Hiking the Canyon Country of Utah and Colorado
The impressive and colorful Bryce Canyon. Photo by Rod Martinez
hen you hear the word “canyon” you probably think of the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is 277 river miles long, 18 miles wide, and up to 5,280 feet deep; it has earned its name. Zion and Bryce Canyons are two other very impressive and photogenic canyons located relatively close to our Colorado home. Although not as well known, Colorado and southeast Utah have an abundance of other canyons to explore, hike, and photograph. Western Colorado On the outskirts of Grand Junction you should take the time and effort to hike the canyons of the Colorado National Monument. The Monument Canyon and Ute Canyon Trails, as described in The Best Grand Junction Hikes pack guide published by CMC Press, will take you into the heart of the Colorado National Monument. The trails descend 1,440 and 1,640 feet,
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Trail & Timberline
respectively, to the lower trailheads at the base of the canyon. Along the trails you will pass by large red rock spires that make for interesting views. Located to the southwest of the Colorado National Monument is McInnis Canyons, a national conservation area. The purpose of a national conservation area is to preserve, protect, and restore some of America’s most spectacular landscapes. The Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness Area, which is 75,580 acres of the 122,300 total acreage of the McInnis National Conservation Area, has trails into Mees, Knowles, and Jones Canyons. The trails into Devil’s, Flume, and Rattlesnake Canyons are also described in the The Best Grand Junction Hikes pack guide. Rattlesnake Canyon is truly incredible and very photogenic. The hike is a difficult to strenuous 14.2-mile walk with an elevation gain of 2,500 feet. There are nine natural arches in Rattlesnake Canyon, the largest concentration of
arches in North America outside of Arches National Park. Black Canyon and Dominquez Canyon—also described in The Best Grand Junction Hikes pack guide—are hikes that will take you into two distinct Colorado canyons. Dominquez Canyon, located about 17 miles south of Grand Junction, is a 66,280-acre wilderness area located in the heart of the 210,012-acre DominquezEscalante National Conservation Area. The Dominquez Canyon Trail is 9.0 miles round-trip with minimal elevation gain. The scenery is spectacular as the trail follows the ever-flowing Little Dominquez Creek. Keep a lookout for desert bighorn sheep—you may spot them grazing at the base of the sandstone cliffs. The scenery and potential of seeing bighorn sheep are topped by the numerous rock art sites along the canyon walls and large boulders along the trail. The first petroglyphs are seen on a large rock about 3.4 miles into
