Though just a short walk from Peekaboo, Spooky, and Brimstone Gulch in Utah’s Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument, the Dry Fork Narrows are often overlooked. Situated at the base of the steep descent from the Dry Fork Trailhead, however, this ½-mile slot canyon is both easily accessible and easily navigable. Unlike its nearby cousins, the narrows …
Continue reading Dry Fork Narrows (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UT)
(Note: This is the first post in a series of three, highlighting four neighboring slot canyons—all within walking distance of the Dry Fork Trailhead in Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The other two posts feature nearby Brimstone Gulch and the Dry Fork Narrows.) In the American Southwest, slot canyons are, simply put, an addiction. So …
Canyonlands National Park’s Needles District comprises more than a hundred square miles of spindly spires, dizzying canyons, and colossal views. It also boasts some of Utah’s best hiking and backpacking opportunities, including the Chesler Park Trail, the Big Spring – Squaw Canyon Loop, and the Confluence Overlook Trail. Yet visitors making the 1 ½-hour drive …
Continue reading Utah Highway 211 to Canyonlands National Park’s Needles District
Visible from just outside the Visitor Center, the cragged hunk of ochre-colored Wingate sandstone known as “the Castle” is one of Capitol Reef National Park’s iconic landmarks. The monument’s blocky façade—the only surface seen by the vast majority of visitors—disguises a far more rugged northern face, an eroded cluster of spindly fins and needles. An …
Continue reading The Castle Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Hundreds of thousands flock to southwestern Utah’s Zion National Park each year to witness the famed Zion Narrows, where the majestic Virgin River has sculpted a 16-mile stretch of cavernous bends and twists seemingly unique in their beauty. Midway across the state, however, Capitol Reef National Park boasts a comparably spectacular alternative in the remote …
Continue reading Halls Creek Narrows via “airport route” (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Utah’s Canyonlands National Park is sliced into three quadrants by the deep cuts of the Colorado River and the Green River: Island in the Sky, Needles, and The Maze. Yet due to the deep incisions formed by the two rivers, very few roadside overlooks, or even backcountry trails, offer a glimpse of either. An exception …
Continue reading Confluence Overlook Trail (Canyonlands National Park, UT)
One of the principal advantages of hiking in Canyonlands National Park’s Needles District is the abundance of loop hikes. At 7.2 miles, the moderately strenuous Big Spring Canyon to Squaw Canyon loop is one of the shortest. While arguably not the most scintillating hike in the Needles (that distinction belongs to the jaw-dropping Chesler Park …
Continue reading Big Spring Canyon – Squaw Canyon Loop Trail (Canyonlands National Park, UT)
The 5.5-mile ramble down Sulphur Creek Canyon in Capitol Reef National Park has been held dear by residents of Utah’s Wayne County for decades. Rising visitation to Capitol Reef—as well as the advent of the Internet—has led to a wider audience, and the popularity of this wet and beautiful hike has risen dramatically in recent …
Continue reading Sulphur Creek (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
The hike to Goosenecks Overlook in Capitol Reef National Park is not much of a hike at all, and the round trip can be completed in as little as 5-10 minutes. The 600-foot trail, however, does lead to a fine viewpoint of Sulphur Creek as it snakes its way through a rugged canyon 800 feet …
Continue reading Goosenecks Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
The 0.9-mile trail to Hickman Bridge is Capitol Reef National Park’s most popular hike, and it is easy to understand why. The trail is well-marked, well-maintained, and conveniently located (less than two miles from the Visitor Center) and features fantastic views of the Waterpocket Fold, as well as, of course, the majestic natural bridge itself. …
Continue reading Hickman Bridge Trail (Capitol Reef National Park, UT)
Live and Let Hike 