Yes, after putting it off for a decade for fear of crowds, I finally did hike this loop. It is definitely as good as its reputation, and when I went, it wasn't as busy as it could have been, and I ended up meeting and talking with some very nice folks. Good deal
The entrance to the canyon just before the Bell / Little Wild Horse split was under water so we had to climb up and bypass this obstacle on the left side. Little Wild Horse Canyon was great fun, and the kids had a blast in the narrow sections. We turned around at the next watery section a couple miles into the canyon.
Scott-NW Alpine - Jan 6, 2017 1:11 am Date Climbed: Mar 30, 2009
Great Canyon
I worked for a season at Goblin Valley and hiked this canyon multiple times did the loop in both directions. Great hike and worth the visit.
Clubbox42 - Jun 27, 2016 6:02 pm Date Climbed: Jun 24, 2016
Wild Wonder
Hiked Little Wild Horse Canyon thrice now: first time I nearly fell off a cliff and perished, the second time I hiked up to a little butte near the trailhead, and the third time was at night. This is a very scenic canyon, we always just hike as far as we want and then turn around. I would suggest, should you hike this in the daytime, be sure to climb up the ledges that line the canyon and be sure to take note of the tight narrows as you hike through. A truly unique experience, however, is Little Wild Horse at night. Climbing up the rock jams and gazing up at the infinite sea of stars, framed through the sheer walls of the canyon, is something you just have to experience for yourself. Would definitely recommend a hike of Little Wild Horse Canyon!
asaking11 - Apr 28, 2016 11:39 am Date Climbed: Apr 27, 2016
Beautiful
These canyons are outstandingly beautiful. My wife and I hiked up Bell canyon and then down Little Wild Horse Canyon. The slots in Little Wild Horse were amazing. I can't wait until I can go back and explore more of this region.
chicagotransplant - Apr 18, 2016 11:48 am Date Climbed: Apr 17, 2016
Canyon Loop
1st: 4/17/16 - With Rachael, up Little Wild Horse and down Bell. LWH is the more interesting and we would probably just go up and down that one if we repeated. The narrows section was wet and it was a lot of fun stemming across it to try and avoid the water.
2nd: 2/26/17 - With Rachael, did the whole loop again, Bell was more fun than we remembered from the first time actually, it was definitely worth the repeat. The narrows in LWH are great, nice and long. Dry this time.
3rd: 4/09/22 - With Jamie and Katie, full loop. Getting popular, I was here 5 and 6 years ago and hardly saw anyone but there were 140 cars in the parking lot when we got back this time.
Scott - Oct 20, 2014 1:37 pm Date Climbed: Oct 10, 2014
Little Wildhorse/Bell Canyon
February 18 2018
Shaylee, Justin, and I hiked up Bell Canyon and down Little Wildhorse Canyon. We took the more scenic, but more rugged shortcut through a notch and down a side canyon of Little Wildhorse. It was a nice hike, but the narrows weren't quite as impressive as the slanted slot in West Fork White Roost. We had to stem across several pools. I was able to stay dry other than dipping the bottom of my shoe in one pool, but the others got wet.
After hiking Bell and Little Wildhorse, we headed for the Wildhorse Window, which is a big potty arch. It was really windy and the blowing sand was unpleasant at times.
October 10 2014
Kimberly, Kessler, Shaylee, and I did a variation of the Little Wildhorse/Bell Canyon Loop. After hiking up Little Wildhorse, which is always a pleasure, we got to a pool of water. This was the perfect excuse to try a proposed cutoff that I have wondered about for years.
Little Wildhorse Canyon has a small west fork which I hadn't been to. I had proposed for a long time that the west fork might make an interesting shortcut. We decided to try it. We explored the west fork and had to pass several drop-offs along the way. We ended up in a maze of interesting canyons. The left most fork ended in a fall, but we tried another fork which went all the way to the rim.
