Little Grand Canyon and the San Rafael Swell, Utah - Hiking

The San Rafael Swell, located in south-central Utah, is a region of geological uplift that offers some of the best desert solitude anywhere in the state.  The area is managed by the BLM and contains several wilderness study areas, but it does not enjoy the same protection that national parks or monuments do.  This means that  people are free to hike, camp, and ATV without strict regulations or permits, but the area is also a constant battleground of ideas and opinions about how to enjoy and manage it.

Sunset in the San Rafael Swell

A three hour drive from Salt Lake on Friday afternoon brought us to the Wedge Overlook at the "Little Grand Canyon" in the San Rafael Swell.  It is a destination that I have been wanting to explore for a while and this past weekend was the perfect opportunity to check it out.  Camping is available at numbered sites near the Wedge Overlook and we had just enough daylight to enjoy the views of the canyon before setting up camp and settling in for the night.

The Little Grand Canyon in the San Rafael Swell

We woke up before the sun on Saturday morning and headed back to the canyon rim to watch the sun rise.  We had the place to ourselves and the quiet stillness of the desert air surrounded us as we enjoyed the spectacular views.  We wondered why we hadn't been to the Little Grand Canyon before!

Sunrise at the Little Grand Canyon

The Little Grand Canyon at sunrise

Roger enjoying the views

Grant at the Little Grand Canyon

After sunrise, we headed south to check out the Buckhorn Wash pictograph panel, an easily accessible and spectacular panel of Barrier Canyon style art located alongside the road.  After enjoying the pictographs, we left the car at a small parking area and did a short hike through a portion of Pine Canyon.

Buckhorn Wash pictograph panel

Buckhorn Wash pictograph panel

Pine Canyon

Pine Canyon

The temperatures were very warm for late September so we decided to head down to the San Rafael River to check out the old swinging bridge and walk along the river for a bit.  The river banks were extremely muddy from recent floods and the hiking wasn't as lovely as we were hoping, so hopped in the car and headed a little farther south to enjoy the scenery and explore a shallow side canyon leading down the the river.

 Swinging bridge

Hiking in the San Rafael River

Side canyon meets up with the San Rafael River

San Rafael River

The wind picked up in the middle of the night and storm clouds surrounded us on Sunday morning.  We made breakfast and quickly took down camp before the rain began.  We drove to Wellington, UT and up Nine Mile Canyon (which is actually over 40 miles long) since the weather wasn't looking very promising for hiking in the San Rafael Swell.  Nine Mile Canyon was a beautiful drive and some of the rock walls in the canyon are covered with petroglyph panels, a few of which we were able to view with brief hikes from the road.

 Rainbow as we left the San Rafael Swell

Nine Mile Canyon petroglyphs

 Nine Mile Canyon

Nine Mile Canyon

Should the San Rafael Swell be a national monument or a strip mine?  Should it be covered in oil wells, cattle, or backpackers?  It depends on who you ask, of course, but the reality is that the area is not particularly rich in oil or minerals, it's not as awe inspiring as Zion or Arches National Parks, and it's too fragile to support unlimited ATV and off-road use.  Maybe it should just remain the San Rafael Swell, a beautifully ugly and delicate place, where you can wander and enjoy without taking anything from it.

Canyonlands National Park, Utah - Needles District - Hiking

My Thanksgiving tradition for the past several years has been to head out of town, usually to southern Utah, to enjoy the four day holiday weekend.  It's the perfect time for an outdoor adventure because the summer crowds have disappeared and the weather is usually mild enough to make camping and backpacking comfortable.  This year, Keith and Melissa decided to join me for some Thanksgiving outdoor fun.

We decided to spend the holiday weekend in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park because of the endless hiking opportunities and relative solitude compared to some of the more visited areas around Moab.  After debating the possibility of backpacking into Salt Creek Canyon to check out Angel Arch, we decided to car camp instead so we could have a nice campfire with good food at night and allow us to cover more miles within the park than we could with heavy packs.  This was the first time in the Needles for Keith and Melissa and I wanted them to see some of the highlights by covering a lot of miles.

Melissa enjoying the view

The Needles

I woke up early Friday morning to watch the sun rise.  There was no noise and no wind as the sun rose over the horizon.  It was amazingly peaceful.

Sunrise

Sunrise and my tent

We hiked from Elephant Hill trail head to Druid Arch via Elephant Canyon on Friday.  The total trip was about 11 miles and took us several hours as we enjoyed the amazing views along the way.  I visited Druid Arch several years ago as a day hike from Chesler Park, but this was my first round trip from Elephant Hill trail head as a day hike.  The arch is one of the finest I have ever seen and the surrounding scenery makes the entire hike spectacular.

The Needles

Druid Arch

Elephant Canyon

 Keith avoiding a little puddle of water

Keith and Melissa hiking down Elephant Canyon

Keith vs. rock

The sunsets at our campsite were equally spectacular.  We spent the evenings around the campfire with good food and beer checking out the stars.  Orion is making his evening appearance on the eastern horizon - a definite sign that winter is here.

Sunset over Canyonlands

Sunset with the nearly full moon

On Saturday we hiked the Peekaboo Trail to Salt Creek Canyon to see a large pictograph panel.  I visited this panel several years ago when I backpacked Salt Creek Canyon with Rob and Jacob, but this was my  first time hiking from Squaw Flat campground trail head to Salt Creek.  The hike was spectacular and probably my new favorite within the park.  The trail passed over the slick rock rims of Squaw and Lost Canyons before descending into Salt Creek.  At times the trail was a little too close to the edge of the canyons, but it added a little spice and excitement to the hike.

On the Peekaboo Trail

 Descending into Salt Creek Canyon

Keith and Melissa

 Near Lost Canyon

The Peekaboo pictograph panel has art from both the Ancestral Puebloan period (around 1400 AD) and much older Barrier Style archaic period art from as far back as 3000 BC.  The Ancestral Puebloan art is white and covers the faded red panel from the archaic period.

Peekaboo pictograph panel

 Peekaboo pictograph panel

Faded red archaic period art visible

Hand prints

The Needles District of Canyonlands is definitely one of my favorite places to explore in Utah.  Even though I have been to the area several times, each trip has new surprises and new experiences.  The Peekaboo Trail was worth the trip alone, but the desert solitude and perfect weather made this trip absolutely amazing.

Looking toward Indian Creek

Salt Creek Canyon

Extra spiky cactus

Ancestral Puebloan grainery

On Sunday, we made our way back to Salt Lake City after packing up camp and enjoying the final views of the Needles.  We stopped at Fisher Towers just east of Moab to do one quick hike and enjoy the sunshine before we headed home.  Fisher Towers was the location of my first winter camping experience, six years ago, over Thanksgiving.  It was a great way to end this Thanksgiving adventure.

View from Fisher Towers

 Looking toward Castle Valley

Fisher Towers