Losee/Casto Canyon, Coyote Hollow Equestrian Camp, Willis Creek, and Snake Gulch, Utah and Arizona

About 8.5 years ago I went on a hiking trip to Zion and Bryce National Parks and as I was driving past one of the trailheads near Bryce, I said to myself, I will be back, and I will ride that trail.
So be it!
Who doesn't want to ride in Southern Utah? This was a trip that I had researched and planned for spring of 2018, but had to cancel, and then finally was able to make it happen this fall instead.

Hoodoos on the Thunder Mt. Trail.

Since Utah does not have a lot of actual horse camps, it was a little harder to figure out places to stay. Most people stick to Ruby's Inn if they are near Bryce, or Paria River Ranch over between Kanab and Big Water, but I did things a little differently. It was a combination of researching ahead of time and getting information from either people that live there, or people who have been there, and then being completely self contained and willing to primitive camp and go with the flow a little bit. In fact, my plans changed pretty much daily, depending on what was happening. I often did not know for sure where I was going to be staying every night.
I had no maps, and I had some good luck, but in a lot of ways it was easier than I expected.

I drove there in two long days, staying my first night by Twin Falls, at the fairgrounds in Filer, Idaho.
This is not located especially close to the highway, but it was a nice place to stay.
For $15.90 a night (taxes) I had an outdoor pen with water and could park right next to it. They also have stalls available. There is a nice guy named James who met me there, showed me everything and collected the money. They also have a separate little RV park section, but it is not right next to the horse pens. I had access to a bathroom as well, and even though it was getting late in the year the water was still on.

My first destination once I reached Utah was Losee Canyon just outside of Panguitch in the Bryce Canyon area. I had heard there was a dispersed camping spot right before the trailhead, perhaps not a great spot for a larger rig, but it worked for me. It was close enough to walk over to the nearby bathroom. There are a couple more dispersed spots along the mile drive between Losee Canyon TH and Casto Canyon TH, and there is also a big open area that I saw a guy camping in with his horse, where you could fit any sized rig. The parking for Losee trailhead is just off to the right, but on the left is another large parking area for trailers, and a stock corral that belongs to Ruby's Inn for their dude string. You cannot use their corral... at least from April through the end of October which of course, is the entire season!

My dispersed camping spot right by Losee Canyon TH.

 Losee Canyon TH.

My first ride was the 13.2 mile Losee/Casto loop which I did counterclockwise starting at Losee TH.
There is map you can look at before heading out, although it is not very detailed. It was a Sunday but other than a few hikers in the parking lot, I saw no one else the whole rest of the day. Eventually I got to the junction with the Cassidy Trail. I rode up that trail briefly, but turned back and continued the loop. Right near the junction there are hitching rails set up for the Ruby's Inn outfitters.

On the Losee Canyon Trail.

On the Losee Canyon Trail.

A junction sign in Losee Canyon.

After the junction the trail climbs a little in elevation and gets into some really interesting scenery.
There is a side trail to take over to a viewpoint down into Casto Canyon, which is not to be missed.
There are some more hitching rails and a rustic bathroom at the viewpoint.

On the Losee Canyon Trail.

On the Losee Canyon Trail.

A viewpoint down into Casto Canyon.

Another great view from the overlook.

When I reached Casto Canyon there was some confusion briefly, since the trail seemed to go in the wrong direction for awhile. The arrows on the signage even pointed the wrong way. There are cows grazing in the area and the real trail just looked like a cow trail, but I knew which direction to go so I headed down the canyon. There was a teeny tiny trickle of water in this canyon, just enough to keep the cows alive. Casto is open to ATV's, so instead of a trail I was eventually on a two track. Once out of the canyon I rode the brief stretch of road from the trailhead back to my camp spot.

On the Casto Canyon Trail.

The Casto Canyon TH.

Looking back towards the Casto Canyon TH.

I spent another night, a very chilly one, at Losee, and then drove to Coyote Hollow Equestrian Camp the following day.

