Nations Natural Bridge was a surprise on our visit to Five Kiva Pueblo En route to the Five Kiva trailhead, we passed a sign for Nations Natural Bridge trailhead and had to stop off after hiking Five Kiva Pueblo to check it out The bridge is visible across the canyon from the road, but the short trail that visits the bridge up-close is a well worth the effort The trail is short, and you can visit the bottom of the natural bridge, the top of the natural bridge, or both Visiting the bottom of the natural bridge is a ...

Summer heat got you down along the Wasatch Front This is THE premiere way to get out of the heat and have some fun Having seen many people tube the river, it wasn't until 2012 that I finally gave it a go on a scorching 100-degree day It is amazing, and a ton of fun There are enough rapids and obstacles to keep you engaged, but nothing overly dangerous This is NOT a route I would recommend for children The first section, in particular, has many rocks, branches, and rapids that require a fair bit of attention The ina...

Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, located a short distance from Las Vegas in southern Nevada, is renowned for its ancient petroglyphs The area contains more than 300 panels and nearly 1,700 petroglyphs from the Puebloan, Patayan, and Southern Paiute people from the Archaic to historic times These petroglyphs, etched into the rock faces of the canyon, depict various scenes such as hunting, religious ceremonies, and everyday life, offering insights into the cultural heritage of the ancient inhabitants The hike...

Malans Peak, rising about 2,100' above the Ogden Foothills, is a beautiful hike, particularly in spring when wild flowers are blooming or in the fall when fall colors have taken over the scrub oak This hike reminded me a lot of Grandeur Peak near Salt Lake It is about 25 miles to the top and 2,100' feet of gain, making it a steep hike! The length and steepness make it popular with morning hikers and trail runners getting some exercise in before work, which was my approach to the hike as well! The trail is mostly sh...

Hidden in the rugged walls of Fillmore Canyon lies an intriguing mystery - the Chalk Creek Hieroglyphs Carved into the sandstone cliffs are strange symbols: circles, lines, figures, and markings that have puzzled explorers, scholars, and locals for generations Were they left by ancient travelers passing through the Great Basin Survivors of distant civilizations Or are they the work of settlers searching for treasure and leaving their marks in stone These are very similar to the [my:linkToObject type="trip" id="904"...

Pool Arch Canyon is more of a hike than a technical hardcore canyoneering adventure It provides lovely views and visits two arches en route to the technical section of the canyon Often dry, it is a good choice in cooler times of the year The route gets quite a bit of sun, so is not recommended in the heat of the day during the summer It's short technical section, and easy nature make this a good choice for beginners Beware, the anchors have changed a few times over the years, with pitons and webbing being removed N...

Likely the most floated stretch of river in Utah, the Moab Daily is a class III section of the Colorado River near Moab The 14-mile section is extremely popular with families, locals, and guiding companies Although class III, this is a float that is beginner friendly at flows below about 10,000 cfs Above about 10K cfs, it is solid class III The rapids, 6 in the 14 miles, with several smaller rifles and wave sections, are all separated by long stretches of flat water that gives beginners a chance to re-group after e...

Gold Strike Canyon, home to Gold Strike Hot Springs, and Nevada Hot Springs is just downstream from Hoover Dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River Access is relatively easy, requiring about an hour or so hike down from the trailhead near the highway Be warned, however, this hike is not recommended by the National Park Service in summer months due to heat and the high potential for encountering rattlesnakes Also be aware, this is an incredible popular hike with locals As such, expect to run into numerous group...

Bloods Lake is a very popular outing, particularly with dog owners The area was once slated for development but saved as part of the Bonanza Flat Conservation Area As of 2019, the hike is still open to dogs, but there is some discussion of closing it to dogs as part of watershed conservation The walk to Bloods is an excellent outing, though I prefer to continue to Lackawaxen, a mile past Bloods Lake Lackawaxen Lake is the pretty lake, with an odd name It, presumably, is named after the Lackawaxen River or Township ...

In the winter of 1879-1880, a group of pioneers set out from Escalante, UT to settle the Four Corners region The immensity of the task is astounding, the terrain between Escalante and Four Corner is a veritable labyrinth of cliffs, canyons, dry mesas and pretty much any other hardship the Colorado Plateau can contain The group was initially slowed at Hole In The Rock, the first major obstacle, where they had to engineer a trail down to cross the Colorado River Continuing, the trail proved difficult, and on Christma...