After some exploring around, I found a break in the cliffs and the others followed. It was a steep descent, but we found our way into Bell Canyon which we followed back through the San Rafael Reef and to our vehicle. I don't know if the "shortcut" really saves any time, but it was an interesting route.
Later in the day we headed for Goblin Valley to do some exploring. The kids took off to do some exploring and playing tag on their own, which Kimberly and I climbed the highest non-technical butte for the views.
Later that evening and near dark Kessler and I explored the ridge above the campground leading to Wildhorse Butte.
It was a fantastic day and we packed a lot of fun in.
April 24 2010
I hiked this one with my two kids, ages 5 and 7. The original plan was to climb the west face of Mount Democrat, a Colorado 14er, but a storm and avalanche warnings put an end to that plan. Plan B was to take the kids down to the Rifle area for some hiking in the state park, but heavy rains put an end to plan B too. The weather forecast was good for the San Rafael Swell area of Utah, so Kessler, Shaylee and I headed over there.
After driving through a snowstorm the night before, we got up early in the morning and left Green River for Little Wildhorse Canyon under completely blue skies on a pretty warm morning. We started up the canyon, but weren’t sure if we could make it up a new obstacle that was rumored to be there. The canyon was a lot of fun and had a few fun climbing obstacles, but nothing serious. The rumored obstacle was easily passed and the kids had fun with it.
After getting through Little Wildhorse Canyon we headed west along the old 4wd track to the head of Bell Canyon which we descended back to the trailhead. Bell Canyon is another fun one with some minor obstacles. We completed the eight mile loop in seven hours including all the messing around time in the canyons. It was a great trip.
May 1993
At age 18, I hiked the canyon with my future wife. We were married three months later.
February 1987
I hiked the canyon with my dad and brother, but water stopped us from going that far. There weren't many people visiting the canyon back then.
February 1983?
At age 8, I hiked it with my dad and the Sierra Club back when it used to be a "secret place". The canyon was filled with water so the others wanted to turn back.
AjaxHiker - Sep 8, 2014 11:56 am Date Climbed: Apr 16, 2014
Fun loop hike
This was a great loop, enjoyed it so much I brought my wife & kids back to do this again later in the season.
Fantastic desert hike! Completed it with Steph. Went up Little Wild Horse and back down Bell. Only hiccup was overcoming the small cliff line with my dog, Chip. Had to hoist and pull him up and over. Overall, quality slot canyon hike, with relatively easy terrain, it was very enjoyable.
alpine345 - Oct 19, 2012 11:20 pm Date Climbed: May 10, 2007
mostly alone
With eve... we went just between groups and had it to ourselves except for the parking lot...
ZeeJay - May 5, 2012 9:40 pm Date Climbed: May 5, 2012
Mobbed
Tons of people but still nice. Also did it 20 some years ago when there were no signs, no parking lot, a rough road, and no one but us.
runbyu1 - Mar 18, 2012 8:51 pm Date Climbed: Dec 27, 2004
Up Wildhorse, Down Bell
Did this with Brian---had a blast!
Shaylee - Nov 6, 2011 12:18 am Date Climbed: Apr 24, 2010
Bell-Little Wildhorse
10-10-2014
4-24-2010
EndlessPat - Oct 29, 2011 10:52 pm Date Climbed: Oct 29, 2011
Very fun
Camped on the edge of the canyon, can't wait to the other canyons in San Rafael.
MTfred19 - Nov 20, 2023 11:46 am
LWH+B LoopYes, after putting it off for a decade for fear of crowds, I finally did hike this loop. It is definitely as good as its reputation, and when I went, it wasn't as busy as it could have been, and I ended up meeting and talking with some very nice folks. Good deal
Rocky Alps - Apr 17, 2017 2:13 pm Date Climbed: Apr 11, 2017
Little Wild HorseThe entrance to the canyon just before the Bell / Little Wild Horse split was under water so we had to climb up and bypass this obstacle on the left side. Little Wild Horse Canyon was great fun, and the kids had a blast in the narrow sections. We turned around at the next watery section a couple miles into the canyon.
