White Pocket

White Pocket is part of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. And it’s just mind-blowingly beautiful.

There is a sandy trail that leads for about 100 yards from the parking area. After that, there is no set trail, as you are free to explore along the colorful slickrock.

The road in is a good hour and a half from any non 4 X 4 spot with very spotty cell signal.

It’s on BLM land, so you can spend the night at the trailhead. For the best light, it would be preferable to sleep there and shoot in the morning. It is also an excellent location for night photography. There is no outhouse, so plan accordingly.

Our beautiful campspot about an hour and a half from White Pocket. There was no way we were driving the bus on that road!

Furniture Draw Canyon and Buckhorn Draw road

This short, flat trail leads you through tall canyon washes. It is not technical at all and includes a few narrow sections. It’s great for all ability levels and shows the area’s beauty in less than four miles.

This canyon is totally kid and pet-friendly. Much of the wash is pretty wide and full of scree. Unlike many other canyons, it’s easy to find and easy to navigate. If you’re used to more  technical slotting, this will be rather underwhelming, but it’s still a beautiful canyon.

The rock formation is very similar to Little Wild Horse Canyon since they are both part of the San Rafael Swell. Furniture Draw is shorter and much less popular (although less stunning).

The whole area totally blew our minds. The Buckhorn Draw road reminded us a bit of the Burr Trail. It is stunningly scenic.

5 km down the road from Furniture Draw, you can see some really well-maintained pictographs and petroglyphs. There are also dinosaur tracks nearby.

The Buckhorn Draw Pictograph panel.

There are tons of gorgeous campsites along the canyon walls of Buckhorn Draw road, but they are $15 per night and the signal is not as good as at The Wedge.

Mount Baker Wilderness, Washington

For years, we’ve looked at Mount Baker’s peak from Vancouver and thought: one day, we’ll make it there. I’m not sure why it took us so long since it’s not even an hour and a half from the border, but we sure are glad we finally did!

We had no idea that Mt. Baker is an active glacier covered volcano (with thirteen glaciers!). In 1975, steam emissions and fumarolic activity reminded the locals that this beautiful mountain could change their lives forever.

Picture Lake at sunrise with Mount Shuksan

There is no camping near the trailheads and signal is spotty at best (download the maps of the trails you are planning to hike - there are many side trails everywhere). There is some boondocking on Forest Service roads or camping at Silver Fir (no signal and popular - reserve ahead). Douglas Fir Campground is a bit far but is a beautiful spot worth checking (no signal and popular as well - reserve ahead).

We found a great boondocking spots on a Forest Service road nearby.

Another great boondocking spot up a rocky road

Getting an early start is key to beat the weekend crowd.

If you’re planning to go on the weekend, make sure to get to the trailhead early (like 8 am early). Buy the Northwest Forest pass online and print it at home (must be printed within 2 days of purchase - you can buy it at the Visitor Center in Glacier but that’s 40 min away) and on the premises if and when the Visitor Center is open (but it sounds unreliable).

Beautiful Mount Baker from Chain Lakes Trail

Instead of doing the whole Chain Lakes Loop, we took Chain Lakes Trail all the way to Hayes Lake and back to Artist Ridge and we checked out Ptarmigan Ridge for about 500 meters until it starts going down. It is one of the most rewarding hikes near Vancouver in terms of view vs effort.

Earlier in the season, the trail is full of wildflowers. At this time of year, you get blueberries and huckleberries. In a month, you will likely get snow.

Iceberg Lake

Some people do Chain Lakes Loop as a day hike and some spend the night at Mazama Lake or Hayes Lake (camping near Iceberg Lake is not permitted). These two backcountry campgrounds are First Come First Serve, so getting an early start is advisable. It can get pretty crowded on the weekend (no platforms). You don’t need an extra permit (just the same Northwest Pass to park your vehicle at the trailhead).

