The remote Trachyte Creek drainage system—just east of Utah’s Henry Mountains and north of Lake Powell—comprises a flurry of narrow canyons, many thin enough to form slender slots. One of the area’s best day hikes is Lower Maidenwater Canyon, easily accessible from Utah Highway 276 to Bullfrog Marina. The road roughly bisects the canyon into …
Continue reading Lower Maidenwater Canyon (North Lake Powell area, UT)
This sinuous slot canyon may not be the deepest, the longest, or the prettiest in central Utah. Visible from Bullfrog Visitor Center near the shores of Lake Powell, however, it may be one of the most accessible—and, for the non-boating types, the highlight of a visit to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area’s Bullfrog district. Though …
Continue reading Bullfrog Bay slot canyon (Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, UT)
As far as non-technical slot canyons go, Little Wild Horse Canyon in Utah’s San Rafael Swell is among the best of the best. Tight, picturesque narrows, sweeping sandstone domes, and honeycombed walls make Little Wild Horse the most popular hike in the area. Visit in winter or early in the morning to avoid crowds, and …
Continue reading Little Wild Horse Canyon and Bell Canyon (San Rafael Swell, UT)
Most desert rats in Utah’s canyon country will know of Capitol Reef National Park’s three most prominent slot canyons: Burro Wash, Cottonwood Wash, and Sheets Gulch. They will also be familiar with the short, family-friendly narrows in nearby Headquarters Canyon. Much less promoted is the unnamed slot just off Capitol Reef’s Pleasant Creek, which boasts …
Continue reading Pleasant Creek slot canyon (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
According to historical accounts, it was Almon Harris Thompson’s central Utah expedition in 1872 that gave the name to Pleasant Creek, a beautiful perennial stream now running through 242,000-acre Capitol Reef National Park. Upon discovering the rivulet on a trek to the yet-to-be-mapped Henry Mountains, Thompson’s photographer Jack Hillers wrote of a “beautiful creek flowing …
Continue reading Pleasant Creek (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Sheets Gulch constitutes one of Capitol Reef National Park’s three major slot canyon hikes on the east side of the Waterpocket Fold. Less strenuous and more diverse than its northern cousins up the road—Burro Wash and Cottonwood Wash—Sheets boasts three lengthy slot sections, an excellent stretch of deep narrows, an arch, and a wide variety …
Continue reading Sheets Gulch (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
If I were to guess, I’d say upwards of 90-95 percent of visitors at Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park spend their entire stay along the main arteries running through the central district—Highway 24 and the Scenic Drive. But the southern portion of the park—a long tongue known as the Waterpocket District—is equally, if not more, …
Continue reading Headquarters Canyon (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Stair Canyon is an isolated place in an already sparsely-visited area. The area known collectively as North Wash—between Hanksville, UT and the upper reaches of Lake Powell—is often frequented by the canyoneering types with their ropes and belays and fancy footwork, but there is very little advertised in the way of non-technical day hikes. This …
The purpose of the Golden Throne Trail is to provide fine views of the trail’s namesake, a 7,042-foot sandstone dome that shines a deep yellow in the sun. However, visitors hoping to summit Golden Throne—or even to touch it—are likely to be disappointed: the 2-mile trek ends abruptly at a rock outcropping a good distance …
Continue reading Golden Throne Trail and Golden Throne Canyon (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Live and Let Hike 