Scott-NW Alpine - Jan 6, 2017 1:11 am Date Climbed: Mar 30, 2009
Great CanyonI worked for a season at Goblin Valley and hiked this canyon multiple times did the loop in both directions. Great hike and worth the visit.
Clubbox42 - Jun 27, 2016 6:02 pm Date Climbed: Jun 24, 2016
Wild WonderHiked Little Wild Horse Canyon thrice now: first time I nearly fell off a cliff and perished, the second time I hiked up to a little butte near the trailhead, and the third time was at night. This is a very scenic canyon, we always just hike as far as we want and then turn around. I would suggest, should you hike this in the daytime, be sure to climb up the ledges that line the canyon and be sure to take note of the tight narrows as you hike through. A truly unique experience, however, is Little Wild Horse at night. Climbing up the rock jams and gazing up at the infinite sea of stars, framed through the sheer walls of the canyon, is something you just have to experience for yourself. Would definitely recommend a hike of Little Wild Horse Canyon!
asaking11 - Apr 28, 2016 11:39 am Date Climbed: Apr 27, 2016
BeautifulThese canyons are outstandingly beautiful. My wife and I hiked up Bell canyon and then down Little Wild Horse Canyon. The slots in Little Wild Horse were amazing. I can't wait until I can go back and explore more of this region.
chicagotransplant - Apr 18, 2016 11:48 am Date Climbed: Apr 17, 2016
Canyon Loop1st: 4/17/16 - With Rachael, up Little Wild Horse and down Bell. LWH is the more interesting and we would probably just go up and down that one if we repeated. The narrows section was wet and it was a lot of fun stemming across it to try and avoid the water.
2nd: 2/26/17 - With Rachael, did the whole loop again, Bell was more fun than we remembered from the first time actually, it was definitely worth the repeat. The narrows in LWH are great, nice and long. Dry this time.
3rd: 4/09/22 - With Jamie and Katie, full loop. Getting popular, I was here 5 and 6 years ago and hardly saw anyone but there were 140 cars in the parking lot when we got back this time.
americanswiss - Apr 2, 2016 2:12 pm
Little Wild HorseA good introduction to slot canyons.
Kessler - Nov 4, 2015 3:17 pm Date Climbed: Oct 10, 2014
Little WildhorseOctober 10 2014
April 24 2010
Foxy Long Bottoms - Jun 2, 2015 11:41 am Date Climbed: Jun 1, 2015
Beautifuland mellow. So pretty.
Scott - Oct 20, 2014 1:37 pm Date Climbed: Oct 10, 2014
Little Wildhorse/Bell CanyonFebruary 18 2018
Shaylee, Justin, and I hiked up Bell Canyon and down Little Wildhorse Canyon. We took the more scenic, but more rugged shortcut through a notch and down a side canyon of Little Wildhorse. It was a nice hike, but the narrows weren't quite as impressive as the slanted slot in West Fork White Roost. We had to stem across several pools. I was able to stay dry other than dipping the bottom of my shoe in one pool, but the others got wet.
After hiking Bell and Little Wildhorse, we headed for the Wildhorse Window, which is a big potty arch. It was really windy and the blowing sand was unpleasant at times.
October 10 2014
Kimberly, Kessler, Shaylee, and I did a variation of the Little Wildhorse/Bell Canyon Loop. After hiking up Little Wildhorse, which is always a pleasure, we got to a pool of water. This was the perfect excuse to try a proposed cutoff that I have wondered about for years.
Little Wildhorse Canyon has a small west fork which I hadn't been to. I had proposed for a long time that the west fork might make an interesting shortcut. We decided to try it. We explored the west fork and had to pass several drop-offs along the way. We ended up in a maze of interesting canyons. The left most fork ended in a fall, but we tried another fork which went all the way to the rim.
