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Chapter 32

Trails & Routes

The complete trail grammar of Emery County: Buckhorn Wash Scenic Backway, Little Wild Horse and Bell Canyon slot-canyon loop, Black Box technical canyoneering, Muddy Creek wilderness backpacking, Joe's Valley mountain biking, the 600-mile Arapeen OHV system, Labyrinth Canyon river float, and the Old Spanish Trail historical corridor — organized by travel mode for hikers, bikers, paddlers, and OHV riders.

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Ch32 — Trails & Routes

32.1 Overview: Trails as Portals to Emery County’s Landscape

Emery County does not simply have trails — it has an entire grammar of movement written across its terrain. To follow a trail here is to read layered texts: the sandstone narrows carved by flash floods over millennia, the wagon ruts pressed into bentonite clay by pioneer freighters, the BLM survey markers staking out today’s regulated route network, the painted markings on Arapeen trail posts guiding OHV riders across 600 miles of mountain terrain. Whether a visitor arrives with hiking boots, a mountain bike, an off-highway vehicle, or a canoe, Emery County offers routes calibrated to nearly every mode of travel and every level of ambition.

The county’s trail landscape divides naturally into three overlapping zones. The high country of the Wasatch Plateau and Manti-La Sal National Forest — cut by Huntington, Ferron, and Joe’s Valley canyons — offers cool mountain conditions, dense forest, and the vast Arapeen OHV system. The desert midlands of the San Rafael Swell, from the dramatic reef escarpment to the slot canyons of the southern backcountry, concentrate the county’s most photogenic foot trails and backcountry roads. The Colorado Plateau lowlands along the Green River open into one of the American West’s finest flat-water river journeys.

This chapter describes each zone in turn, organizing routes by travel mode. Cross-references to Ch30 (Landscapes of Adventure) and Ch31 (Parks & Monuments) give additional context for specific destinations, while Ch36 (Travel Logistics) covers permits, services, and seasonal access in detail.

32.2 Historical Routes: Old Spanish Trail and Pioneer Roads

Long before modern route designations, Emery County’s landscape was crossed by pack trains, wagon wheels, and the boots of explorers navigating by landmark and season.

The Old Spanish Trail — the original pack-trail artery from Santa Fe to Los Angeles, active from 1829 to 1848 — passed directly through what is now Emery County. Traders following the route moved through Green River, crossed the San Rafael Swell, and struck north toward Salina, where the trail turned south up the Sevier River corridor. The trail was a rough pack-animal route, not a wagon road; its primary cargo was mules and horses traded between New Mexico and California. After 1848, the shift to freight wagons and wagon-road improvements rendered much of the pack trail obsolete. Mormon settlers converting the western segment of the trail into a formal wagon road from Salt Lake City to Southern California bypassed several of the original pack-trail alignments.

In Emery County, the Emery County Historical Society placed trail markers in the Green River area in the early 1990s to commemorate the route’s passage. The Old Spanish Trail Heritage Loop at Elmo — a National Park Service–recognized 30-mile OHV and high-clearance vehicle route following Cottonwood and Lost Spring washes — offers one of the few places in the county where visitors can travel terrain that closely parallels the historic trail alignment. Sections of Lost Spring Wash confined the original pack-train caravans for roughly nine miles of low canyon country before the trail headed up Big Hole Wash (NPS Old Spanish Trail Heritage Loop, Emery County, Utah). Four-wheel drive and high clearance are required; the route is impassable after rain.

Pioneer wagon roads of the 1880s and 1890s stitched together the newly established settlements of Castle Dale, Ferron, Huntington, and Orangeville, connecting them to Price and Carbon County markets via canyon corridors. Huntington Canyon Road (today’s SR-31) was among the most important arteries, providing year-round access across the Wasatch Plateau to the Sanpete Valley. The freight traffic it carried — coal, agricultural produce, livestock — defined Emery County’s early economic geography.

The Swasey brothers, who arrived in the Swell country from 1875 onward, left an enduring topographic legacy. Joe, Charlie, Sid, and Rod Swasey ranged cattle across the northern Swell and named dozens of features — Joe and His Dog, the Sid and Charley Pinnacles, Eagle Canyon, Rod’s Valley, Cliff Dweller Flat, Sid’s Mountain — that remain in use on topographic maps today. Swazey Cabin (1921), built by the family and listed on the Utah State Register of Historic Sites, anchors the northern Discovery Route and provides a tangible connection to the Swell’s ranching era (Expedition Utah, San Rafael Swell Discovery Route).

