This has to be one of the most overlooked hikes in the area It offers fantastic scenery, and a challenging, but not-too-difficult route to the top of a very imposing mesa From the highway, you would be hard-pressed to believe there was a non-technical route to its summit The route is elegant, and a lot of fun The hike is fairly steep, gaining about 1300' of elevation in a little over a mile This rates as a moderate/strenuous hike, we nicknamed the route "the stair master" by the top! It also encounters a fair bit o...

The Gulch, not to be confused with Grand Gulch on Cedar Mesa, is one of the area jewels It is officially designated a National Outstanding Natural Area, and easy to see why The Gulch itself is long, running both north of the Burr Trail, and south from the trailhead about 12 miles to the Escalante River The length makes it good choice for a backpack, though those wishing a shorter trip can easily day hike part way down and back The area has abundant evidence of Native American habitation, as well as relics from the ...

Tucked in a remote corner of the San Rafael Swell, Corral Canyon is very infrequently visited In Steve Allen's book Canyoneering The San Rafael Swell, he describes a hike in Corral Canyon: "The canyon ends at a long section of rapidly falling potholes They will be a challenge to future canyoneers" Reading his description, of course, sparked my interested in the canyon At the time a friend of mine had descended the canyon but had bypassed the infamous potholes via a high bench This only added to the mystery We visit...

Bowknot Bend makes a stunning 8 mile loop to cover a distance down canyon of only a few hundred feet This hike goes to an overlook where you see the river diverge on its 8 mile detour and return It is an absolutely stunning and lofty viewpoint The hike out is fairly casual, with a few moderate route finding problems, but nothing overly difficult The views of the La Sal mountains, the Henry Mountains, and the Green River are second to none This is a great hike to do as an addition to the Colonnade Arch hike, though ...

Crystal Peak sticks out in striking contrast to the more muted browns and greys that make up the west desert landscape When approaching, its bright white veneer is visible from miles and miles across the expansive west desert The peak itself makes a great roadside attraction with good primitive camping nearby For the adventurous, an easy 5th class scramble attains the lofty summit and makes for a casual 2-3 hour outing The peak is composed of volcanic tuft that has eroded over the years creating pockets, arches, an...

The Factory Butte area is about as close to a lunar landscape as I think you can get on earth! The terrain is sparsely vegetated, grey, rocky, and muted Though stark, to my eye, it has a unique beauty and is a lovely place to spend some time The Skyline Rim Overlook visits the edge of an escarpment where the grey lunar-like landscape around Factory Butte changes to colorful badlands below It is a dramatic spot with big views The area east Skyline Rim is home to both NASA’s Mars Research Station, as well as the Burp...

Though the nearby Jurassic National Monument is known for its dinosaur fossils, the road to the monument passes near a couple of excellent rock art sites One of the rock art sites is in what climbers call the Triassic Bouldering Area, while the other is in a nearby wash to the south Visiting the rock art panels is an walk suitable for most With a high clearance vehicles, both sites over very short walks In a low clearance vehicle, it is a 2-3 mile outing on easy terrain We enjoyed the rock art immensely, but also t...

I find the Great Salt Lake a fascinating place The scenery and uniqueness of the lake are interesting, but the history and stories of the people who have tried to live and make a life there I find even more fascinating Fremont Island is one of those places on the lake that is steeped in history I had wanted to visit for several years, but visiting requires quite an effort At about 18 miles round-trip from Antelope Island and across the sandbar just to REACH the island, this is an outing for experienced outdoors peo...

Knotted Rope is a pothole adventure extraordinaire! Although the canyon has no rappels, it is recommended for canyoneers with pothole escape skills Generally the potholes are easy to get out of, but in 2007 a woman drowned in Knotted Rope when she broke her arm getting into a pothole Her husband did not have the gear to rescue her, and she eventually succumb to hypothermia and drowned Knotted Rope is typically a fun romp, but bring a rope and a be prepared for some potential challenge, depending on water levels

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...