Moonhouse, in my opinion, is one of the most interesting ruins that is easy to visit on Cedar Mesa It is estimated to have been constructed about 800 years ago, with a unique design The ruins namesake room, Moon House, is a room with the moon painted on opposite walls Access is easy via a relatively short, but stunning hike The trail descends from the mesa, crosses the canyon, and visits Moon House proper, as well as several other ruins, granaries, and a kiva in the area Moon House Ruin is one not to be missed in m...

Tucked on the western edge of the San Rafael Swell, Salt Wash offers easy access with big views, deep canyons, and many petroglyphs to visit along the way Given all there is to see and do, I am surprised this is as seldom visited as it is, and highly recommend it The area seems to see a fair bit of horse traffic, but very little foot traffic A full out-and-back from the trailhead to the San Rafael River makes for a nice moderate/long dayhike The best parts, however, are early on in the hike, so shorter out-and-back...

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...

Donut Falls is an excellent and popular hike in Big Cottonwood Canyon This is a good one regardless of the season In the winter, it makes a great snowshoe and, in the summer, a hike On any given summer day, I would wager this makes the list of top 10 busiest hikes in the Wasatch In the winter, the hike is 35 miles from the locked gate on the highway In the summer, this hike can be as short as 14 miles round trip IF you can get a parking spot at the trailhead Unless you are very early, I would generally recommend wa...

Amethyst Basin is considered one of the high use zones in the Uinta Mountains With easy access to the trailhead, a reasonable hiking distance to the lake, and stunning views, it is easy to see why the area receives so much use This is not the place to go if you're looking to escape the crowds and be alone This is the place to go for big views and easy access to stunning scenery Even with the high use, the area doesn't feel overly crowded Many people stop short of the basin and camp in the trees or leave the trail f...

A short canyon with a big elevation gain on the approach! Moonflower Canyon is likely best known and most often visited for the impressive rock art panel at its confluence with Kane Creek There is also a BLM walk-in campground available Recently, the canyon has become a bit more popular with canyoneers The canyoneering route has about 1000 feet of elevation gain on its approach but quickly loses that in a series of two big drops The actual canyon section is very short, but the views from the top of the mandatory ra...

One of the most magical things for me about hiking in Southern Utah is the rock art and signs of Native American habitation that are found dotting the landscape, In addition to having stunning and unique rock art, many of these sights are perched in sunny alcoves with amazing views Weavers Caves is one of those absolutely amazing rock art sites situated in a sunny alcove above a canyon with equally stunning views It is easy, on a cool fall or winter day, to envision the ancient people basking in the warm sun in fro...

Mill D South Fork is also commonly known as Cardiff Fork, and home to the frequently visited Donut Falls Though the canyon is a mix of private and forest service land, with the upper section almost entirely private, the lower section is a lovely place for a hike The hike ambles up the Mill D South mining road Navigation is easy, views excellent, and a fair bit less traffic than some of the other nearby trails It is a charming place The downside to Cardiff Fork is that just when the trees begin to open to high alpin...

Kessler Peak, sitting on the ridge between Mineral Fork and Cardiff Fork, is one of the more prominent peaks visible from the road up Big Cottonwood Canyon The peak beckons hikers to visit its lofty summit The summit you can see from the Big Cottonwood Canyon road is not the true summit, with the true summit a little bit south along the ridge The peak was the site of mining activity in the late 1800’s Today, a couple of ruins of shelters and tunnels near the summit are all that remain of the miner's efforts The tra...

From I-15, Shivwits Arch looks like a tiny keyhole at the top of the ridge This hike will take you right through the arch to a ridgeline with great views and the opportunity for a photo op on top of the arch The route is quite steep in places and involves some route finding, scrambling, and a climbing move or two but if you are up for the adventure, you will enjoy this loop hike in the Virgin River Gorge The arch is named for the Shivwits Band of Paiutes, part of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah The band currently r...