Mazama Lake

Hikes worth checking:
-Chain Lakes Loop
-Lake Ann
-Ptarmigan Ridge Trail
-Yellow Aster Butte
-Table Mountain

The total cost for this awesome weekend (other than the gas to get there): $5 (that’s the price of the Northwest Forest pass for a day - $30 for a year).
That’s a steal!

Overnight hike to Watersprite Lake, Squamish, BC

Watersprite Lake near Squamish is a crystal clear, turquoise lake framed by dramatic peaks and it is one of the most awe-inspiring hikes around. It was a hidden gem for years. Unknown to most and tucked away down a long, bumpy forest service road. But the word is out and it’s ‘hidden gem’ status has changed.

Whilst the hike is long, it’s a fairly gentle incline as BC hikes go and only the last portion has any serious climbing in terms of elevation. About 6 km in, you will come to a rock slide. This is the beginning of the more demanding section of the trail. The route is visible and there is flagging to keep you on track. 

Then, you enter a forested section and get to a boulder field. The final ascent is slow and steep, but you’re almost there and the view that awaits you will reward your effort!

While this last stretch is the most difficult hiking, the good news is you are nearly at Watersprite Lake. If you are staying overnight, you need to cross another boulder field along the lake to get to the other side where the tent platforms are located. 

As of summer 2022, Watersprite Lake area and the surrounding peaks are now a designated Provincial Recreation Site and you will need a camping reservation for tent camping (different to reserving the hut). This will cost $20. You can reserve here.

There are 10 platforms and 10 tent spots (we recommend platform 1 or 2 if one is taken). There are bear caches and a composting toilet on site. There is a very clear stream that runs behind camp to get water from (and a few streams along the trail too).

The only drawback to this hike is that it requires a 4×4 or AWD vehicle with good clearance to reach the trailhead. Please note, the road gets significantly worse for the final stretch to the trailhead and it is getting worse every year (not fixing it probably also helps weed out people).

There is a cabin at the lake which was built by BCMC. The cabin can be rented all-year round (the only option in the winter since the platforms are under many feet of snow) for 300$ per night (one party of 8 people max).

There are a few bridge crossing involved and the trail is very well-built and marked.

Make sure to reserve your tent platform ahead of time. This will cost $20. You can reserve here. We recommend platform 1 or 2.

Because the trail is open, make sure to bring plenty of water and sun protection in summer.

Hiking to International Falls, between BC and Alaska

The International Falls hike starts near the White Pass Summit and is most often in the clouds. We lucked out on a rare bluebird day! The trail starts on the Canadian side of the border and crosses into Alaska, hence its name.

It’s a beautiful hike especially on a sunny day. Be warned that there is a pretty steep descent (with rope assist) at the beginning and a few creek crossing (hiking poles were useful, an extra pair of shoes/socks might be a good idea if the water level is high). You can find all the driving direction and hike info here.

The rest of the trail is an easy gradual climb along the falls and then you can hike as far as you want once you hit the alpine plateau. It’s so beautiful, you just want to keep going, but be mindful that you need to retrace your steps back to the car!

Note: Coming from Whitehorse, you need to cross the Canadian customs (don’t forget your passport or ID), but since the hike starts before the US customs, you don’t need to fill in the ArriveCan documents.

Hiking Ruby Mountain and Monarch Trail, Atlin, BC

Atlin, BC, is a small gold rush town that is only accessible through the Yukon. It’s a 2-hour drive from Whitehorse. 

Atlin Lake and the surrounding mountains are stunning and the historic gold rush village complete its charm. I’m not sure why we waited 15 years to come back here, but we are are glad we came on this perfect weekend.

We did two different hikes. The first one (and our favourite) was Ruby Mountain in the Atlin Volcanic Field. You have to drive about 30 min from town to get to the trailhead. If you have a high clearance 4x4 vehicle, you can even drive the first part that is on a mining road (all the info for directions and route finding are well explained here. Make sure to screenshot everything since there is no cell signal in Atlin). The hike starts already in the alpine and there are very few trail markers, so you’ll find having this info on hand useful as you ascend. It’s a short hike to a stunning 360 view with mountains all around as far as the eye can see. We were alone the whole time and even saw Dall sheep! That hike is easily in our top 5.