After some exploring around, I found a break in the cliffs and the others followed. It was a steep descent, but we found our way into Bell Canyon which we followed back through the San Rafael Reef and to our vehicle. I don't know if the "shortcut" really saves any time, but it was an interesting route.
Later in the day we headed for Goblin Valley to do some exploring. The kids took off to do some exploring and playing tag on their own, which Kimberly and I climbed the highest non-technical butte for the views.
Later that evening and near dark Kessler and I explored the ridge above the campground leading to Wildhorse Butte.
It was a fantastic day and we packed a lot of fun in.
April 24 2010
I hiked this one with my two kids, ages 5 and 7. The original plan was to climb the west face of Mount Democrat, a Colorado 14er, but a storm and avalanche warnings put an end to that plan. Plan B was to take the kids down to the Rifle area for some hiking in the state park, but heavy rains put an end to plan B too. The weather forecast was good for the San Rafael Swell area of Utah, so Kessler, Shaylee and I headed over there.
After driving through a snowstorm the night before, we got up early in the morning and left Green River for Little Wildhorse Canyon under completely blue skies on a pretty warm morning. We started up the canyon, but weren’t sure if we could make it up a new obstacle that was rumored to be there. The canyon was a lot of fun and had a few fun climbing obstacles, but nothing serious. The rumored obstacle was easily passed and the kids had fun with it.
After getting through Little Wildhorse Canyon we headed west along the old 4wd track to the head of Bell Canyon which we descended back to the trailhead. Bell Canyon is another fun one with some minor obstacles. We completed the eight mile loop in seven hours including all the messing around time in the canyons. It was a great trip.
May 1993
At age 18, I hiked the canyon with my future wife. We were married three months later.
February 1987
I hiked the canyon with my dad and brother, but water stopped us from going that far. There weren't many people visiting the canyon back then.
February 1983?
At age 8, I hiked it with my dad and the Sierra Club back when it used to be a "secret place". The canyon was filled with water so the others wanted to turn back.
AjaxHiker - Sep 8, 2014 11:56 am Date Climbed: Apr 16, 2014
Fun loop hikeThis was a great loop, enjoyed it so much I brought my wife & kids back to do this again later in the season.
dakotaconcrete - Sep 8, 2013 8:36 pm Date Climbed: Sep 7, 2013
SweetFantastic desert hike! Completed it with Steph. Went up Little Wild Horse and back down Bell. Only hiccup was overcoming the small cliff line with my dog, Chip. Had to hoist and pull him up and over. Overall, quality slot canyon hike, with relatively easy terrain, it was very enjoyable.
alpine345 - Oct 19, 2012 11:20 pm Date Climbed: May 10, 2007
mostly aloneWith eve... we went just between groups and had it to ourselves except for the parking lot...
ZeeJay - May 5, 2012 9:40 pm Date Climbed: May 5, 2012
MobbedTons of people but still nice. Also did it 20 some years ago when there were no signs, no parking lot, a rough road, and no one but us.
runbyu1 - Mar 18, 2012 8:51 pm Date Climbed: Dec 27, 2004
Up Wildhorse, Down BellDid this with Brian---had a blast!
Shaylee - Nov 6, 2011 12:18 am Date Climbed: Apr 24, 2010
Bell-Little Wildhorse10-10-2014
4-24-2010
EndlessPat - Oct 29, 2011 10:52 pm Date Climbed: Oct 29, 2011
Very funCamped on the edge of the canyon, can't wait to the other canyons in San Rafael.
Liba Kopeckova - Oct 12, 2011 10:43 am
Great little canyonA beautiful slot canyon, easily accessible, and friendly even for kids. Had a wonderful time over there, and can't wait to get back.
runbyu1 - Sep 24, 2011 3:53 pm
Love it!Did both during a Goblin Valley trip...totally worth doing and a great place to take newbies!
idpeakgirl - Jul 24, 2011 4:47 pm Date Climbed: Jun 15, 1994
LWHWorth the drive!