Category: North America

Resources

☞ Cotonwood Rd BLM map
☞ Burr Trail Wolverine Loop Rd BLM map
☞ Cottonwood Canyon Road
☞ Cottonwood Wash Narrows
☞ What’s like to drive Cottonwood Canyon Road?
☞ How to loop fold in Capitol Reef NP?
☞ Headquarters Canyon

After good night rest in Page, regrouped, resupplied and triple-washed, we are heading north towards ☞ Grand Staircase-Escalante NM and ☞ Capitol Reef NP . This 3 day section was a slow road trip on scenic byways and dirt roads. We started with a short walk to visit ☞ Toadstool Hoodoos, just off Hwy 89. We spent the rest of the day driving on ☞ Cottonwood Canyon Rd . The gravel surface was much better than we anticipated. We stopped briefly to check-out Paria River (still with some flowing water at this spot) and then stopped for 2-hour easy walk up and down Hackberry Canyon. Driving slowly we checked out possible camp sites and settled in between small trees on sandy bank of Cottonwood Creek. We wanted to be close to the ☞ Cottonwood Wash Narrows trailheads – we walked almost the entire section starting from and returning to the north trailhead next morning (3 miles), including short but quite impressive slot section. The scenery around this part of the road is very interesting. We had lunch at picnic area near Grosvenor Arch and short walk along the impresive rock formation. We were then driving on Hwy 12 past Escalante towards Boulder. We did get a few good views of Escalante and Calf Canyons, but only from the car. Viewpoint bays were horrible (bad design) and we were running out of time. After short drive on ☞ Burr Trail Rd we camped at Deer Creek campground. Piotr discovered that his credit card disappeared, decided to drive back in the morning towards Boulder until cellular signal to lock it.

The following day we continued on Burr Trail Rd, first through Long Canyon and then across plateau towards Capitol Reef. We stopped at the top end of the canyon and then for lunch at the top of Burr Trail Switchbacks. Very nice views from both places. After the switchbacks we turned south on Notom-Bullfrog Rd just for a short distance to ☞ Headquarters Canyon trailhead, our main 7-mile walking exploration of the day. Joanna practised taking “vertical panos” to capture impressive heights of narrow slot canyons. We spent the rest of the afternoon driving slowly north on Notom Rd. After a short drive into Burro Wash we just camped in the middle of nowhere, well near an old abandoned corral. It was too late to drive any further to look for wild campsite as we originally planned. We tried to help stranded motorists late in the afternoon, their van broke down and would not start. We managed to send messages asking unsuccessfully for help (non-emergency; messages were delivered but resulted in unhelpful automatic response) using Zoleo (there was no cellular signal in the area). In the end it was other motorists passing by who were able to help them after we left. Joanna prepared fancy salad for dinner and we watched another orange sunset over reddish hills.

Slot section of Headquarters Canyon (video clip)

Resources

☞ Paria Canyon – Vermilion Clifs Wilferness
☞ Paria Contact Station
☞ Buckskin Gulch and the Paria River Narrows
☞ Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon – the ultimate backpacking guide
☞ Buckskin Gulch
☞ The ultimate Paria Canyon backpacking guide
☞ Paria River (and Buckskin Gulch)
☞ Seeking Treasure Adventures

We started the day by meeting our ☞ shuttle driver at 6:20 am at Chevron Station in Marble Canyon (15 min drive from our lodge). We transferred our backpacks and followed him to Lees Ferry long-term parking lot where we left our car until our return. The shuttle took us 82 miles around Vermillion Cliffs mesa to Wire Pass trailhead. Quite scenic drive with the last part on a dirt road. Final prep and around 9 am we were on the trail. The Wire Pass trail follows a side wash which enters Buckskin Gulch several miles downstream of its beginning – not very deep at this point, but quite narrow – a true slot canyon. At its deepest (further downstream), Paria River cuts 750 m into the mesa. We followed mapped trail (shown on the map). Nowhere else to go in the gulch, but we took some alternative shortcut trails or simply cut across easy terrain in the wider part of Paria River valley. Altogether we walked 49 miles and crossed the river hundreds times. Blue line on the map follows mapped trail, we ocassionaly followed local alternative trails.

