Historic Hurricane Canal Trail

It had been close to twenty years since we last hiked the Hurricane Canal.  When Dan suggested that we put together a hike for New Year's Day, it seemed like a good time to revisit this amazing engineering feat that brought water to the Hurricane Valley.  New Year's didn't work out (weather), but Saturday was pretty close to perfect.  The hike provided a fun way to get acquainted with some new friends and show them a piece of history that is unique to southern Utah.

The canal was started in 1893 and was built primarily using picks, shovels, and wheelbarrows.  It took nearly nine more years to complete the project.  It was used to provide water to the Hurricane Valley until 1985 when it was replaced by a pipeline that fed water from the Virgin River to Quail Creek Reservoir.  Click here for an interesting article that shares more details on the Hurricane Canal.

A beautiful day for a hike . . . beginning at the Virgin Dam Trailhead
11 hikers and 2 dogs

Soon we worked our way down off the rim

Fifteen minutes later we approached the Virgin River

Dan found this cool walking stick . . . Alexa carried it for the next 7 miles!

This section of the river was calm and beautiful . . . 
Looks like a nice place to be on a hot summer day!

Walking beside the canal 

Alexa and Joe standing on a headgate

Pretty moss growing on the north facing cliffs

A relic of some sort

Rick is "walking the plank"

Looking back at the planks we all just walked over . . .
Was this a smart thing to do??

These dams diverted water for the La Verkin Canal . . . 
which was smaller, shorter and located on the opposite side of the river

Ah . . . our first tunnel . . . who's up for an adventure!
Most made it through, but a few smart ones detoured around the outside

At times it was rough going

Hup, two, three, four . . . trudging along

Chipper seems to be enjoying the hike

Passing by another of the many headgates . . .
These were used to divert water back to the river so repairs could be made on the canal

Kobe is ready for a drink!

At Chinatown Wash we left the Canal to get around this section of dilapidated pipe

Chinatown flume

Remnants of a magazine where dynamite was stored at Chinatown

Back on the Canal . . . 
Kobe says, "Follow me, Gary, we got this!"

Decision time??
Do we attempt this tunnel . . . we can't see light on the other end

We decided to bypass the tunnel by skirting around the outside . . .
This section was pretty sketchy . . . just ask Susan!

Little did we know the tunnel would have been the better route . . .
right Darrell and Mike?

Our last section along the canal

Working our way back up to the rim

Seven miles later and we're still smiling (and alive)!

Toadstool and Rimrock Hoodoos

It has been a mild Fall season and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument seems to be calling our names.  When traveling to Page we often see cars parked off the highway by the Paria Contact Station and wonder, "What do they know that we don't?"  It was time to find out!  After doing a little research we found that most people were stopping to see the infamous Red Toadstool hoodoo formation.  Further study showed there were many more hoodoos located in the Rimrocks area.  It was time to go find them!  Click here for a great link that describes the area in more detail.

The first toadstool we came upon . . . 
small compared to most but still impressive!

Look at the different textures, colors and shapes of sandstone

Standing tall, this hoodoo appears to be watching over the little ones

Quite majestic . . . 
Notice the thin white layers in the red Entrada sandstone 

The famous Rimrock Toadstool Hoodoo

It looks different from every direction

The Lower Rimrock Hoodoos were fun to visit . . . 
Research shows that there are more interesting formations in the area . . .
Guess we'll need to come back and see what lies to the west!

Now we are headed to the Hoodoo Forest . . . 
Located in the Upper Rimrocks area, off the Cottonwood Wash Road

From the rim we must drop down and weave our way onto the white bench . . . 
The bench is a 100 ft above the valley floor and only accessible from above

Looking back towards the rim that we descended to reach the white bench . . .
Although there is a faint trail, it can be sketchy in places!

Be careful going to the Hoodoo Forest . . . one misstep could spell disaster
Chipper was being a little too rambunctious . . . 
so Kent waited with him while I worked on photographs

Wandering through the forest made me feel like I was on another planet

Doesn't this hoodoo look like a meerkat?
He seems to be watching over this unique brain-like mound of clay

How has this hoodoo's caprock not fallen?

