Top 10 Canyon Hikes in the U.S. Parks #PART2

1. Colorado National Monument, Colorado

   
   Monument Canyon Trail
   As stunning as this Colorado monument’s Rim Rock Drive is, it pales in comparison to a firsthand experience of the depths of Monument Canyon, where steep-walled gorges and naturally sculpted rock formations are a textbook of 1.7 billion years of geological history. Solitude and the singing of
   birds add to its pleasures. The signature hike is Monument Canyon Trail, which descends 600 feet in the first mile, then flattens out and continues another five, passing some of the park’s most striking landforms along the way. Note the layers of rock, from variegated sandstone and mudstone to dark reds of Kayenta and Wingate sandstones. About halfway down are three major formations—Pipe Organ, Praying Hands, and Independence Monument, the latter a remnant of a wall that once divided Monument Canyon from Wedding Canyon. But the hike isn’t entirely made of stone—it also leads through piñon pine and juniper trees, and bighorn sheep might be spotted along the way.

2. Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona

   
   Bare Trail to Tunnel Trail
   Canyon de Chelly National Monument lies within the Navajo Nation, some of whose people live and farm in the canyon. Hiking here, apart from one trail, has to be in the company of a professional Navajo guide. That’s good, because local knowledge is necessary to navigate its hundred or so different trails, most of which are ancient, and many of which are extremely steep, “hand-and-toe” trails. Some are dangerous. Some require a notched log (ladder) to reach a goal. The guides know the safe routes, and, of course, know the cultural history of the canyon, which has been settled for more than 2,000 years. Hikes are always customized to suit the interest and fitness of the hikers. A typical hike would be along Bare Trail to Tunnel Trail, starting in Canyon del Muerto, ending in Canyon de Chelly, taking in at least a half dozen ancient Pueblo ruins and caves along the way. The one trail that can be hiked without a guide is White House Trail, a short hike to one of the monument’s finest ruins. Any hike here is a walk through time. The park’s website has a link to a list of certified local guides.

3. Zion National Park, Utah

   
   Angels Landing
   The greatest hikes aren’t only beautiful; they’re an adventure. In southern Utah, Zion’s Angels Landing hike is definitely both. It ascends a dramatic red sandstone formation that rises 1,488 feet from the middle of Zion Canyon, and hikers have no clue how they’ll get to the top until they do it. It begins innocently enough, skirting the Virgin River from a trailhead near the Grotto picnic area and slowly climbing through slopes dotted with piñon and juniper trees. Portions of it are paved. But soon enough, the real action begins in the form of Walter’s Wiggles—21 crazy-steep, supertight, zigzagging switchbacks, like a spiral staircase carved right into the huge block of sandstone. The final leg is as steep as a trail can be, and the drop-offs are sheer, so hikers just might want to grab the handhold chains bolted into the cliff. That’s the way to the top, to Scout Lookout. The view of the river and the Zion Canyon floor below looks like an aerial photograph, only there’s no airplane.

4. Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah

   
   Rattlesnake Creek Trail and Two Short Rim Trails
   Utah’s early Native Americans called Cedar Breaks the “circle of painted cliffs.” The circle is really a giant amphitheater whose floor is a maze of multicolored pinnacles, spires, fins, columns, and arches. It’s a big commitment to walk to the depths of Cedar Breaks, but you can do it via Rattlesnake Creek Trail, a strenuous, nine-mile route that flirts with the northern boundary of the park and passes through Ashdown Gorge Wilderness Area. The trail drops 2,500 feet in four miles before it connects with Ashdown Creek, which can be followed into Cedar Breaks. Or, with a car shuttle, a hiker can continue five miles to Utah 14. Along the way stands Flanigan Arch, which rises 100 feet and spans 50 feet. This is a hike only for the fit and adventurous, although summer heat is far less a concern than in Grand Canyon because Cedar Break’s rim is above 10,000 feet. Less intrepid visitors can enjoy two short rim hikes—Alpine Pond Trail leads to a great view at Chessman Overlook and to a spring-fed pond; Spectra Point/Ramparts Overlook Trail follows the south rim to a viewpoint before it passes through a stand of ancient bristlecone pines.

5. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

   
   Uncle Tom’s Trail
   Located in northwestern Wyoming, Yellowstone seems to contain every type of natural wonder on Earth, so it’s no surprise that a magnificent canyon is among them. The 20-mile-long, 1,000-foot-deep, V-shaped Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is both a thermal area and a river canyon. It was at one time covered by rhyolite lava flows, and some geysers and hot springs are still evident here. An unusual trail leads to the bottom of the canyon at Lower Falls. Uncle Tom’s Trail was built in 1898 as a tourist attraction—“Uncle” Tom Richardson built stairs and used rope ladders to get tourists down to the base of the waterfall. The trail is much improved, but still strenuous—it switchbacks steeply and uses more than 300 metal stairs in the course of a 500-foot drop that delivers hikers to the base of the roaring 308-foot waterfall. Distinct colors in the canyon walls indicate thermal spots where the rock has essentially rusted. The park’s nominal yellow stone indicates the presence of iron. #PART1
   
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