Sourcing water was our main concern, but we received good advice and up to date info at the lodge: conditions were dry, no water at all in Buckskin Gulch, but decent amount of clear water in Paria River fed only by springs (it is often muddy and very difficult to filter, especially after rain, but it was clear now after a long dry period). River was easy to cross (only a few times above knee-deep and only a few times “wall-to-wall”) and with some good pools for “swimming”. We started with 9 liters of water – it was good decision as it lasted until we reached the first strong wall spring in the morning of the second day. There was some slow stream water at Buckskin and Paria confluence (where we camped the first night), but also signs of human activity plus horse manure and a strong smell of horse urine in a few spots – it felt good to be carrying water than be desperate. With all the John Muir Trail experience everything else was easy. Portable (carry-out) toilets we got with our permits worked fine.

Walking down Buckskin Gulch and Paria River Canyon

Hiking day 1.

The first day was a long and incredibly beautiful walk down Buckskin Gulch, easy trail with just three small rock falls to pass. First with a ladder, second mini scrambler and last one under the rocks rather than over the top using a fixed rope (the underneath passage is sometimes blocked with flood debris). Joanna worried about this last 8 m drop we had to go through late in the day, but it turned out to be manageable with an old rope in place (we did not have to use our paracord brought in case we needed to lower our backpacks etc). It was a hot day above us, but rocks provided good “air-conditioning”. It was our first slot canyon and also the longest one in Southwest (and maybe in the world!) – we stopped constantly to admire it and take pictures. The scenery is quite stunning with colors changing from sunny and saturated to shadowy and grayish. Automatic image processing by phone camera exaggerates somewhat the extremes, but in reality the swings were also quite dramatic. We often felt like we were walking in a tunnel, as the walls seemed to close together above. They’re three dominant visual patterns: narrow passages with undulating rock walls sculpted by running water, 90° turns along major vertical cracks in huge sandstone blocks and some wider openings with sandy bottoms. We had lunch in one of the openings, the only places with enough space to sit. There were some day hikers at the beginning of the gulch, but almost nobody later on (only 20 overnight permits are issued). We have seen many photos of what it all looks like after rain (mud and muddy pools everywhere), but for us it was easy going – Joanna obviously did her homework picking the dates. Some parts of the trail are slower because of rocks, boulders and sand, but it is all flat. The first day was the longest of the entire hike (14 miles) with heaviest load (food for 5 days and water), but with all the excitement about beauty of the canyon we were not tired. We reached the first established campsite with many nice spots still quite early, but at least a dozen people already camped there. This area is the most popular. We decided to continue a bit longer to camp below the confluence (Buckskin and Paria). Nobody there, just a couple of hikers we met on the way collecting water from small river pool.

Hiking day 2.

Next morning after breakfast we walked up the Paria Canyon a bit (just a mile or so) to the Arch (large piece of rock which broke off higher above and is leaning against the wall, not real arch). The trail leading up Paria Canyon (to Whitehouse trailhead) is the the most popular option in the area and we considered it as a day hike, afterwards happy we chose multi-day backpacking. We collected our stuff on the way back and continued down the river. The canyon becomes wider from here on (not a slot canyon anymore), but the walls are even more monumental. With many side wall springs there is more and more water running, quite warm and clear. There is also more green vegetation, nice contrast against yellow/red rocks. The day was hot and sunny, but canyon walls provided good shading. The plan was to walk to the first major spring and stop for lunch there. No problem filling up all our bottles quickly. At this point water in the river looked quite usable, we preferred to take it from springs (filtered it anyway). To save fuel, Joanna developed recipes which do not require real cooking, just soaking in hot filtered water (work with cold water as well, if necessary). After lunch, we walked more and started frequently crossing what now looked like a real stream/river. Jumping on stones first and then just wading through. After 8 miles or so we found a nice camp site with nobody around. With several good spots to chose from, we could not resist a solid discussion which one is the best. It was the most relaxing day (“rest” after a long hike the day before) and best campsite on our trek. We like our tent (Seedhouse 3) and were quite happy to have it successfully repaired by Big Agnes (worn zipper and poles bent by strong wind at Whitney Portal).

