The Mountains of Dixie National Forest and An Impromptu Afternoon Canyon Hike

In March Tom and I took a drive up into the mountains of Dixie National Forest so he could show me the mountains and point out a few of the hikes we’d be taking when the weather warmed up. I had driven this road and hiked a bit when I was here a year and a half ago but I knew so little of what was actually here that virtually everything he showed me was new.

The views from the road are fantastic and even though I’ve seen much more of the country in the time since I was here, it remains one of my very favorite roads to drive. But now, knowing all the amazing hikes that can be accessed from it, it’s even better. However, because the elevation is between approximately 7,000 and 10,000 feet, we will have to wait until the snow melts to hike most of those he pointed out.

Still, a couple weeks after our drive we decided on a whim to hike up canyon about ten miles below the snow line to look at some sandstone pinnacles. Unfortunately there had been a rock slide and the washes had changed course and size since the last time Tom was there which prevented us from getting as close as he had previously; near the top of the canyon climbing became necessary and the rock was literally crumbling so we had to descend and hike up another wash to get a different view. But no matter – it was a fantastic hike of about 6 or 7 miles and an adventure attempting to get a closer look at the rock formations.