The Beehive

Last week, as we climbed Squirrel Peak and took in the surrounding views, we were reminded of our failed attempt to reach the top of The Beehive nearly nine months ago.  We (Kent & Allison) were not so sure we wanted to try it again, but after researching different southerly routes, Tom thought we ought to give it another go.

Boy, are we glad we did!  We can't say enough about this hike and anything we try to describe will fall short of our actual experience.  This is just one hike you have to experience for yourself, in order to appreciate all the different aspects (challenges, beauty, vistas) it has to offer.   As Tom said to us, often, throughout the hike, "Sometimes it's good to push a little beyond your comfort zone."  He was right!  Because of that extra push this hike went from special to epic!

We have been down this road before . . . 261 days ago to be exact!

Kent & Tom have done their research as to the best route up through the cliffs
(There's not too much to go on, other than it's possible - others have made it)  

Even so, we discovered two good ascent routes on our own . . .
Kent & Allison took the Hoodoo . . . Tom scrambled up the Buzzard
(Hoodoo & Buzzard are the names we gave our routes)

Watch for this little Hoodoo and Buzzard rock formations and you'll be good to go!

Kent tried the Buzzard, but he chickened out and let Tom have at it . . .
The incline was deceptively steep and there were few hand holds

He liked the Hoodoo much better!
As you can see, Tom made it up The Buzzard, and was waiting to help Kent 

Look out, here comes Allison!
There certainly was more exposure on this route . . . but it was less steep
and provided decent hand holds . . . still, though, it was a little unnerving!

Tom is working his way up our second & final climb . . .
Allison actually went up the flat rock, to the left of Kent,
and was able to summit without having to climb through the crack 

We are up on the ridge and headed for The Beehive . . . look what lies ahead!

This is going to be fun!

 It's magical!

Just a sampling of the unique volcanic rock  

The Beehive is so amazing . . . it's hard to describe

It looks like Tom & Kent are walking on a beach . . . but it's sandstone!

A chocolate Rice Krispie treat?!

Such intricate design! 

We found a great lunch spot . . . no wind, no crowds or waiting for a table!
(Hard to believe 50 miles away it was snowing at Tom's house)

Sorry Kent . . . the true summit or highpoint (6,476) is . . . the Hoodoo on the left!  Tom wins!

There was still a little snow on the north side
(This is the side we tried to come up last April - if one can handle
the very steep descent this would make for a nice loop hike)

As the crow flies, Zion National Park is about 10 miles away!  What a view!
(That's the West Temple of Zion)

Squirrel Peak is just off to Allison's right
(We did this fun and rewarding hike last week) 

It looks like snow behind us . . . but it's just pure white sandstone

Root remnants of a tree that once was growing on this beehive

It's time to head back down . . . what a great time we had exploring The Beehive!
We have a feeling we'll be back!

This picture of The Beehive was taken from our Squirrel Peak hike a week ago.

Little did we know it would help us plan our route . . . but it did, and it worked!

Ah! Stung no more!

 

A special thanks to Tom who encouraged us to give this mountain another try.  You can find Tom's Peakbagger trip report by clicking here.  This will give you a topo map and gps tracks to follow, should you want to take a similiar route as we did.  Round-trip mileage was 6.5 miles for this hike and took us about six hours.

Squirrel Canyon and The Beehive

With our stimulus money Kent decided it was time to upgrade his GPS. Armed with this new electronic gadget there was only one thing left to do – test it out! But where to go? After several days of tossing possibilities around with Tom, we settled on “The Beehive”.

Many are familiar with Water Canyon, located just outside of Hilldale on the Utah-Arizona border, but few have heard of Squirrel Canyon that is accessed from a nearby trailhead. From here one follows Short Creek for a mile until veering off to the north up Squirrel Canyon. After following an enchanting stream for another mile, a hike out of the canyon is required to access The Beehive.

We had read that it was possible to summit The Beehive, without ropes, if we scrambled up the slickrock from the north side. Sounded like a plan, until we stood at the base and looked up. “Wow, that looks steeper than I expected” was the general consensus, but we hadn’t come this far to not give it a try. After all, we wanted to see the unique hoodoos that can be found on top of this sandstone mountain. We didn’t make it – let’s just say, “We were stung by the Bee!”, but what gorgeous scenery and fun memories were made. We’ll be back – we have a plan to get the best of the Bee!

 It's early morning and the sun hasn't yet come over the ridge . . .
Short Creek flows gently beside the trail . . . it's rather soothing

After crossing the creek, we followed an ATV trail to Squirrel Canyon
That's the Beehive in front of us . . . 
Even though it looks close, it's another two miles until we can attempt our ascent

The ATV trail ends in Squirrel Canyon at this small diversion dam . . .
Water is channeled into a pipe, which flows under the ATV trail . . . 
We assume it ends up in Hildale and is used as part of their water supply

Ahhh . . . it feels good to be up and out of Squirrel Canyon . . .
We're looking back to the south towards Short Creek

The terrain quickly changes . . . it looks like we are in for a treat!

There is no trail in this area and Allison "sort of got lost" for a few minutes . . .
She blew her whistle and Tom quickly spotted her!  Whew! 

There it is!   They call it The Beehive . . . we call it The Beast!

Kent and Tom planning our ascent . . . it looks different from here, huh?
Hey, Tom, "Is it really that steep?  No, it's just an optical illusion" . . . yeah, right!

It really is as steep as it looks!

Tom is trying to get good finger holds along this crack to work his way up to Kent  

Traction on the slickrock was an issue
We spent 30-45 minutes (on the rock) contemplating the "what if's!". . . 
Ultimately, it came down to . . .
"If we make it up (and that was a big assumption), could we safely get back down."

Here we are answering our question . . . 
 Butt scooting our way back down . . . bummer!

Hmmm . . . I think I could have made it . . . really!
Those other two guys are just a bunch of wimps!

This place is as remote as it is beautiful . . . no one, but us!

Moqui Marbles . . . aka, iron concretions
They are made of iron oxide and sandstone and then formed by the wind

Tom and Kent "think" we will return one day and conquer The Beehive . . .
from the southwest side . . . we shall see!

Not sure what to call this . . . a moqui marble blob?
Still needs a little more wind work to get them separated

Feeling defeated by The Beast, Tom had to summit something . . .
This hoodoo was the lucky winner!
After all, he is a Peakbagger!

Not to be "outdone" . . . Kent had to poke fun of The Beehive in the distance!
"We're coming back for you!"

Indian Paintbrush growing near the base of he sandstone

What?  No Coke!  Who left an empty cooler out here in the boonies?
It actually served as a good trail marker for heading back down Squirrel Canyon

On our way back down the trail we could hear trickling water, a mini waterfall . . .
You gotta love springs in the desert! 

So pretty . . . a Brassicaceae or member of the Mustard family 

Unique alluvial fan swirl in Squirrel Creek

Cushion Phlox

 8.6 miles later and we have come full circle . . . that's the trailhead in the distance
What a great day it has been . . .
despite the fact that we were "stung" by The Bee!

As a side note . . .We came back in January 2021 and bagged The Beehive using a route that came in from the southern end.  Click here for a link to that post - it was amazing!