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Beautiful slot canyons located just west of Goblin Valley State Park.


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Map Key

8.7

Miles

13.9

KM

95%

Runnable

5,670' 1,728 m

High

4,956' 1,511 m

Low

871' 266 m

Up

871' 266 m

Down

4%

Avg Grade (2°)

18%

Max Grade (10°)

Dogs Off-leash

Features River/Creek · Views

Overview

Little Wildhorse is a classic slot canyon located in south-central Utah near Goblin Valley. It is a popular spot for families and youth groups. The main attraction is a long stretch of "narrows" where the canyon walls are so close you have to turn sideways to get through. The rock walls are sculpted and very beautiful.

There are two popular approaches here. Some people simply go into Little Wildhorse (the trail to the right at the initial fork), hike as far as they feel comfortable and then return the way they came in. The second option is to make a loop by heading up Bell Canyon and then crossing over and descending into Little Wild Horse Canyon.

If going with a dog, or small children, there are several large drops or climbs in Little Wild Horse Canyon. Bell has a few as well, but not as high. A dog might need the aid of a basic harness to lift up and down. It's best to do this loop in a clockwise direction with dogs so you descend into Little Wild Horse instead of climbing out of it. Or just leave Bowser home for this one--this is Bighorn sheep territory, and dog smell doesn't help them at all.

Little Wild Horse Canyon (right at initial fork) has some amazing and tight slot canyon passages to walk through. You'll be in awe as you walk through it. If a loop is too much to handle, I suggest at least going through Little Wild Horse Canyon until you meet the first climb and then turn around.

Need to Know

This is an EXTREMELY popular route!!

This is a desert run and, as such, has very little shade. Temperatures in summer can become extremely hot. Bring all the water you'll need for an 8-mile loop. Takes most folks 3-4 hours.

There are several large drops or climbs depending on which direction you are coming from in Bell canyon. Little Wild Horse canyon has some obstacles as well, but not as bad. Both are easy in the grand scheme of things and can be navigated by most. There are NO sections on this route that you'll need to rope up for.

Water may be present depending on time of year, and it might be freezing! All water sources should be treated, but you should probably skip it and bring your own for the day. The water is always deep brown color and will clog a filter fast.

The trailhead has an out house and kiosk with info, map of the trail, and paper maps available if not all out.

Parking for about 2 dozen cars packed tight and fills up FAST!

Description

To reach the trailhead, drive Hwy 95 south toward Hanksville and then turn west onto the Goblin Valley Road. Swing south as you approach Temple Mountain. At the turn for Goblin Valley State Park continue straight and follow the paved road to the signed trailhead. Vault toilets are available at the trailhead.

Starting from the trailhead, head up the wide dry river bed to the mouth of the canyon (about 0.5 miles). You'll see the canyon dip down a bit and rock walls on both sides with a rock in the middle of the passage; it seems impassable, but it can be scrambled up. You can either scramble up and over or take the path to the left, up along the top of the canyon (about 5-10 feet at this point) and then scramble back down after the initial boulder section is cleared. Once past the first obstacle look for a sign indicating Bell to the left and Little Wildhorse to the right.

You can go either right (Little Wild Horse Canyon) or left (Bell Canyon). Most people doing the loop go clockwise and start by going left into Bells Canyon and come out of Little Wild Horse Canyon, ending with some tight, but beautiful winding passages that will leave you in awe.

For about 2.5 miles, follow Bell Canyon. There is only one way to go once you're in the canyon, and you really can't get lost since there will be walls, sometimes hundreds of feet high on either side of you. As you make your way through Bell Canyon, you'll encounter some short rock scrambles up, nothing too high, at most 10-15 ft. at the highest. Little kids and older adults will do fine. Dogs will need assistance (or leave them home). Stagnant pools of cold brown water may be present in a few spots, but it is mainly a dry canyon.

Follow the canyon all the way to the end where it opens up onto a 4x4 dirt road that goes left and right. This is Behind The Reef road. Take the road and follow it up the hill. If the high cliff walls are on your right, with the huge canyon drop offs to your left, you're going the right way! if you go left and pass a cabin, you need to go back the way you came and go the opposite direction.

Hike 1.5 miles along the wide and open road to a sign for Little Wild Horse Canyon to the right. It will be a dry river bed to the right veering off the main 4x4 road.

Little Wild Horse Canyon narrows pretty quickly as well, and it is 1.5 mi to the confluence, but the true narrows last about a mile at most. The toughest obstacle is the first one, a pour-off about 10' high, and you can scramble down next to it on either side (Class 4 on the left and Class 3 on the right, facing down-canyon), or you can notice that a ramp on the right side leads easily to the canyon floor.

Other obstacles are no harder than Class 3. This is the trickiest obstacle for a dog and where a harness comes in handy. Follow the canyon for 3 more small drops, with the last one being about 6' high into a small pool of water. You can avoid the water if you're careful and use the log and stone bridge. Towards the end, you'll enter the narrow passage way that winds through Little Wild Horse Canyon back to the confluence. This is probably where you'll wanna break out the camera for some photos.

Back at the confluence, hike 0.5 mi back to the trailhead, the way you came.

Contacts

Shared By:

Climbing Around with improvements by Bob Palin and 1 other

Trail Ratings

  4.9 from 32 votes

#285

Overall
  4.9 from 32 votes
5 Star
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4 Star
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Recommended Route Rankings

#29

in Utah

#285

Overall
23 Views Last Month
13,162 Since Dec 7, 2015
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult

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Photos

Narrow passages.
Dec 7, 2015 near Ferron, UT
Interesting canyon walls eroded by water.
Dec 7, 2015 near Ferron, UT
Red soil as Bell Canyon enters Sinbad Country
Jan 27, 2019 near Ferron, UT
One of the prettiest sections in Wild Horse Canyon. You can clearly see a wave pattern on the rocks
Jan 27, 2019 near Ferron, UT
San Rafael Reef from Behind-the-Reef Road
Jan 27, 2019 near Ferron, UT
Cool canyon walls.
Dec 7, 2015 near Ferron, UT

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Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 72 days ago
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