Backpacker Magazine – May 2009

America's Best Day Hikes: Southwest

From canyons to rock art to waterfalls, the Southwest has an abundance of natural beauty.

by: Chuck Graham

Tags:
• Destinations
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CANYONS

Zion Narrows, UT 16 miles (Difficult)
For thrill-a-mile hiking, nothing beats this world-famous slot canyon: You'll scramble over boulders, negotiate squeeze-through geology, squish along the sandy banks of the North Fork of the Virgin River, and wade through waist-deep pools. In fact, during high water, you'll find yourself swimming beneath 2,000-foot cliffs and hanging gardens. The highlight: After Orderville Canyon junction, the pink-, orange-, and gray-streaked rock walls narrow to less than 10 feet wide. For the best experience, start at Chamberlain's Ranch and hike 16 miles downstream (allow 12 hours; permit required even for dayhikers).
Season April-October
Info nps.gov/zion

North Kaibab Trail, AZ 9.4 miles (Difficult)
Sure way to start a campground fight? Ask for the best dayhike in the Grand Canyon. We settled the dispute by choosing two, both on the North Rim for the high-scenery, low-crowd factor. For a workout, tackle the North Kaibab Trail, which starts in an aspen forest at 8,250 feet. Descend past camera-draining views, dropping 3,000 feet past Redwall and Muav limestone, Bright Angel shale, and honeycombed Tapeats sandstone. Top off your bottle at Roaring Springs before turning around.
Season April-October
Info nps.gov/grca

Tent Rocks, NM 3.6 miles (Moderate)
The natural wonders of Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument formed when ancient volcanic eruptions left behind 90-foot-tall, tentlike formations of pumice, ash, and tuff. Take the Canyon Trail to get up close to the towering gray, beige, and pink formations, then delve into a slot canyon before topping out on a mesa with vistas of the rocks and the Rio Grande Valley. Turn around here.
Season Year-round (spring and fall are best)
Info blm.gov/nm

Syncline Loop, UT 8.3 miles
The jigsaw-puzzle cliffs of Canyonlands National Park's Island in the Sky district plunge so steeply to the meandering river thousands of feet below, hiking there feels like walking off the edge of the Earth. Get a taste of the experience on this loop on the Syncline Trail, linking the scrubby washes that surround Upheaval Dome. You'll switchback from the mesa top, descending into a giant sandstone maw with views of the Green River, before hitting the bottom of the sandy crater. Skirt the dome, then climb back up through a lush riparian zone on the north side. Hiking clockwise saves the jungle-gym scrambling section for the ascent.
Season Year-round (spring and fall are best)
Info nps.gov/cany

Robber's Roost, UT 8 miles (Very Difficult)
Want to descend into the otherworldly chasm on our cover? You'll need advanced canyoneering and routefinding skills. Photographer James Kay says, "It's not named on USGS topos. My friends and I call it Deception Canyon, and found it by walking along the rim of the North Fork, about three miles east from White Roost." Good luck. To see Robber's Roost without a rope, hike out-and-back via the Angel Trail, south of Hanksville. Walk down rolling domes of pink slickrock to the Dirty Devil River, then go upstream past rock art panels into the cool hallways of the inner canyons. Allow extra time for exploring tributaries.
Season April-October
Info (435) 896-1500

Eye of the Whale Loop, UT 4.5 miles (Moderate)
This loop in Arches National Park is not on the guidebook circuit, so it's always crowd-free. The unmarked trail begins in a wash 4.2 miles down Willow Springs Road (4WD only). Head north up the drainage and left into a vibrant red canyon. After another mile of scrambling–with side-hike options to Beckwith and Leaping Arches–you'll reach the Eye of the Whale path. Hike through the 12-foot-high arch, which looks like a giant, droopy-lidded eye, to reach a slickrock drainage back to Willow Springs.
Season Year-round (spring and fall are best)
Info nps.gov/arch

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Most Petroglyphs
Three Rivers, NM 2 miles (Easy)
For instant rock-art gratification without the crowds, nothing beats this Chihuahua Desert site: In about 15 minutes, you'll be walking among more than 21,000 petroglyphs. The stone etchings–of human figures, geometric patterns, and wildlife–date from 900 to 1400 AD, when the area was occupied by the Jornada Mogollon tribe. Despite the short mileage, allow at least a few hours to wander through the boulders and canyons of the ancient gallery–and ponder the meaning of the mysterious symbols. From the visitor shelter, take the rugged, half-mile trail up a ridge into the heart of the site. Also, check out the ruins of a prehistoric Mogollon village just east of the picnic area–the artists' likely home.
Season Year-round
Info (575) 525-4300

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