The trail starts here if you can drive up the mining road (high clearance 4 x 4 needed)

The Summit

The second day, we did the classic Monarch Trail. The trailhead is only 1 km from the Pine Creek campground. As soon as you start climbing, you get open views of the Atlin Lake and surrounding peaks. You can decide to turn around after about 1.5 km at the second bench before the climb in the forest begins or decide to plow through that steep section without view to get into the alpine for the last 700 meters. The view is beautiful but not as different as you go up. You’ll find the driving directions and trail info here (please note that the name of the road where the trailhead is located is Warm Bay Road NOT Warm Spring Road as indicated).

The camping options are pretty limited, especially with a big bus, but we lucked out on one of of the few sites that are big enough at Pine Creek campground.

There are beautiful walk-in sites in the lower section of the Pine Creek campground.

Note that there is no cell signal anywhere in town. There are limited groceries, but you can get some good BC beer at the Trading Post.

For those who do not follow us on Instagram, Stout passed away on August 2nd. He had a Valley Fever relapsed and even with the medication, his body gave up the fight and he died peacefully in his sleep in the bus. He was six years old. We miss him dearly every day.

Hiking around Summit Lake, Stone Mountain Provincial Park

Summit Lake campground in Stone Mountain Provincial Park is the highest point on the Alaska Highway (at about km 600 - Historic Mile 373) at 1,300 meters (4,250 feet of elevation). It is located about 140 km West of Fort Nelson and is a must stop on your way North. I recommend you spend the night in Fort Nelson and head to Summit Lake campground early to get a spot (the 28 campsites are only available on a first-come first-serve basis for $20 - some are really not that great - campground is open from May 12 to September 25). There is no electricity, but there’s a pit toilet and a water well, but it is recommended to boil it (wood bundles are a whooping $15). It is right by the Highway, so there is some road noise during the day, but the surroundings are well-worth it, especially if you can get one of the few spots by the lake.

The most popular hike here is Summit Peak trail (that should really be called Mount St. Paul via Summit Peak trail, an 8.5 km round-trip with 750 meters of elevation, the summit is not the end of the trail and you could keep going on the ridge all the way to a few other peaks). The information available at the campsite and online for these hikes are pretty inaccurate and misleading (except for the link I posted above). That’s why I decided to write that post.

The hike starts just across the road from the campground. Make sure to follow the trail that cross the creek after about 400 meters off the road and that starts climbing up on the RIGHT side of the river.

Some of the many blue pools you will see along the way, perfect for a post-hike dip!

You will soon get out of the tree line and start steadily climbing up the stone-faced ridge of Mount St. Paul.

The view makes the effort well worth it! We found hiking poles to be useful, especially on the descent since there is some loose scree and a few slightly exposed sections. Hiking boots would have been preferable to hiking shoes. Also, even if we were sweating at 9 am in the first km of the hike, it got cold and very windy as soon as we got onto the ridge. Be prepared for all kind of weather conditions.

Note that the ridge is the only place where you can get decent LTE signal (and it requires a fair amount of climbing)! We had spotty 3G and 1 bar LTE at the campground WITH our booster and the antenna placed just right, but I wouldn’t count on it, most people didn’t have anything.

You can see the campground behing JF’s shoulder and in the background, an alpine lake (Flower Springs Lake) where we also hiked (more info on that hike below).

It is easy to forget about how intense the descent can be on the legs in that kind of terrain, so make sure to save some energy and muscle strength for that!

Once you reenter the tree line, there is a trail that cuts down to the beautiful blue pools you saw on your way up (they might be dry later on in the season). Make sure to go explore and take a dip if you dare! It is pure paradise. There was NOBODY there.