Hiking day 3,

The following day we walked another 10 miles. The canyon widened, but the walls remained very steep and high most of the time. The river is shallow and flowing slowly here and still gaining volume from side springs. It is often flanked by plants, even bigger trees. Quite green. We stopped at the biggest spring along the trail for lunch break. The spring is hidden in dense bush with water dripping at good pace into muddy pool, perhaps 3 feet deep in the middle. We filled all our bottles (empty by now) standing in the pool. We continued walking on sand bars along the river or wading through shallow water avoiding muddy spots. Piotr sank about a foot stepping in one of those muddy spots, but recovered quickly. It took just 2-3 seconds. Solid bottom (probed with waking pole) was another foot deeper. There were multiple pools for good soaking. We arrived at our daily destination early enough to pitch the tent and soak for a while in whirlpools just below Shower Springs (refilled all bottles one more time). The river was running much faster here over stones and between small rocks. We could still not believe how warm the water was (comparing to mountain creeks). We saw only one hiker the whole day, but there were signs of old human activity: abandoned water pumps and pipes used to push water up to the top of the mesa (with lousy result) and what looked like a petroglyph (there suppose to be more of them at the site, but we could not find anything else).

Hiking day 4 and 5.

It was just day and a half of hiking (9 plus 6 miles). We were not in a hurry and stopped for the night at Wilson Ranch rather than making it a long day all the way to Lees Ferry (we expected the campground there to be crowded). Paria Canyon here looks more like a valley, wider and with rock walls on both sides less vertical/more eroded (still quite impressive). The valley also becomes drier and drier, and the river does not seem to gain much more volume. From a walk along the river the previous day it changed to a walk across a desert with river nearby. It was hot with no shade from canyon walls. We started walking across larger meanders, sometimes sandy and rather flat, sometimes rocky and quite steep. When it was time to cross the river we searched for a good spot to get on top of the other bank and look for a trail (there are always trails there). Then when the terrain got too difficult we crossed the river and repeated the same on the other side. At times we walked closer to or in the river. A few times we were actually quite high above the river: once when it cuts into a deeper canyon (it is the deepest point somewhere there, relative to the surrounding mesa), once walking on piles volcanic ash/cinders (when the canyon cuts deep enough to reach remnants of old volcanic activity) and then along big sand dunes with interesting orange/pink sand color. Different landscape variation comparing to the first 3 days. Joanna found a lonely tree just on the river to give us some shade for lunch break, but Piotr did not like bird droppings (all birds congregated on this lonely tree). After lunch, Joanna found a small pool big and deep enough for a swim – just a few strokes. Piotr settled for another whirlpool. We met nobody all day, but again found petroglyphs and camped near abandoned ranch. Wind gusts were getting stronger kicking up fine dust. They were strong enough to produce a mini sand storm in the afternoon. The wind died down at night, but picked up again next day. Wind-blown dust in the air made the landscape feel even more like desert. The old springs at the site were not accessible and this time we took water from the river. At the campsite near remains of a horse corral, we were watched all the time by lizards and rodents. There was an old skin shed by a decent size snake, but no snakes detected. Next morning was walking across much more open terrain, less interesting. Strong wind and dust was wearing us down a bit at the end. It was even difficult to stop for a snack rest, we ate some in the wind, but did not realize we were so close to Lonely Dell Ranch, a much better spot for lunch break. We made it to the farm earlier then anticipated. We looked around and continued to Lees Ferry to retrieve our car. We looked at Colorado River there and from a beach short distance further downstream. We drove to Page and stayed there at very good airbnb: large space with small kitchenette, well equipped and organized. Just what we needed to regroup, shower and rest. Plus laundry and dinner at Mexican restaurant nearby.