32.3 The Buckhorn Wash Scenic Backway: Emery County’s Signature Drive

No route in Emery County rewards a slow drive more generously than the Buckhorn Wash Scenic Backway, which links SR-10 north of Castle Dale to I-70’s western corridor across 32 miles of graded gravel. The route is accessible to standard passenger vehicles in dry conditions — one of the few desert backways in the region that does not demand four-wheel drive — and it delivers an extraordinary concentration of geological, historical, and archaeological interest.

The standard approach begins approximately one mile north of Castle Dale on SR-10. A marked intersection sends drivers east on a gravel road across the San Rafael River valley. After 13 miles the road reaches a T-junction; the left (south) fork continues six miles to the Wedge Overlook, where the San Rafael River has incised a canyon 1,200 feet deep — comparable in scale to the Grand Canyon’s inner gorge and carrying the nickname “Little Grand Canyon” (Utah Geological Survey, GeoSights). The canyon’s rim offers an unobstructed view of meandering river, sheer buff-and-rust walls, and the broad Swell plateau stretching to the horizon.

Returning to the junction and continuing north, the road descends into Buckhorn Draw — a companion canyon of sculpted sandstone and cottonwood riparian bottom — before arriving at the Swinging Bridge, a 160-foot suspension footbridge built in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps as a crossing point for ranchers and their stock. The bridge remains in use today and is considered one of the Swell’s most photogenic structures. Approximately 3.5 miles north of the bridge, the road passes the Buckhorn Wash Pictograph Panel, a 130-foot-wide gallery of painted human figures, animals, and abstract forms estimated to be roughly 2,000 years old, executed in the Barrier Canyon style. A major restoration effort in 1996 stabilized the panel and improved viewing conditions (Ch31; see also Buckhorn Wash, americansouthwest.net). The road continues to connect with I-70’s Cottonwood Wash exit (Exit 131, EM332) approximately 18.8 miles from the bridge.

Seasonal caution is essential: the backway is occasionally impassable after winter snowfall or spring mud. Drivers should check current road conditions with the Castle Dale BLM Field Office before committing to the route.

32.4 Slot Canyon Day Hikes: Little Wild Horse, Crack Canyon, and the Reef

The San Rafael Reef — the dramatic eastern escarpment of the Swell, where sedimentary strata have been tilted nearly vertical and eroded into a row of fins, slots, and chimneys — concentrates the county’s finest slot-canyon hiking within a remarkably compact area.

Little Wild Horse Canyon and Bell Canyon Loop is Emery County’s most popular single trail, and one of the most-visited slot canyons in Utah. The 8-mile loop navigates through non-technical narrows in Navajo Sandstone, following Little Wild Horse Canyon’s twisting corridor of brightly colored, sculpted rock before returning via the parallel Bell Canyon. With an elevation gain of only 787 feet and no technical requirements, it is accessible to most hikers, including older children with adequate water and preparation. AllTrails rates it 4.8 stars — among the highest scores for any San Rafael Swell hike. Access requires a 30-minute drive from the SR-24/Temple Mountain Road junction, proceeding south on Goblin Valley Road and then west on Wild Horse Road to the signed trailhead. Flash flooding is a genuine and serious hazard; the canyon can fill with dangerous water within minutes of a distant rainstorm. Hikers should verify weather forecasts across the entire watershed, not just at the trailhead, before entering.

Crack Canyon and Chute Canyon Loop offers a quieter alternative with comparable scenery. The loop runs approximately 8.5 to 10.5 miles depending on whether a car shuttle is used between the two trailheads; hikers returning to a single trailhead should plan on the longer distance. The route threads through primarily Wingate Sandstone narrows, passing three distinct sets of slot sections with walls streaked in orange, pink, and gold. The route is not technical but does require scrambling over minor dryfalls; a short length of rope proves helpful when groups include young children. The BLM Crack Canyon Trailhead is accessed via the Behind the Reef Road, a rough 4WD track running south from I-70; the final 0.7-mile spur to the trailhead requires high clearance. Hikers completing the loop descend through Crack Canyon, traverse the open reef face between canyon mouths, and ascend Chute Canyon back to the start — a sequence that provides maximum variety. Flash flooding risk applies equally here.

