Seven Wonders Loop, Valley of Fire State Park, February 2023 In a hike combining Valley of Fire State Park’s most Instagram-famous spot with the wilder and more adventurous Seven Wonders route, this scenic loop traverses some of the park’s most spectacular scenery, from narrow slot canyons to vibrantly-hued sandstone knobs. The wonderful diversity makes this …
Continue reading Fire Wave Trail – Seven Wonders Loop (Valley of Fire State Park, NV)
White Domes Trail, Valley of Fire State Park, February 2023 There is perhaps no other place in the American Southwest where the sandstone erupts in such a range of color—from pastel pink to orange, cream, gold, and deep red—as Valley of Fire State Park in southeast Nevada. As one enters the Las Vegas-area park, the …
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Anniversary Narrows, Muddy Mountains Wilderness, February 2023 Anniversary Narrows is Nevada’s best answer to the challenge laid down by neighboring Utah: give us your best, most picturesque slot canyon. Better yet, extend the slot for more than 1/3 mile, place the trailhead less than an hour’s drive from the state’s largest metropolis (Las Vegas), and …
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Rattlesnake Canyon, Joshua Tree National Park, January 2022 Rattlesnake Canyon in southern California’s Joshua Tree National Park is a rough-and-tumble, off-trail route that is well-known and advertised in Joshua Tree guidebooks—although perhaps it should not be. Despite its short length—the entirety of Rattlesnake Canyon upstream from the trailhead is less than two miles—the canyon floor …
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Water Canyon, Canaan Mountain Wilderness, May 2021 Climbing partway up the sandstone cliffs of Canaan Mountain, this short hike—located just over the Utah border from Colorado City, Arizona—ascends rocky and sandy terrain to a beautiful perennial waterfall, short slot, and bowl-shaped narrows resembling “The Subway” in nearby Zion National Park. Water Canyon is notable for …
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Cathedral Wash, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, May 2021 Appearing modest from the trailhead, Cathedral Wash quickly deepens into a spectacular canyon that cuts through the Kaibab Limestone and Toroweap Formation in northern Arizona’s Glen Canyon area, ending at the Colorado River and a narrow sliver of Grand Canyon National Park. Don’t be fooled by …
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Buckskin Gulch, Paria Canyon - Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, May 2021 Stretching for more than a dozen miles through south-central Utah, the dark, undulating narrows of Buckskin Gulch are a sight to behold, a wonder of the American Southwest. Considered to be the longest slot canyon in the world, Buckskin Gulch is part of the Paria …
Continue reading Buckskin Gulch via Wire Pass (Paria Canyon – Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, UT)
The Rings Loop Trail at Mojave National Preserve’s Hole-in-the-Wall area meanders through Banshee Canyon, a wild, narrow notch named by early settlers for its howling desert winds. Though only 1.4 miles, this brief circuit packs a punch, passing through desert scrub to a set of ancient petroglyphs before ascending a pair of ring ladders, bolted …
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Nestled in the depths of a slot canyon downriver from Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam, Arizona Hot Spring boasts sizzling temperatures of 85-120 degrees year-round. On weekends in winter and spring, residents of the Las Vegas area flock in droves to the spot, with their bathing suits and Tevas in hand, in order to …
Sidewinder Canyon Death Valley slot canyon California
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