Coyote Hollow is a cute little camp with four graveled spots, a bathroom and a water spigot near each spot. There was no water when I was there, and from what I understand, there is a holding tank that gets filled once a year in the spring, and when the water runs out, that is it for the rest of the season, so I would not count on water being there. There are hitching rails, but no corrals. There is also no manure bin, so I dispersed mine into the surrounding countryside. It is $10.00 per night and the camp is at 7700 feet elevation so expect some chilly nights if you are there in spring or fall. It's a very dry cold which means no frost on your windshield, and you can't see your breath. I thought I knew what dry cold was before, but now I really know!

Coyote Hollow Equestrian Camp.

Coyote Hollow Equestrian Camp.

There was no one at the camp when I arrived so I picked a spot and then tacked up to go and ride the Thunder Mt. Trail. You have to ride up the road past the camp, and from there the trail eventually heads downhill through all the hoodoos to the west trailhead. A lot of people will leave a rig at either end and do it one way, but I knew there was a way to make it a loop by going back along a paved bike path that parallels the highway. I saw one group of people on horseback and one couple on bicycles during the time I was on the actual trail. I imagine this could get a little hairy on days when there are a lot of cyclists, I think most people prefer to ride it uphill so they can see the bikes coming easier.

At the start of the Thunder Mt. Trail.

After awhile I came to an area with hitching rails and a handy bathroom, but you cannot be shy to use the facilities, since it has no door.

Facilities on the Thunder Mt. Trail.

Hoodoos on the Thunder Mt. Trail.

On the Thunder Mt. Trail.

On the Thunder Mt. Trail.

On the Thunder Mt. Trail.

On the Thunder Mt. Trail.

Red Canyon, on the Thunder Mt. Trail.

After I had been on the bike path awhile I noticed a sign that had a "no horses" sticker on it....oops... but by then it was a little late to turn around. Instead I rode in the wash for awhile alongside the path. I am not suggesting anyone do this as a loop, although I happen to know other people on horseback have....just reporting on my experience!

On the paved bike path, I wasn't supposed to be on.

The bike path parallels the highway.

When I got back to camp I still had it all to myself, except for some bulls that were grazing in the area and were very interested in what I might have in my horse's portable corral. One especially naughty bull started messing with my fence, so I promptly electrified it....(I don't usually, since my horse doesn't need it to be). I did eventually chase the bulls away, they were not particularly scared of me, but luckily they were not aggressive at all.

The next morning I trailered about 22 miles away to do the Willis Creek Slot Canyon ride. I was very lucky that about a year and a half before I had found someone's description online of how to do this ride, and I kept it. It was invaluable information and allowed me to do this as a loop. I like loops!

Although it is technically possible to drive up Skutumpah Rd. for awhile and park at a large corral made of sticks, I chose to park at the intersection of Hwy 12. There were two other rigs there belonging to Ruby's Inn, and I squeezed in next to them.
The road itself is not bad, but there is a very steep hill to climb with a couple narrow corners and with other cars coming down, it could be hard to pass by safely, plus the road is a very fine talcum powdery sand, rather than gravel. This is in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument so there are some pretty great views while riding the road.

The wind sculpture right where I parked. My horse couldn't quite wrap her mind around it.

Pretty nice views for a road ride in the Grand Staircase Escalante.

Just past a dam the unofficial trail drops down into Sheep Canyon and I followed that until I got to the Willis Creek Slot Canyon. Because Ruby's Inn takes people on trail rides through there all the time, it is easy to follow the hoofprints. In fact I ran into them with a large group, going the other way. I also saw quite a few hikers in the slot canyon, they drive all the way in to the actual trailhead and hike it as an out and back.

Of course the slot canyon is a very fun experience, this one had a small stream in it at this time of year. Once I got to the other side of the canyon I figured I would ride the road back, but I was keeping an eye on the hoofprint trail and it went off road for awhile, where I came upon a gravesite, then it crossed over the road, and I could see that I could ride cross country back to the dam, so that is what I did.

In Sheep Canyon.

In Sheep Canyon.

Willis Creek Slot Canyon.

