This stop was a last-minute decision, and I am so thankful I made it. It involved a hike of almost nine miles through two slot canyons. During the five hours I spent on the trail, I thoroughly enjoyed myself as I hiked through narrow passages as well as wide open spaces, scrambled up and down sandstone obstacles and waded through water, and saw a wide variety of rock formations and designs.
Approach to the Canyons
The morning started off driving through an interesting landscape to the trailhead.
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| On the Way to the Trailhead |
The first part of the trail was down a dry creek bed or wash until I came to the entrance to a canyon.
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| Fremont Cottonwood |
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| Canyon Entrance |
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| Inside the Canyon |
Bell Canyon
Not long after entering the canyon, it broadened out a bit, and I came to the loop in the hike. I chose to take the left fork that took me through Bell Canyon. The first thing I noticed in my surroundings were all of the layers in the rock.
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| Stone Steps |
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| Chocolate Layer Cake |
A little way into Bell Canyon, the walls began to close in.
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| Canyon Width Gets Smaller |
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| Narrow Canyon |
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| High Sandstone Walls |
There were obstacles of rock and water in the narrow passages. As I was doing a gentle ascent, I had to scramble up and over rocks. With the one section filled with water, I took my boots and socks off and waded through barefoot.
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Looking Back at What I Just Climbed Up
(I sat down on the far left and inched backwards up the steep incline) |
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High Shelf
(it was chest high with one foothold underneath the ledge) |
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Pool of Water
(it came to the top of my calf) |
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| Large Boulder Blocks the Way |
The slot canyon wasn't consistently narrow. There were several sections where it widened out giving views of the highest rocks.
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| Beehives |
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| Spotlighted by the Sun |
As usual in this type of terrain, I marveled at the shapes and designs created by weather, erosion, and time.
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| Precision Holes |
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| Black Ink on Red Background |
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| Skeleton Head of a Tyrannosaurus Rex |
I was equally taken by the artistry of Mother Nature.
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| Jackson Pollack Splattered Colors Everywhere |
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| Mighty Rocks |
Between Canyons
I eventually exited Bell Canyon and found myself outside the mass of rock through which I had traveled. The backside of the loop fell between the entrances of the two slot canyons. The scenery in this section was a mixture of tall rock formations and distant views.
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| Pink and White Rocks |
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| Layers of Color |
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| Rocks Atop Dark Red Soil |
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| Clapping Turtle |
Little Wild Horse Canyon
Similarly to the start of the hike, I transitioned from open space to slot canyon as I approached Little Wild Horse Canyon.
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| Shadowed Juniper |
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| Back Entrance to Little Wild Horse Canyon |
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| Canyon Narrows |
There were many large rocks, drop-offs, and uneven surfaces to navigate over. Since I was headed back toward the trailhead through this slot canyon (opposite of Bell Canyon), I was slowly descending in elevation which meant most of these rock obstacles involved climbing down.
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Looking Back at Steep Drop-off
(I stepped carefully on the slick sandstone ledges and then jumped) |
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Curved Staircase
(I had to shift my body and backpack while stepping up to fit through the passage) |
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Egg Blocks the Way
(which side can I fit through?) |
As with the first slot canyon, there were times when the passageway widened up into broad, open areas.
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| Towering Walls |
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| Rounded Rock |
I found the designs and colors Little Wild Horse Canyon even more interesting than those in Bell Canyon.
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| Rock of Flesh? |
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| I Found Myself in a Scene from One of the Alien Movies |
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| Rock Swirls |
The one drawback of this canyon was there were ten to twenty pools of water with most of them unavoidable. With so many, it would have taken forever to take off and put back on my boots and socks each time. So, I chose to just keep them on when I waded through.
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| Time to Wade |
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| No Way Around |
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How Deep Is It?
(it actually reached mid-thigh on me) |
I came to my favorite section of the hike where the shapes of the rock walls were absolutely beautiful. There were sculpted into natural pieces of art.
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| Sculpted |
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| Drapery |
As my favorite section continued, the canyon narrowed until the walls were not much more than shoulder width apart. Simultaneously they undulated and twisted in the most interesting way.
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| Shaped Walls |
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| Elephant Feet |
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| Canyon Slithers Onward |
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| Inside an Automatic Car Wash |
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| Narrowest Section of Little Wild Horse Canyon |
Finally, I emerged from this second slot canyon, came to the fork thereby closing the loop, and then retraced the last half mile or so back to the trailhead.
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| Canyon Opens Up |
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| Front Entrance to Little Wild Horse Canyon |
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