When we decided to go to El Malpais and El Morro we also decided to skip Petrified Forest NP (we saw many petrified trees on previous days) and head north from Farmington to Utah instead. We made a small detour to “Four Corners” and drove through four states in an hour: NM, AZ, CO and UT. We arrived at ☞ Hovenweep NM early enough to walk 2-mile loop around small canyon dotted with ruins of Ancient Puebloan villages (towers) on top of the cliffs. These ruins are from later period, 1200-1300 AD. Next morning we were ready to visit more historical sites along Hwy 95: ☞ Butler Wash (short walk to ruin overlook), ☞ House on Fire (3-mile walk), ☞ Cave Towers (short, very bumpy unmarked drive behind closed but unlocked gate and 2-mile walk) and ☞ Mule Canyon Roadside Kiva (ruins just off the highway). There are many more scattered ruins and hiking trails everywhere in ☞ Bears Ears NM. House on Fire was the highlight, as you can walk close to the houses and peek inside. Topography is also very interesting because pueblos were build in or above canyons, close to seasonal water. We saw many spring flowers and some animals (e.g. 2 large snakes). Hovenweep had surprisingly many people, but other sites very few. We made it to dispersed camping at Muley Point (Glen Canyon NRA) on top of Cedar Mesa in time for good evening views of San Juan River Canyon, just at our feet, and Monument Valley on the horizon. This was the best camping spot so far, there were 2 other families camping in the area, but very far from us. Views were amazing. It became quite windy in late evening. We were glad we parked behind some bushes and not on the windy canyon edge. We enjoyed more great views from nearby Muley Point next morning after breakfast.

San Juan River canyon from Muley Point (video clip)

From top of Cedar Mesa (250 million year old permian sandstone) we dropped 400 m down snaking ☞ Moki Dugway (Rt 261) to Valley of the Gods – 17-mile unpaved loop meandering between interesting rock formations carved in the mesa. We drove slowly and stopped a few times to walk around the base of Rudolf and Santa Clause and up above the road near Castle Butte. Valley of the Gods is like a miniature Monument Valley, but the word about it is out and it is becoming popular – there were quite a few cars around. We then stopped for lunch at boat launch picnic site in Mexican Hat and drove by Monument Valley NM (we already visited it many years ago). We found nice campsite at CanyonView Campground in ☞ Navajo NM, with panoramic views of the canyons from flat sandstone platform just a few steps away. One of the best organized campgrounds, and it was free! Next morning, we walked a couple of miles on three short trails: Aspen (towards canyon floor), Sandal (to Betatakin Cliff Dwellings overlook) and Canyon View (to historic ranger station). The rest of the day was just driving to Cliff Dwellers Lodge in Marble Canyon. We started on unpaved and sandy shortcut via Shonto (fun test driving) and later stopped at Navajo Bridge (Colorado River). We spent afternoon preparing for the hike next day and had good dinner on the eve of Piotr’s birthday.

Valley of the Gods from Rudolf and Santa Clause (video clip)

Resources

☞ Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness BLM map
☞ Bisti/De-na-zin Wilderness BLM map
☞ NM Area 1 Northwest BLM map

Choosing dirt roads even to travel short distance between local destination was of concern. Is our car’s clearance sufficient? Can we cross washes without getting stuck in deep sand? Running water was not an issue because of the drought. We carried car recovery kit on this trip, but did not have to use it. A shortcut between Chaco Canyon and ☞ Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness did not look too good (although we later concluded it was probably also passable) so we decided to add miles just to stay on more used dirt roads (7950-7980-57-7870). We crossed Escavada Wash three times, skidding quite a bit in the sand in one spot (nothing our car could not handle) and later over new bridge in a spot that could be otherwise problematic. Last couple of miles from Rd 7870 to the Valey of Dreams trailhead were on a sandy path rather than road. We checked out different options and followed what looked passable by eye. We parked our car at one of the “parking lots” near the trail, pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but with good view of our hiking destination.