The gravesite, it reads: Killed here by Indians in 1866. Buried by his comrades of the Capt. James Andrews Co. US Calvary.

On the Ruby's Inn horse trail I followed, instead of the road.

When I got back to camp it was no longer empty, there were two couples from New Mexico, whom I got to know later that evening, and then a non horse person took up the last spot. There was also another guy driving through trying to see if one of us was leaving. There are a couple of dispersed spots on the way to the Thunder Mt. TH and also some spots across the highway, so the guy spent the night elsewhere, and then grabbed my site after I left the next morning.

There is a very popular horse trail in Bryce National Park called the Peekaboo Trail. I did not do it for two reasons, one, I had already hiked it in the past, and two, although it would have been nice to ride it, the scenery is very similar to other trails I was doing nearby. Plus, I found out after I left the area, that it has been closed to private horses for the season due to the EHV-1 virus.

The following day was a day off from riding and a drive down into warmer climates, Bryce was about to get some very cold overnight temperatures, and it turns out I got out in the nick of time. The New Mexico people stayed longer and sadly ended up with frozen pipes.

The next place I wanted to camp was at The Barracks, a cow corral along the Virgin River in Mt. Carmel Junction, but when I got there, it was a busy place. There were cows in one of the corrals, OHV rigs parked beside the corrals, and any other dispersed spot was taken up by an RV. Also this part of the river has very dirty water, and I needed to refill my trailer. There is another slot canyon to ride into there, and I thought perhaps I would still be able to return and fit it in at some point later in the trip, but alas I did not.

I had to make a Plan B... ASAP... and so I went to Arizona.
Snake Gulch was a ride I wanted to do, and I knew I could camp there as well. Sure enough nobody was around and I got the cow corral to myself, which is 4 miles before the actual trailhead. I also had no cell service for the day and night, making my friend from back home nervous, when she hadn't heard from me.

My camp spot at the cow corral near Snake Gulch.

I hung out the rest of the day which was nice and warm, and then woke up to a very chilly morning. The drive over to the trailhead starts on a decent gravel road, and then there is a right turn onto a two track which was barely wide enough for my trailer tires, luckily I saw no one coming or going.
I started the ride all bundled up, and it never really warmed up enough for me to shed layers. I thought that was fairly ironic, since it was my first time riding in Arizona, and it was colder there than it was back home in Oregon.

The Snake Gulch Trailhead.

The gulch is 19 miles long so you can ride as long as you want, the main event being the fact that there are petroglyphs and pictographs in the canyon to look for.
The rock art started after I rode for about an hour, and apparently there are around 10,000 in the canyon. I did not do a really long ride, but I still saw quite a few. The pictographs get bigger and bigger, I saw some that were toddler sized, but farther into the gulch there are ones that are life sized and there are also some ruins of cliff dwellings.

The wilderness sign in Snake Gulch.

An old sheepherders homestead in Snake Gulch.

In Snake Gulch.

This cave has a lot of Petroglyphs.

Petroglyphs in the cave in Snake Gulch.

Snake Gulch.

Pictographs in Snake Gulch.

Pictographs in Snake Gulch.

After this ride I headed back into Utah to the Kanab area, and just after I passed over the border I saw a sign for the Kaneplex Rodeo Grounds, which turned out to be a great place to stay.

It is a little ways out of town near a reservoir, and there are nice pens with water troughs and hoses. I pulled in, and then called to see if I could stay there, they said people can camp there as long as there is no event going on... and they did not charge me anything. There are bathrooms, but they were locked. I had the place to myself except for some parked vehicles, that belonged to some kind of classic car club. I had cell service again, but the funny thing about being that close to AZ, is my phone would constantly jump back and forth an hour, between AZ time and Utah time, making it a little confusing at times.

Kaneplex Rodeo Grounds in Kanab Utah, a great place to stay.

This is just the first of four blogs about this trip, so this is... To Be Continued!


GPS COORDINATES TO LOSEE TH

GPS COORDINATES TO COYOTE HOLLOW

GPS COORDINATES TO WILLIS CREEK

GPS COORDINATES TO SNAKE GULCH