Devil's Canyon, though a stone's throw from Interstate 70, is one of the San Rafael Swells often overlooked gems. I had ventured into the canyon early into my first wanderings in the Swell. On that hot summer day, I only made it a couple of miles before the heat deterred me and I retreated. The beauty of the canyon was something I had always wanted to re-visit, but kept putting off. It was good to get back and finally spent some time there in 2024.

This is a long, deep, and dramatic canyon with many side canyons to explore and poke around in. There are a couple of points where you can hear road noise from I-70 above, but it is brief, and most of the canyon has deep desert solitude. The canyon has a couple of sections of narrows, as do the side canyons, but if you are looking for long narrows or slot canyons, this is likely not the hike you are looking for.

Devil's Canyon can be visited a few different ways. From the footprints I saw, most hike down to the first and most dramatic narrows, explore around a bit, then return. This makes for a nice 5-ish mile hike, depending on how much you poke around before returning. This version is suitable for beginners and family friendly if the distance hiking in sand is within everyones ability.

Some choose to backpack the canyon, making about 23+ miles round-trip to Devil's Canyon Spring and back without side trips. The biggest issue with backpacking is water! The only perennial water is at Devil's Canyon Spring, about 11-12 miles from the trailhead. If backpacking, and wanting to explore some side canyons, you should start with 2-days worth of water.

Finally, you can take my approach and do a very long day hike exploring as much as you have time and energy for, then returning. This makes for a long and very physical day, but with lighter backpack.