We started exploration of rock formations and Joanna’s favorite finds: petrified trees. Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness has a feel of remote sandy desert with little vegetation. Wind gusts kicking-up dirt/sand amplified the impression (there was a dust storm in the afternoon). We followed mapped trails most of the time, but also explored different corners of “rock gardens” in Valley of Dreams (late morning) and along Ah-shi-sle-pah Trail (late afternoon). Hoodoos are fantastic, really like from a fairy tale or a dream and there is a sense of discovery there – we met only one hiker. Each walk was about 3.5 “slow” miles. The trailheads are 6 miles apart, the latter just off Rd 57. We then drove on “main” dirt roads (57-7610-7500) to ☞ Bisti/De-na-zin Wilderness and looked around for camp site – decided to stay near trailhead for our hiking destination next morning.

Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness (video clip)

Our first hike of the day was 6.5 mile semi-loop in De-na-zin Wilderness. We started towards Yellow Hoodoo in the general direction (counterclockwise) of mapped loop, but quickly started wandering around and exploring the site on our own. At some point the trail disappeared in narrow passages with what looked like a small rock scramble. At this point we decided to walk back a bit and down to the main wash, and continue exploration from there (we did not close the entire loop, but were very close). De-na-zin feels also quite remote with few visitors. We then drove around to Bisti (Rds 7500-371-7297). After lunch, we just started walking across flat area along Bisti Wash towards Bisti Arch, Rock Garden and Valley of Bones, and then continued towards Cracked Eggs and Petrified Wood. We zig-zagged 5-mile loop – we liked the second part better. Wind gusts were getting quite strong as we were walking back to the trailhead against the wind in a dust “storm” wearing masks. Bisti is much more developed with many more visitors, but it is also the largest with a sense of vast open space. There are many more rock formations and petrified forests there that we did not get to because we were tired of blowing dust. We liked Ah-shi-sle-pah the most, then De-na-zin, partially because of novelty of seeing fantastic rock shapes, mostly because of remoteness and emptiness, but also because of the weather – in Bisti colors were washed out and views obscured by the dust storm.

We stayed for the night in motel in Farmington. Shower, laundry and resupply time.

We enjoyed green forest and fast running stream next to our spot at Rio De Las Vacas Campground, and relaxing short 5-mile walk on Horse Canyon Forest Rd. Even more so in anticipation of quick change of scenery to hot, dry and desert-like environment at Chaco Canyon (and the following days). To get there our Subaru was subjected to 13-mile rough dirt road test – it was not as bad as we worried, a good sign for more dirt-roads in our plans. We drove there via Rds 7900 and 7950 from NM Hwy 550 near Nageezi.

☞ Chaco Culture National Historical Park is almost unknown, but contains amazing remains of a huge ceremonial center of Ancestral Puebloan people used from 850 to 1250 AD. There are several great houses which are mini-cities consisting sometimes of hundreds of rooms, with multiple ceremonial kivas and plazas aligned to serve as astronomical observatories. We learned about it only a few years ago. Remote location and lack of paved roads mean few tourists – visiting the ruins is real pleasure. Turns out Ancestral Puebloans developed cultural sites on par with that of South American peoples, however meaning and details of their structures, petroglyphs, ceremonies and believes are mostly forgotten.

We stayed 2 nights at the park campground (the sites are too close to one another for unknown reason, as there is a lot of space to spread out the campground ), made two longer hikes to the mesa above the canyon and petroglyphs and visited several grand house ruins (Pueblos), and listened to archeoastronomy talk. It was hot and we hiked a little less than we planed. Joanna wished we had more time there.

We walked 12 miles visiting main sites: Hungo Pavi – Chetro Ketl – New Pueblo Alto – Pueblo Alto – Kin Kletso – Casa Chiquita -Petroglyph Trail – Pueblo Del Arroyo – Pueblo Bonito – Casa Rinconada