| Little Wild Horse and Bell Canyons Canyon |
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| Little Wild Horse and Bell Canyons   | 
| Page Type: Canyon Location: Utah, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 38.60130°N / 110.8052°W Activities: Hiking, Scrambling Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter | Page By: Bob Sihler Created/Edited: Oct 28, 2006 / May 28, 2008 Object ID: 239060 Hits: 1326 Loading... Page Score: 88.48% - 11 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Overview
Southern Utah is famous for so many scenic wonders, and among the most beautiful and fascinating of them all are its slot canyons, narrow and twisting corridors whose walls bear almost unbelievable erosion-caused shapes and patterns. They seem not of this earth, and a walk through one will indeed make one wonder if he or she has entered another world.
Many of the best slot canyons have technical sections, many have sections requiring wading or outright swimming, and many have both. Those who have the proper equipment or tolerance for such conditions must find solitude and rewards few of the rest of us can even imagine. For those like me, though, who for whatever reasons don’t use climbing equipment beyond ice axes and crampons and who prefer getting wet only under a hot sun, there are still wonderful slot canyons, or at least good stretches of them, available for exploration.
And that is why I write of Little Wild Horse and Bell Canyons in Utah’s San Rafael Swell. The San Rafael Swell itself is a wonder unknown to few outside Utah and Colorado, but it has everything Utah’s famous, often-crowded national parks have—sheer red cliffs, arches, slot canyons, sandstone spires and monoliths, rock art, and more. And its size and remoteness keep it relatively pristine considering that much of it lacks any meaningful or feasibly enforceable legal protection.
But back to the canyons-- Little Wild Horse and Bell Canyons make a nice loop that cuts through the San Rafael Reef, both canyons narrow to slots for enjoyable stretches, and both are, under most conditions, dry or nearly dry. The dryness may be due to the relative steepness of these canyons; from the trailhead to the highpoint on the San Rafael Swell, hikers ascend about 700 feet. When I hiked the canyons two days after a good rain, I encountered several pools of water, but none of them reached my knees. Hence, there is probably nowhere else in Utah that offers such convenient access to slot canyons coupled with such favorable circumstances at the same time.
Route-- The loop through the canyons totals about 8.5 miles, and it is mostly hiking with occasional easy scrambling. A trekking pole might be useful to test the depth of a pool before you step into it, but no other special equipment is necessary. Do have plenty of water and trail snacks, though, and you’d be a fool not to bring a camera along, at least on your first visit.
Starting from the trailhead, head up the wide wash for about half a mile to the canyons’ confluence. A dry waterfall blocks direct passage at one point, but adventurous people can scramble up it, and others can look for a sandstone ramp on the left side of the canyon. At the confluence, look for a sign indicating Bell to the left and Little Wild Horse to the right. I completely missed the sign on the way up, probably because I was so intent on outpacing the dozens of other people around me, but it was quite obvious when I returned to the confluence via Little Wild Horse. You can take the loop in either direction, but my description goes up Bell and down Little Wild Horse. The narrows in Little Wild Horse are longer and a bit more scenic than those in Bell, which is why I recommend saving Little Wild Horse for the last part, which is also the downhill part.
Bell Canyon narrows to a slot quickly, but the narrows last about a mile at most. Approximately two miles from the confluence, Bell, quite broad now, intersects a 4WD road (Behind-the-Reef Road). There should be a sign pointing the way to Little Wild Horse Canyon. In any event, turn right.
A little over 1.5 miles of hiking along the San Rafael Swell—there are excellent views of sandstone cliffs all along the way—gets you to a large wash and a sign indicating a right turn to follow Little Wild Horse Canyon. Do go right, and after half a mile or so the canyon begins to narrow, and most of the next 3 miles is a trek through a pockmarked slot canyon that often is less than five feet wide. When you abruptly hit relatively open terrain at the confluence, turn left for the trailhead.
Quieter Way?-- Anyone who has read my pages knows that I can’t resist bemoaning crowds despite the irony of the fact that I sometimes contribute to them. That said, people like me who find that the presence of more than a few other people ruins their wilderness experience might want to try an alternate route—from the paved road to Goblin Valley State Park, take the unpaved spur to Temple Mountain and then, after 2.1 miles, bear left on Behind-the-Reef Road and follow it for about 10 miles (4WD recommended) to the sign for Little Wild Horse Canyon or for about 11.5 miles to the sign for Bell Canyon. Then hike down one canyon to the confluence and then up the other back to your vehicle. This route means uphill hiking on the return, but it eliminates your meeting most of the crowds that may be around the trailhead and the lower reaches of the canyons. It’s a quieter way.
Thanks to Mountain Jim for this. |
Getting There
West of Green River or north of Hanksville, take Highway 24 to the signed turn for Goblin Valley State Park. Eleven miles from the highway, look for an unpaved road on the right, and follow this road through beautiful San Rafael Swell scenery for about 5.5 miles, where there is a large parking area. This is the trailhead. Some guidebooks say you can drive up the wash almost to the canyons’ confluence, but this access was blocked when I went in April 2006.
Red Tape
Nothing regulatory, but check sky conditions and local forecasts before hiking.
If you crave solitude, avoid this hike on spring and fall weekends and during school vacations—that’s nothing against kids or teachers; I’m a teacher myself.
Camping
There is a developed campground at Goblin Valley State Park. A better choice would be to drive beyond the trailhead and pick from any of a number of great sites along the way to Muddy Creek. Have a 4WD vehicle if you plan on going more than a few miles beyond the trailhead, though.
Other Good Slots for Day Hikers
I couldn’t list all of them, but there are two I recommend:
The Virgin River Narrows in Zion National Park-- you can’t avoid getting wet, but this is one of the most spectacular hikes in the country.
Buckskin Gulch from Wire Pass—there is a great slot along the way to Buckskin, and then you can head north or south (south is better) for several miles before running out of narrows or encountering nasty pools of water (the Cesspools of Buckskin Gulch).
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