One last look at the meerkat before heading back to Kent and Chipper . . . 
There was so much more that needed exploring on this bench . . . 
We will need to come back soon and continue the adventure!

Click here for an interactive Google Map with directions to the Rimrock Hoodoos.

The Nautilus

When looking for information on Yellow Rock (see the following post), we came across several fun day hikes.  One of these was called The Nautilus.  If you're wanting an easy hike (and easy access), this may be the trail for you.  Located a mile and half off HWY 89 near the Paria Contact Station, is a small slot-like canyon that is carved in a spiral manner out of an ancient sand dune.  A short half-mile walk will take you to the hidden entrance of this unique ravine carved by wind and water.

This red sandstone formation towers over this ancient white sand dune . . .
The Nautilus is a mini-slot canyon carved out of sand dunes, such as this one

We walked up a dry stream bed watching for cracks in the sandstone 
All of a sudden we see it . . . the Nautilus!

Our first glimpse of the Nautilus as we enter from the bottom . . .Wow!

Unlike most slot canyons that are straight . . .
This one twists, swirls and spirals!

This is a panorama view from top to bottom

Kent and Chipper at the entrance of the Nautilus . . .
I imagine water would flow towards the bottom after a good rainfall

Looking down from where Kent and Chipper were standing

Could this interesting streak be a form of desert varnish?
The tentacles remind me of a pictograph gone bad!

 Here's an interesting rock secretion (couldn't think of a better description)
It was located just below the streak pictured above

Such intricate details in the sandstone

Even this area beyond the Nautilus is amazing . . . 

Click here for a Google interactive map of the area surrounding the Nautilus.

Yellow Rock & Hackberry Canyon

The forecast said to expect a nice Fall day with warmer temperatures.  After several windy and cold days, this seemed just "What the doctor ordered" to get us back outdoors!  But where to go?  We had been thinking about a hike to Yellow Rock and when we discovered that the trailhead was the same used for Hackberry Canyon, we thought why not do both?  Afterall, each are only about three-miles round trip and located right next to each other.  These trails are in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (GSENM) and are about an hour east of Kanab, Utah on the Cottonwood Road.  This dirt road first takes you to the Paria River and then heads north along the Cottonwood Wash for fifty miles, eventually coming out at Cannonville, Utah.  Since we had never traveled this road, it gave us even more incentive to "head out" on this exploration.  We're glad we did!

The muddy Paria River flows along this section of the Cottonwood Canyon Road

The Lower Hackberry Trailhead is located about 14 miles north of US 89       

We started out in the sandy Cottonwood Creek . . .
In the Spring, this stream bed is ankle deep with water

This is the worst part . . . it's steep, but short . . .
Supposedly, at one time it was a horse trail!

Interesting rock formations along the way

Wow!  Yellow Rock is more than yellow . . . it's red, pink and white, too!

This red rock formation seemed a little out of place . . .
almost like a monument to Yellow Rock!

The cliffs, in the distance, are about 45 miles away . . . near Kanab, Utah

Heading to the top . . . 
It was fun to explore Yellow Rock

Great views . . . we are looking north . . .
that's Castle Rock on the left

Looks like someone spilled something! 
(Extra points for locating Kent)

These iron concretions may one day form Moqui marbles

We passed by a couple of Ponderosa pine trees and more neat rock formations

Up close and personal . . . rugged and majestic! 

Heading back down the steep trail . . . 
Earlier two military bombers scared us to death . . .
They flew along the valley floor pictured above

We decided to check out Hackberry Canyon

We were surprised to see frozen water

This would be a great spring hike when the creek is flowing

Erosion along the stream bed . . . 
It has created this unique mini arch

We certainly weren't expecting to see Bighorn sheep . . .

They crossed the road to get a drink from the Paria River . . .
then quickly turned around and crossed the road again . . . what a sight!

Kent counted 26 Bighorn sheep . . . Wow!

The Paria River Valley is desolate and beautiful with many hidden surprises

Click here for an interactive Google Map that shows Yellow Rock and Hackberry Canyon.