Beyond these two signature hikes, the Reef hosts numerous additional canyon systems at varying difficulty levels. The Utah Geological Survey maintains a geosights publication specifically on slot canyons of the San Rafael Swell, Emery County, identifying additional named and unnamed systems with geological context. Black Dragon Canyon (northern Swell) offers a shorter slot experience combined with significant rock-art panels, discussed further in §32.6.

Hikers planning Reef canyon explorations should carry a BLM topographic map or download the BLM’s San Rafael Swell Recreation Area interactive web map, particularly after the December 2024 Travel Management Plan finalized the motorized route network adjacent to canyon trailheads.

32.5 Wilderness Backpacking: Muddy Creek and the Inner Swell

For backpackers willing to navigate by GPS and map through unmarked terrain, the inner San Rafael Swell offers experiences on par with better-known Utah wilderness destinations — without the permit lotteries or summer crowds.

Muddy Creek carves the deepest canyon in the entire San Rafael Swell, and its central section — known as The Chute — ranks among the most impressive slot-canyon passages in the Colorado Plateau. Vertical sandstone walls rise several hundred feet above a streambed that alternates between cobble walking and deep pools requiring wading or swimming. The standard route covers approximately 20 miles round trip between upper and lower trailheads, with the full one-way traverse of 15 miles requiring a car shuttle. The experience can be extended into a multi-day backpacking trip of three to five days by combining Muddy Creek with the adjacent canyon network. The upper section begins near Tomsich Butte, visits a historic solitary cabin, and then winds along the creek through Poor Canyon, where canyon walls are covered with solution pockets — cavities dissolved from the limestone by slightly acidic groundwater percolation.

Navigation on Muddy Creek requires real competence with topographic maps or GPS; there is no trail, no signage, and no services for many miles in any direction. Best seasons are late March through May and mid-September through November — summer brings dangerous heat and monsoon flood risk; winter can bring ice and impassable pool temperatures.

Seven Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) designated under BLM management protect much of the inner Swell’s backcountry character: the San Rafael Reef WSA, Crack Canyon WSA, Muddy Creek WSA, and others together represent some of the most ecologically intact desert terrain remaining in central Utah. Within these WSAs, motorized travel is prohibited, preserving conditions for non-motorized wilderness experiences.

32.6 Technical Canyoneering: Black Box Canyon and the Swell’s Serious Routes

Emery County hosts a suite of technical canyons that attract experienced canyoneers from across the American West, drawn by challenging water passages, spectacular narrows, and the remote self-reliance that defines backcountry canyon travel at its most serious.

Black Box Canyon on the San Rafael River offers Emery County’s most committing canyoneering objective. The canyon divides into Upper and Lower sections, each presenting distinct challenges. The Upper Black Box is technically demanding: passage requires swimming through cold pools, stemming across water-level sections where walls narrow to a body width, and in some seasons negotiating short rope sections. Water temperature in the pools — cold even in summer — makes hypothermia a genuine risk for unprepared parties. The Lower Black Box is less committing but still involves wading and swimming, with canyon walls rising hundreds of feet above a narrow water-sculpted channel. Both sections require self-rescue competence and should not be attempted by parties without canyoneering experience, proper wetsuits, and reliable navigation skills.

Other technical options in the Swell include Quandary Canyon and Knotted Rope Canyon (southern Swell), each offering distinct water-canyon experiences for experienced parties. The overall network of technical canyons in the Emery County portion of the Swell — many of them unnamed in official databases — has generated a significant guidebook and online-resource infrastructure among canyoneering communities, particularly through resources like Roadtripryan.com, the American Canyoneering Association, and the Utah Canyoneering website.

Black Dragon Canyon (northern Swell, near I-70) provides a shorter and less technical canyon experience combined with significant archaeological interest: large pictograph panels in the Barrier Canyon and Fremont styles decorate the canyon walls. Day-hikers can access the panels without technical gear, making Black Dragon one of the most accessible convergences of canyon scenery and rock art in the county.

