internet, we try to play things safer. 😅

  • @JayDeeBerryman
    @JayDeeBerryman2 күн бұрын

    That IS a hard rock mine. Pretty much any mining like that is considered a hard rock mining operation. I think what you meant was an underground mine. Copper is too spread out for underground usually, much more efficient to do an open pit because you are pulling a smaller percentage of ore out with more waste mixed in. Very rarely is it in high concentration veins like gold where you can follow them underground and get most of it out. The mine I work at moves almost 2,000,000 tons of material to get 3,087 tons of copper(refined) every year. Actually I don't know where those numbers came from, they were online but I know for a fact we move more than that lol. Our average per shift is over 80k tons, that's 160 per day and we run 365, no breaks. Over 58 million tons of material moved. I'm not sure what our copper production is for sure.

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    Holy moly. That's... that's a lot of earth being moved. 😲

  • @karisanwhite7620
    @karisanwhite76202 күн бұрын

    If you cross the highway the remains of the Boquillas ranch are there to explore. The one house used to be the teachers, if I remember correctly. There used to be an annual reunion of former townspeople and they used to do tours of the town. That white building is the old mercantile and was just stabilized within I'd say the last five years. It was a big project.

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlasКүн бұрын

    How fascinating! Thank you for that information! 👍

  • @pennysaufley8974
    @pennysaufley89742 күн бұрын

    So, seeing fog or clouds always reminds me of this: Carl Sandburg wrote: The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on. March came in like a lamb on the Vineyard, a soft, fuzzy, foggy lamb. That was an inspiring video!

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlas2 күн бұрын

    Thank you! And thank you for sharing that quote! ☺️

  • @dianespears6057
    @dianespears60572 күн бұрын

    Enjoyed the detailed views of Chaco. Thank you.

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlas2 күн бұрын

    Our pleasure!

  • @SwiftyTravels
    @SwiftyTravels2 күн бұрын

    What a ride! A 4x4 is not in our plans- so its fun touring those toads with you guys!

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlas2 күн бұрын

    It's still all so new for us. Hasn't gotten old at all, and it's so fun to share with others. 😄

  • @SwiftyTravels
    @SwiftyTravels2 күн бұрын

    @@CactusAtlas oh my goodness- glad you could interpret my typo! ROADS- not TOADS!! 😂😂

  • @calhking
    @calhking2 күн бұрын

    Try and rock stack for an easier entry/exit on approach! You can replace rocks after to leave trail clean.

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlas2 күн бұрын

    AH. Fantastic suggestion. Not sure why we didn't think about that before. Thanks! 👍

  • @JoeG-firehousewhiskey
    @JoeG-firehousewhiskey2 күн бұрын

    I agree with exploring more ghost towns, those are very interesting and fun to get to. Half the fun of it is learning about the area and researching it.

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlas2 күн бұрын

    They are our favorites as well. Lots out there - many with little to no remains but still fascinating.

  • @pennysaufley8974
    @pennysaufley89743 күн бұрын

    My husband and I were hee hawing all over during the intro. The crack in the wet beaver. 🦫 🍑

  • @pennysaufley8974
    @pennysaufley89743 күн бұрын

    Gee, what a beautiful area.

  • @pennysaufley8974
    @pennysaufley89743 күн бұрын

    Me: Spiders 🕷️. Why’d it have to be spiders? My husband Lewis: Is allergic to bees. 🐝

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlas2 күн бұрын

    It's hard not to have a chuckle, isn't it? 😅

  • @happyhotspring3501
    @happyhotspring35013 күн бұрын

    Believe it or no, that old Servel refrigerator used Kerosene, natural gas or LPG. They were the best you could get if you did not have readily available electricity or stored winter ice.

  • @Patrick-yh5yd
    @Patrick-yh5yd3 күн бұрын

    This goes on in the Big American cities daily. In central Florida today June 25th 3 people murdered by a sick man. Todays killers are not to be shown.

  • @aking032962
    @aking0329624 күн бұрын

    Onyx Cave and the Cave of the Bells are in that area.

  • @herdfan697278
    @herdfan6972784 күн бұрын

    Early automobiles had gas tanks between placed between the front seat and the engine so gravity was great for getting gasoline to the old carburetors of that time.

  • @DamianMichaelHarris68
    @DamianMichaelHarris684 күн бұрын

    The school house was used into the 1940s, so yes it would of had electricity. The town's generator building is located on the land for the town. I run the paranormal tours and events for Vulture City

  • @kaysundberg7112
    @kaysundberg71124 күн бұрын

    24:12 less talk about yourself on long drives and talk about the area. Otherwise ok

  • @DamianMichaelHarris68
    @DamianMichaelHarris684 күн бұрын

    There are actual records for many, but not all of the graves. Yes many of the graves are of children. The Spanish influenza 1918 to 1920 killed many.

  • @CactusAtlas
    @CactusAtlas4 күн бұрын

    Appreciate the info! 👍