City Creek is rich in history The canyon is currently home to one of the Salt Lake valley’s water treatment plants and has long had a history of providing water to the valley The upper reaches of the canyon held the site of several mines, none of which were very successful Then came prohibition, and moonshine was added to the story of City Creek Canyon The trail described here, Smugglers Gap, was used by moonshiners to smuggle moonshine from City Creek to the military base at Fort Douglas The hike is steep and heav...

I am often asked what I think the "best" canyon is that I have done It depends on how you determine "best" There are narrow canyons, canyons with big rappels, climbing canyons, pothole canyons, etc I will admit though, when pressed, Deer Creek is usually my pick for best canyon I have done It is a stunning section of canyon tucked at the bottom of the overwhelmingly immense and beautiful Grand Canyon Deer Creek left a smile on my face that lasted way beyond the actual canyon day Had we not been pressed for time, I ...

Smiling Cricket Canyon, also known as Poe Canyon and even L Canyon, was first descended by Mike Bogart and Jenny Hall in 1981 and called Poe Their bold descent went unrepeated and more or less unknown for almost 30 years In 2007, Jason Pease wandered the area looking for canyons and re-found Poe, naming it Smiling Cricket He descended it in the summer of 2008 with Mark Fleck Of the three canyons in the area Happy Dog, Laughing Baboon, and Smiling Cricket, Jason and Mark ended up in the biggest of the three He and M...

Mirror Lake, the namesake of the Mirror Lake Highway, is arguably one of the most popular and visited lakes in the Uinta Mountains The lake has both day use areas as well as 94 campsites reservable on recreationgov The popularity of the area is for a good reason, and I wouldn't let crowds deter you from stopping by The lake is located at just over 10,000 ft in elevation and has a glassy surface that reflects Bald Mountain and the other surrounding peaks in its clear waters On any given summer weekend, the shore wil...

Coyote Gulch is one of, if not thee, premier canyon in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument The canyon, emblematic of the beauty of the Escalante region, is often near the top of desert hikers and backpackers bucket lists This is a canyon that has astounding beauty and charm, with seemingly each bend of the canyon revealing a scene to marvel at Arches, waterfalls, cavernous alcoves, rock art, and a plethora of color make this an amazing journey Because of its iconic status, the canyon sees many visitors and ...

Near the Colorado-Utah border on I-70 in Rabbit Valley lies The Trail Through Time The 15-mile trail is a stone's throw from I-70, but transports visitors back to the time when dinosaurs roamed the area The trail is part of the active Mygatt-Moore dinosaur quarry that has been designated an Area of Critical Environmental Concern As the trail winds its way along the benches, it visits several sites where dinosaur fossils can be seen in the rock This is like most dinosaur exhibits in the wild I have visited in that t...

Climbing Cleopatra's Chair is something I had wanted to do for a long time The 56 C0 rating made it sound fun, the "shoulder stand" made it sound adventurous True to my impression, it didn't disappoint The route is not for 56 leaders! We avoided the shoulder stand at about 58, but above that move there is a good section of runout climbing A slip would be disastrous, and help a long way off Cleopatra's Chair is a true adventurous desert summit best left to those with a bit of experience The summit is amazing, howeve...

High spur is in many people's opinion the most beautiful canyon in the Robber's Roost area I would agree it is certainly high up on the list It is a photographers dream! Although technical, much of it can be enjoyed by hikers hiking down and returning the same way The technical difficulties are straightforward, making this a good canyon for canyoneers of all abilities It also, generally, doesn't hold much water, making it a good early or late season outing

If this were closer to pavement, Tidwell Canyon would unequivocally be one of the classic canyons It has great, deep, dark narrows and easy passage Although a bit short in length, it is a must do if you are in the area The loop described here sees a variety of different narrows and scenery Ascending is required, but the two drops that require ascending are short The trailhead has a great, remote feel and offers decent primitive camping with unparalleled views Although a bit of an excursion to get all the way out to...

Warning! This fork of Water Canyon is VERY NARROW Larger canyoneers may not fit At 6'2" and 185lbs, I fit with a little room to spare, but people that are much bigger may struggle Water Canyon offers the intrepid canyoneer a good day out The crux of the canyon is a very tight narrow section right as you get going Beside the crux, the canyon offers great views, and a very nice deep, dark slot section Water Canyon is a good one, beginner friendly with competent leadership and makes a nice casual day out