32.7 Mountain Biking: Joe’s Valley and the Manti-La Sal Trails

Emery County’s mountain biking story unfolds at two elevational registers: the sagebrush plateaus and sandstone descents around Joe’s Valley Reservoir, and the high-elevation single-track network of the Manti-La Sal National Forest across the Wasatch Plateau.

Joe’s Valley Recreation Area, centered on the 1,200-acre Joes Valley Reservoir 14 miles northwest of Orangeville, functions as a multi-sport basecamp. Among its trail assets, the Josephite Point Trail stands out as a 6.8-mile singletrack route that climbs through mixed conifer and aspen terrain before delivering views across the Wasatch Plateau. Additional non-motorized trails within the recreation area connect to OHV routes that form part of the Arapeen network (§32.8), creating a layered system where mountain bikers and motorized riders share some corridors and diverge on others. Campground facilities — 46 sites including 15 double sites and one group site for up to 100 people — and a marina with rental equipment make Joe’s Valley among the most logistically self-sufficient destinations in the county for multi-day trips.

The Arapeen OHV Trail System’s non-motorized segments provide additional mountain-biking terrain across the Manti-La Sal National Forest, particularly in Huntington Canyon (SR-31 access) and the ridgeline terrain near the Skyline Drive. While the Arapeen is principally designed for OHV use, designated hiking/biking-only segments exist along the system.

Manti-La Sal National Forest formally maintains a mountain biking trail network covering portions of its 1.3 million acres. The Miners Basin Trail records the greatest elevation gain of any designated forest trail (3,717 feet total ascent) and is recommended for experienced riders. The Skyline Drive — a ridge road running along the crest of the Wasatch Plateau — provides dramatic scenery in both directions and connects trailhead access points at Huntington Canyon and Ferron Canyon.

32.8 OHV and 4WD Routes: The Arapeen System and the Desert Road Network

Off-highway vehicle recreation represents one of Emery County’s fastest-growing visitor sectors and one of its oldest community traditions. Ranch families in the county have driven the Swell’s desert tracks for generations; today those traditions intersect with a nationally significant managed trail system.

The Arapeen OHV Trail System covers more than 600 miles of trails and forest roads within the Manti-La Sal National Forest, spanning Emery and Sanpete counties. It is accessible from the east via SR-10 (multiple trailheads), from the north via SR-31 at the Huntington Canyon summit (parking near Huntington Reservoir), and from the west via SR-29 through Joe’s Valley. Four formally designated rides range from 41 to 58 miles apiece, each following a distinct canyon corridor with side trails available for those wishing to extend the day.

The system’s flagship Emery County ride begins in Emery town at approximately 6,200 feet and climbs to 10,000 feet on a 70-mile loop that traverses the full vertical relief of the Wasatch Plateau. The route follows the Muddy River, ascends the Hole Trail to Flagstaff Peak and Spinners Reservoir, crosses the Muddy at the Lower Crossing, climbs to the Skyline past Blue Lake and toward White Mountain, then descends via Black Fork, Wildcat Knolls, and Link Canyon back to Emery. The Emery County OHV Jamboree, organized around this system, draws riders from across the Intermountain West annually.

The Deluxe Arapeen Trail Map (24×36 inches, available from the Utah Natural Resources Map & Bookstore) is the standard navigation resource, providing difficulty ratings, machine-width designations, campground locations, and trailhead access details. Utah state law requires OHV operators to complete the Utah OHV Education Course; completion is required to operate on public land, roads, or trails.

San Rafael Swell BLM routes complement the Arapeen system in the desert lowlands. The BLM completed a comprehensive Travel Management Plan for the San Rafael Swell Travel Management Area on December 31, 2024, establishing the legally designated motorized-route network — the product of years of stakeholder input, environmental analysis, and more than 6,000 public comments. The final plan (Alternative E) designated 1,355 miles of routes open to motorized travel and closed roughly 665 miles of previously open OHV routes to protect cultural resources, wildlife habitat, and sensitive desert soils across the 1.1-million-acre area in Emery County. The BLM maintains an interactive online map (eplanning.blm.gov) showing all designated routes. Key 4WD corridors include the Temple Mountain Road, which provides the primary access spine for the southern Swell between I-70 and Goblin Valley State Park; the Behind the Reef Road, running south along the eastern face of the reef; and the Cottonwood Wash Road (EM332), the principal southern approach from I-70 exit 131. The San Rafael Swell Off Road Guide Book & Companion Map, published by local outfitters and available at Castle Dale businesses, remains the most comprehensive vehicle-specific navigation resource for desert OHV routes.

