McDonald Creek, part of the McInnis Canyon National Conservation Area, is a lovely hike that meanders down to the Colorado River This is a fairly diverse hike, starting up in the open flats and slowly working down through sandstone layers before reaching the Colorado River in the picturesque Ruby Canyon En route, a very short slot and a couple of rock art sites, adding cherries to the top of an already great hike Note: The area around McDonald Creek has grown immensely in popularity in the last few years, leading t...

San Juan River was one of my most sought after trips that took me a long time to actually do! The section described here, from Sand Island to Mexican Hat, is a 27-mile float through both geological wonder and Native American rock art and ruins that are absolutely stunning to behold This is one of the finest floats in Utah and very family friendly Permit: The trip requires a permit The permit system is a lottery that is drawn months in advance For details on the lottery, or to enter, see the Recreationgov site I am ...

The San Juan River was one of my most sought-after trips that took me a long time to actually do! The section described here, from Mexican Hat to Clay Hills, is a 57-mile float through an astonishingly deep and dramatic canyon in remote terrain This is one of the finest floats in Utah and very family-friendly provided you have the skills From a geology and scenery perspective, I liked this more than the section above, Sand Island to Mexican Hat This section is typica...

Between the Henry Mountains and Fremont River lays a barren landscape of Mancos shale The grey scenery is reminiscent of a lunar landscape As water tumbles down from the Henries through the badlands, it cuts through a Ferrone Sandstone layer The white sandstone is hard and erodes into very sculpted walls When Diane, Ruby and I headed out to check out the one small canyon in that area, I was intrigued at what we might find The canyon is short, but interestingly sculpted I would have really enjoyed it except for one ...

Counting Panel is one of the more unique panels I have seen in the area The panel is actually a couple of panels One is a large and weathered petroglyph panel, the other is a much more intricate pictograph panel with many red and black lines The striking pictograph, to me, seemed like a spot that was used for counting Maybe red signified one item and black another I suspect native peoples passed through the area during spring and fall while hunting on the transitional zone between the badlands below and the Henry M...

Passing through the area, we could not help but stop at a small spur road that had nice views to the north of Factory Butte It seemed the perfect place for a snack break and to take in the view We were not the first to find the views irresistible! At an outcropping overlooking Town Wash below and Factory Butte in the distance we found the Riding Desert Sheep Panel It is easy to understand why early people might have been drawn to the spot to create artwork The site is made up of a couple of different panels that ap...

Table Mountain on the northern end of the Henry Mountains has always intrigued me, its craggy slopes are studded with pillars and towers that look quite dramatic from a distance When I finally visited Table Mountain via Lost Springs, I wasn't disappointed The spires and towers are even more dramatic up close, and the views from the area of the badlands to the north and Capitol Reef National Park to the west are quite dramatic The higher elevation of this hike makes it a great one to do in the summer, when trying to...

Tucked up near the northern Henry Mountains, along the transition zone between the mountain and desert environments, is the Rock Corral This natural feature creates a rock "corral" that ranchers used and closed with a log fence to contain animals Long before ranchers, however, Native Americans also used the area Signs of their time at the site are found in petroglyphs they left behind, as well as one of the largest concentration of grinding areas I have seen I assume the ancient peoples collected grasses and seeds ...

A relatively short hike from the trailhead, this is a good family friendly leg-stretching hike that will give a good, albeit brief, introduction to the Ruby Mountains Though relatively short, the hike offers big views of Lamoille Canyon and has several smaller lakes to pass en route This is a popular destination for fisherman, so be sure to bring your rod and reel if you are inclined This also makes a great short overnighter for families

A continuation of the Lamoille Lake hike, Liberty Lake offers a bit of a gateway to the heart of the Ruby Mountains A day hike is worth doing, but if you have time, I would highly recommend staying a night or two at Liberty Lake and using it as a springboard to Favre Lake, Wines Peak, and Furlong Lake as day hikes from a base camp at Liberty Lake Note: Liberty Lake itself offers only a few primitive campsites and is relatively confined You may need to continue on to Favre Lake during busy times to find better campi...