Showing posts with label Indian rock art/Kanab/Utah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian rock art/Kanab/Utah. Show all posts

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Best Hikes Within 25 Miles of Kanab

Kanab, Utah. I live there. I hike there. These are our favorite local hikes:

Bunting Trail-well publicized and in town
Squaw Trail (the best view of the "Grand Staircase")-well publicized and in town
Solaredas Trail-in town
Skutumpah Canyon (rock art)
North Fork Tiny Canyon or Mace Cave (rock art & ruins)
Dinosaur track hike near Flag Point (rock art also and we saw mountain lions)

all of the above can get you home for lunch if started by 7 or 8 a.m.
the next 3, I would carry my lunch just in case

Mansard or Island in the Sky hike (rock art)
Kanab Creek east of Rt. 89 (Indian ruins)
North Fork Hog Canyon (including "Superman" rock art & waterglyphs)

the next 2 may require more than half a day, mostly because of access problems (and 4WD only)

Glass Eye or Flood Canyon Indian ruins (try to include Inch Worm Arch)
Peekaboo or Red Canyon (short & nice slot canyon)

the following is a long hike but worth the effort

Cottonwood or Ron Smith Indian ruin site (rattlesnakes)

Monday, April 23, 2012

Hometown Tiny Canyon

It's nice to drive just a few miles from home for a nice hike. Tiny Canyon  is the canyon at the south end of the rifle range which is north of Kanab, Ut. on Hwy. 89 (or the canyon just north of Trail Canyon, which is across from Hog Canyon). We accessed it twice trying to find a supposed Indian ruin in the south fork. Well we tried two south forks and haven't found it yet. There are some short decent narrows in the 2nd. south fork (turn south out of Tiny just before the west fork dry-or-wet falls). Anyway, to explore any southern forks, park at the range and find any trail on the north rim. My opinion: unless you find the ruin site, not worth the trouble for the southern forks. UP AND DOWN IN THE SAND & BRUSHY! But scenic.
We did find a nice cave (Mace) in the north fork though. Pictographs, petroglyphs, metates. Across the wash from Mace Cave there is a ruin site under a ledge, maybe 3 or 4 pits and some original beam posts. Not much there but still interesting. You could go the same way as to the last south fork and turn north. My recommendation though is to drive north past the rifle range where the guardrail ends and park. (If you get to the Best Friends turn you are too far.) Head up the sandy drainage on the west side of Hwy. 89. Get ALL THE WAY to the top. This should take a good half hour to 45 minutes. Now head west cross country, erring on the side of Tiny Canyon for orientation. 1 1/2 hours should get you to the obvious large cave at the end of the north fork. We took 3 1/2 hours round trip with exploration. You can cut time off on the way back by staying back from Tiny Canyon and taking a more direct line. Orientation should not be an issue on your way back. It's just ESE. This hike is not too tough but is not for really hot weather. We went at 8a.m. in the summer. It's sandy! Good views!
We haven't given up on those elusive ruins in the south fork yet.