32.9 River Routes: Labyrinth Canyon and the Green River

The Green River enters Emery County from the north and exits near the Wayne County line after traversing the county’s eastern edge. In this passage it carves Labyrinth Canyon — a 49.2-mile BLM-designated Scenic River segment running from Bull Bottom south to the Emery-Wayne County line.

Labyrinth is an accessible, non-technical flat-water journey, suitable for canoes, kayaks, and inflatable rafts of all sizes. The standard multi-day float runs 68 miles from the town of Green River (using Green River State Park as a launch) to Mineral Bottom take-out, reached via Highway 313 north of Moab and then approximately 16–17 miles of dirt road. A shorter 45-mile option launches from Ruby Ranch (accessible by unpaved road east of Green River) and takes three to four days at a relaxed pace. The full 68-mile trip from Green River to Mineral Bottom should be planned for four to five days minimum; three days is feasible only for paddlers covering 20 or more miles per day.

The canyon rewards patient travel. Smooth orange-and-buff walls enclose a lush riparian corridor studded with sandbars, cottonwood groves, and the mouths of side canyons worth short exploration by foot. The most famous feature is Bowknot Bend, where the Green River loops nearly seven miles before returning within a few hundred yards of itself; a 30- to 45-minute hike from a riverside camp provides an overlook of the entire bend — one of the most arresting views in the canyon country of Utah.

BLM requires a free, unlimited permit for all boaters between Green River State Park and Mineral Bottom. Permits must be obtained online prior to launch. The canyon is entirely self-contained: there are no services, no cell phone coverage, and no reliable water sources except the river itself (which must be filtered or treated). Parties should carry all supplies, including drinking water for the full journey.

Season: late March through October, with heaviest use from Easter through Labor Day. Spring offers the most reliable water levels; late summer brings lower flows and warmer temperatures but also monsoon flood risk on side drainages.

Desolation and Gray Canyon, immediately upstream of Green River (in Carbon County), connects directly to Emery County via the river corridor. The 86-mile Desolation and Gray Canyon stretch carries Class II–IV whitewater, including the challenging class IV rapids of the lower Desolation section. A BLM lottery permit system manages summer use; Sand Wash put-in (Carbon County) and Swasey Beach take-out (Emery County) bracket the route. Commercial outfitters operating out of Green River offer guided trips through this section.

32.10 The San Rafael Swell Discovery Route: A 4WD Grand Tour

For visitors with a capable vehicle and several days to invest, the San Rafael Swell Discovery Route — described in detail by the Expedition Utah guidebook — provides a comprehensive 4WD itinerary connecting the Swell’s most significant landmarks across both the northern and southern zones.

The North Swell loop begins near I-70, traverses Eagle Canyon and the sweeping vistas of Head of Sinbad, visits Swazey Cabin (1921) near Sid’s Mountain — one of the few surviving ranch structures from the Swasey brothers’ era — and circles through the landmark-studded terrain the brothers named across decades of cattle work. Views of the Sid and Charley Pinnacles and the broader reef escarpment anchor the route at multiple points.

The South Swell loop approaches Goblin Valley from the Swell interior, connects to the Temple Mountain uranium legacy sites (see Ch31), and accesses the slot-canyon trailheads of the Reef before returning via the Cottonwood Wash Road to I-70. Combined as a single multi-day expedition, the North and South loops create a nearly complete circumnavigation of the Swell’s accessible backcountry.

Navigation resources needed for any Swell Discovery route: the BLM San Rafael Swell Recreation Area interactive map, the National Geographic Trails Illustrated #712 (San Rafael Swell), a satellite communicator device (cell service is absent throughout), and current weather forecasts. Desert routes can become impassable within minutes of a rainstorm — visitors should build schedule flexibility to wait out wet weather.

32.11 Trail Ethics, Safety, and Leave-No-Trace Stewardship

The concentrated use generated by Emery County’s most popular routes — particularly Little Wild Horse Canyon, which draws tens of thousands of visitors annually — creates genuine resource-management pressures. Several guiding principles apply across all trail types.

