Escapees July-August 2023

skpstops

Carol and Wayne Thomas in the slots of Little Wild Horse Canyon

Eddie Grandal and Wayne Thomas exploring Little Wild Horse Canyon.

Rock Your Soles in Green River, Utah Green River Recreation, 460 East Main Street, Green River, Utah 84525, 435-564-3448, www.greenriverutah.com

Don’t let the magic of the “goblins” fool you into thinking you’ve seen all there is to see. Little Wild Horse Canyon (about 5 mi. further west from GVSP) affords an exciting opportunity to have some great fun hiking a slot canyon. The informative sign at the trail head indicates that the trek is an adventure for the entire family and doesn’t require a guide or canyoneering gear. You have two options: hike the slot in and back out, 3.6 mi., or make it a loop by connecting with Bell Canyon for a total of eight miles. From the beginning, the hike at Little Wild Horse will turn your head in all directions as you try to take in the magni fi cent rock formations. Their sizes, textures and colors will delight your senses. The smooth rocks will draw you in to the tight corridors where you will wonder what lies ahead at the next turn. At points you will be spilled out of the darkness caused by the high walls, into an oasis of bright sunshine, with the next door of darkness beckoning you further into the canyon—you won’t be able to resist or be disappointed! To create your own memorable adventure at this area, go 20 mi. N from Hanksville, Utah, on UT 24. Following these directions will keep you on paved roads. Turn left (W) on Temple Mt. Rd. (CR 1012). Go left (S) on Goblin Valley Rd for six miles, then go right (W) on Wild Horse Rd. There are dispersed sites in the shadows of the buttes on the South and North sides of TMR. Article and photos by Carol Hall Thomas #119083

During the last week of May 2021, my hus band and I, and our friend, traveling in our 35' and 38' Motorhomes, boondocked in the area of the San Rafael Swell in south central Utah. We purposely sought out the location so that we could visit Goblin Valley State Park and Little Wild Horse Canyon. I f you plan to boondock in the area, you have options to select a site at the base of the majestic buttes (as seen on the cover photo of this issue) or camp above one of the rocky San Rafael Reef fi ssures opposite the buttes. Either area affords spectacular 360-degree views of the amazing landscape during the day and bright, clear, dark sky views of the Milky Way at night. While the rock formations in the boondocking areas are jaw-dropping, you would miss out by not taking a day-trip to Goblin Valley State Park, where you will think you have entered another world in geologic time. The hoodoo formations are some of the most numerous we have seen in such close proximity. Hiking trails through the formations allow you to get right up next to them and use your imagination to get prized photographs. Children can run through the columns in the fl at areas, and there is a nice, large picnic pavilion that overlooks the hoodoo landscape.

27

July/August 2023 ESCAPEES Magazine