Often described as "an incredible hike", the Chute of Muddy Creek is also often followed up closely by "but what a long day" This is a pretty accurate description From Tomsich Butte to Hidden Splendor is a long day hike, but is through one of the most impressive non-technical canyons in the Swell This is a must do for fit hikers It can be backpacked, but Muddy Creek is not suitable for filtering or drinking, making water availability a problem There are small springs in lower Chimney Canyon, but by that time, you a...

I wasn't expecting much when visiting this ruin, it seems overlooked by most, though is quite interesting and worth the short hike I would put it lower down the list than Fish Mouth Cave, Monarch Cave, or Procession Panel, but still worth a visit

Split Level and Ridge Top Ruins offer great ruins with a short hike Very similar to the other ruins along Comb Ridge, these are fairly well preserved with many good pictographs to see as well Many may wish to visit just the Split Level ruin, a very short walk from the car Those with a little more energy can circle up to the Ridge Top Ruin to extend the hike a couple of hours Both are well worth visiting and recommended

Sunstones are a translucent yellowish rock that looks quite similar to glass shards The sunstone crystals were formed as part of the volcanic eruptions in the area Sunstone Knoll is an old volcanic vent, the source of the sunstones in the area The area on top of Sunstone Knoll and mainly the flats to the east of the knoll is littered with small crystals of sunstone When visiting, the land glints in sunlight from the abundance of crystals Most are small, though on our visit we found a few up to about 1/3 of an inch ...

I visited the San Rafael Swell for years as a hiker, climber, and canyoneer Aside from Buckhorn Wash and Temple Mountain, I had wrongly assumed there wasn’t much rock art in the Swell I now appreciate the large and diverse amount of rock art in and around the Swell It is an area that was frequented by native peoples, but also has some of the more unique and fascinating panels I have seen Tree of Life panel, on the eastern edge of the San Rafael Swell, is a gem that literally thousands of people drive by without eve...

Fossil Canyon Quail Canyon is a gem of a canyon, not too far from St George Unlike many of the more popular sandstone canyons in the area, this one is limestone It has an entirely unique look and feel! The canyon, carved in limestone, has a handful of obstacles that make for a more challenging hike We did the hike with a couple of 7-year-olds and a couple of dogs in tow The kids absolutely loved the challenges and finding a way up, around, or through the challenges The dogs, though patient with being lifted, seemed...

Natural Bridges is probably my favorite National Monument in Utah It is famous for its three large natural bridges: Sipapu Bridge, Kachina Bridge, and Owachomo Bridge All three bridges are viewable from view points along the scenic drive I would strongly recommend at least making the short hikes down to visit each bridge up close Doing one or several of the out and backs to a bridge is a good, family-friendly excursion Even better, is to do a loop hike visiting 2 or all 3 bridges on the same hike and makes for an a...

Devils Garden is home to Landscape Arch, considered by the Natural Arch and Bridge Society NABS to be the longest natural arch in the world A stunning arch, it spans an amazing 290 ft, just edging out Kolob Arch in Zion for first place Visiting just Landscape Arch is about a 15-mile roundtrip hike on a very wide and well-maintained trail Suitable for most Landscape Arch is also well known because a large chunk of it fell off in 1991 while tourists were visiting Consequently, you can no longer walk directly under th...

My favorite area in Utah, the San Rafael Swell offers excellent camping, hiking, canyoneering, and rock climbing. For solitude and amazing views, this is the place to go. Avoid lower areas in the heat of the summer, but fall, winter and spring are amazing times in most areas of the Swell.

Arch Canyon Ruin is a family friendly roadside attraction Most vehicles can drive within 100 feet of the ruin, others may need to walk the last 1/4 mile The ruin itself is somewhat vandalized, but still an interesting visit The views in all directions for the ruin are magnificent This is a good stop if in the area, or passing through On my first visit, I stopped at the first ruins Good, but not great After, I had several people e-mail me that better ruins were to be seen, just up the canyon Alas, I finally got back...