Flash flood awareness is the most immediately life-threatening hazard for canyon hikers in Emery County. Floods can travel down slot canyons from storms many miles distant, with no warning rain at the trailhead. The standard precaution is to check National Weather Service forecasts for the entire watershed upstream of any planned canyon route, not just the local area. If storms are predicted anywhere within the drainage, plans should change.

Leave No Trace principles — carry out all waste, camp on durable surfaces, avoid trampling cryptobiotic soil crust, do not disturb archaeological sites — apply with particular force in the San Rafael Swell, where the BLM’s Travel Management Plan has documented the cumulative impact of visitation on sensitive desert soils, rock art panels, and riparian areas.

Rock art sites throughout the county — Buckhorn Wash, Black Dragon, and dozens of smaller panels — are protected under federal law. Physical contact with painted or pecked surfaces causes permanent damage; oils from human skin initiate chemical degradation even in brief contact. Visitors should view panels from designated distances and never touch, chalk, or trace the figures.

OHV stewardship requires riders to stay on designated routes at all times. The BLM’s December 2024 Travel Management Plan designated a legally binding route network; off-route travel is a federal violation and causes lasting damage to desert cryptobiotic soil communities that may take decades to recover.

32.12 Trail Planning: Seasons, Permits, Maps, and Resources

Best seasons:

  • Slot canyon hiking (Little Wild Horse, Crack Canyon): March–May and September–November. Summer brings extreme heat and monsoon flash-flood risk; winter can bring snow and ice in canyon depths.
  • Mountain biking and OHV (Arapeen / Wasatch Plateau): July–September at elevation (SR-31 summit area); May–October at lower elevations.
  • Green River float (Labyrinth Canyon): late March–October; optimal water levels in April–May.
  • Scenic drives (Buckhorn Wash): Year-round when dry; avoid after precipitation.

Permits:

  • Labyrinth Canyon float: free BLM permit required (online, no quota).
  • Desolation/Gray Canyon: BLM lottery permit (summer); first-come allocation (spring/fall).
  • No permit required for most San Rafael Swell hiking, OHV, or scenic drives.
  • Goblin Valley State Park: day-use fee (see Ch31).

Key maps and navigation resources:

  • BLM San Rafael Swell Recreation Area (interactive online map and travel management documents): blm.gov/visit/san-rafael-swell-recreation-area
  • National Geographic Trails Illustrated #712 — San Rafael Swell
  • Deluxe Arapeen OHV Trail Map (24×36”): Utah Natural Resources Map & Bookstore
  • Emery County Official Travel Map: visitemerycounty.com
  • AllTrails (GPS tracks for major hikes including Little Wild Horse, Crack Canyon)
  • Expedition Utah (4WD and backpacking route descriptions for Discovery Route, Northern Loop)

Local outfitters and services:

  • San Rafael ATV Rentals — Castle Dale (OHV rentals and guided rides)
  • Tex’s Riverways — Green River (Labyrinth Canyon shuttle and rental boats)
  • Joe’s Valley Resort — Orangeville (bike, OHV, boat rentals; campground)
  • Green River State Park — Green River (Labyrinth float launch)

Emergency contacts:

  • Emery County Sheriff: (435) 381-2404
  • BLM Price Field Office: (435) 636-3600
  • Castle Dale Visitor Center / Emery County Travel Bureau: visitemerycounty.com

Sources

Proposed Maps and Figures

  1. Regional trails overview map — Emery County showing all three zone types (Swell, Plateau, River) with key trail corridors indicated; original creation recommended.
  2. Little Wild Horse / Bell Canyon trailhead map — BLM public-domain base; annotated with route and access.
  3. Labyrinth Canyon float map — BLM public-domain base; annotated with launch, take-out, Bowknot Bend, and key camps.
  4. Arapeen OHV trail system map — USFS Manti-La Sal public-domain base; Emery County portions highlighted.
  5. Buckhorn Wash Scenic Backway map — annotated driving route with distances and key stops.
  6. Historic routes overlay — Old Spanish Trail alignment through Emery County (NPS public domain).

Proposed Tables

  1. Trail quick-reference table — Trail name | Type | Distance | Difficulty | Season | Permit | Trailhead access
  2. River route comparison — Labyrinth Canyon vs. Desolation/Gray Canyon — length, class, permit, season, shuttle options

Engagement Features

Did You Know?

The world’s most-visited slot canyon is free. Little Wild Horse Canyon — Emery County’s most popular trail — charges no entry fee. The BLM manages the site as part of the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area, one of the last great free public-land playgrounds of its kind in the American West. The canyon draws tens of thousands of visitors annually from across the globe, all for the price of the drive out.

Muddy Creek is the deepest canyon you’ve never heard of. Deeper than almost anything on the Colorado Plateau outside the Grand Canyon corridor, The Chute section of Muddy Creek towers hundreds of feet above a streambed that alternates between cobble walking and cold swimming pools. Because it requires navigation skills and has no official trail, it remains virtually unknown outside serious desert backpacking communities — despite being perhaps an hour from I-70.

The CCC built a bridge for cows. The Swinging Bridge in Buckhorn Draw — one of Emery County’s most photographed structures — was built in 1937 by Civilian Conservation Corps crews not as a tourist attraction but as a working stock crossing. Ranchers needed a reliable way to move cattle across the San Rafael River gorge. The bridge outlasted the ranching operations it served and today carries hikers, photographers, and the occasional shepherd.

Family Activity: Slot Canyon Discovery Loop

Little Wild Horse Canyon & Bell Canyon Loop is one of the best family hikes in Utah. Pack a lunch, start early to avoid midday heat, and plan on two to three hours for the full loop. Assign each family member a job: one person counts how many times the canyon walls are close enough to touch both sides simultaneously; another photographs the most interesting color stripe in the sandstone; a third finds one animal track in the sand. Flash flood reminder: download the weather forecast before you go and set a firm turn-around time.

What to bring: 2 liters of water per person minimum, sun protection, sturdy closed-toe shoes, one snack per hour, and a paper map or downloaded GPS track (cell service is absent at the trailhead).

Youth Challenge: Trail Documentarian

The Mission: Become a field documentarian for a section of trail in Emery County. Choose any trail or scenic drive in this chapter. Before you go, write three questions you want to answer: What rock type forms the canyon walls? When was this route first used by non-Indigenous travelers? What wildlife signs (tracks, scat, feathers) can you find?

In the field, photograph or sketch your evidence. At home, write a one-page field report answering your questions and add a hand-drawn map of the route. Bonus challenge: send your report to the Emery County Travel Bureau and ask if they want to post it.

Field Trip: Buckhorn Wash Scenic Backway Day Loop

Starting point: Castle Dale (intersection of SR-10 and Main Street)

Route (approximately 60 miles, full day):

  1. Drive north on SR-10 approximately 1 mile to the Buckhorn Wash road sign. Turn east onto the graded gravel road.
  2. Drive 13 miles to the main junction. Bear right (south) 6 miles to the Wedge Overlook (1,200-ft canyon view). Allow 30 minutes minimum.
  3. Return to junction; continue north 3.5 miles to Buckhorn Wash Pictograph Panel. Allow 20 minutes; do not touch the figures.
  4. Continue approximately 3 miles to the CCC Swinging Bridge. Walk across; look downstream toward the Little Grand Canyon canyon mouth.
  5. Continue north 18.8 miles to I-70. Turn west on I-70 to return to SR-10 and Castle Dale.

What to bring: Water (no services on route), snacks, camera, downloaded offline map. Check road conditions before departure (wet clay = impassable). Total driving time: approximately 3 hours; with stops, a full half-day minimum.

Photo Assignment: Light in the Narrows

The Shot: Photograph the quality of light inside a slot canyon at or near midday. Little Wild Horse Canyon is the most accessible option; Crack Canyon provides a quieter alternative for those with a high-clearance vehicle.

Technique: Slot canyon photography requires patience. At midday, indirect reflected light bounces from wall to wall and produces the warm orange-and-magenta glow the canyons are famous for. Set your camera or phone to a slow shutter speed if possible, brace against a wall for stability, and turn off flash — artificial light destroys the color effect. Look for squeeze points where the canyon walls narrow to body width; these produce the most intense color concentration.

What to document: (1) The widest point of the canyon where you can see the sky; (2) the narrowest squeeze point; (3) one detail — a water pocket, a curved wall striation, a lone plant growing from a crack.

Bonus: Compare your slot canyon images with photographs of the Buckhorn Wash Pictograph Panel taken in open light. What differences in color, shadow, and texture do you notice between the two environments?