From behind site 20, there is a bridge that leads to a trail. Turn right and follow along the shore of Summit Lake. It is a bit marshy and buggy in places, but you can see lots of wildflowers along the way (this area is known for its rare flora). After about 2 km, the trail veers left up into the trees and you can follow it all the way to a 4 x 4 road that will take you to the beginning of Flower Springs Lake trail.

There is another quicker alternative that we will use next time: just before you get to the campground on the Alaska highway, you will see an entrance to the 4x4 road to a microwave tower closed by a red gate. The gate is unlocked (make sure you close it behind you). The Flower Springs trail officially starts 2 km up that road. You can either drive up 2 km (it can be driven without a 4x4 up to that point - at least when we were there), bike (and stash the bikes in a bush at the beginning of the hike - there is nobody here) or walk up it (but is it quite boring). If you decide to walk (it is quicker that our first option by the lakeshore), simply turn left after the bridge instead of right and you will quickly get to the 4x4 road. Just start walking up until you see the picnic table and trail info board.

As soon as you begin walking, you cannot help but feel awed.

From the road, Flower Springs Lake is about 3 km (so from the campground, it is is a 10 km round-trip with the section on the 4 x 4 road), but the elevation gain is very minimal (230 m). If you do the upper Lakes, it is a 15 km hike round-trip with 430 m of elevation gain

You can keep hiking on the right side of the lake and get to two more alpine lakes, but we decided to turn around since we had already done 7 km by then and our 4 legged pup had done enough for the day. I would recommend getting a map of the area and go explore that beautiful backcountry.

There is another hike 2 km up the campground called Baba Canyon that is supposed to be really nice too. We’ll make sure to check it out next time. If you’re up for a more challenging adventure, check out this hike.

The Canadian Rockies

Wilcox Pass

View of the Athabaska Glacier from Wilcox Pass.

Wilcox Pass

View of the Athabaska Glacier from Wilcox Pass.

Looking at the Columbia Icefield

Beautiful boondocking spot along Abraham Lake

Bow Lake

Mistaya Canyon

Moraine Lake

Lake Louise

Jura Canyon

Johnston Canyon

Johnston Canyon Lower Falls

Tent Ridge

Snow on Tent ridge

Snow on Tent ridge

On the Moonraker Trails in Golden, BC

Cedar Lake Rec site, Golden, BC

Radium Hot Springs

Full disclaimer: I was never wowed by the Rockies. We had camped in Banff and Jasper 18 years ago on our way to the Yukon with our old Westfalia and driven through the park a few times since then, but it was always so busy that I never could truly get a feel this beautiful place. This time, I really did. And I understand why people come from all over the world to see this place.

With the fall colors in full force and very few tourists because of the pandemic, it was the chance of a lifetime. So we drove from Squamish and back for a short 3 week road trip before settling down for the winter. And we’re so glad we did!

There are so many hikes to do in the area that I won’t even try to give you an exhaustive list, but I will gladly share our favorite. Some are short, some are long and involved, I’ll let you do your research depending on what you want. Interestingly enough, most hikes allow dogs on leash!

In the Spray Lake area, our favorite was Tent Ridge (a horseshoe loop on a stunning ridge, be warned that this is not a beginner hike, there is some exposure and some mandatory scrambling). A good shorter one south of Canmore is Little Lougheed (steep but offering rewarding view).

There are lots of hikes around Canmore; Ha-ling Peak is a popular one. We did West Wind last year and found it very rewarding.

In the Park, between Banff and Lake Louise, Stanley Glacier and Arnica Lake are both beautiful hikes, especially in the fall. While you are in the area, go check out Marble Canyon (a short 1,4 km hike).

Near Lake Louise, Paget Peak is beautiful and Iceline Trail looks like a fun challenge. Cirque Peak Trail is also on our list for next time.

By the way, if you have to beat the crowds to see either Lake Louise or Moraine Lake, pick Moraine! It is bluer and more beautiful. Go during the week (pick a day when the shuttles don’t run if that’s an option) and go after 4 pm. Or go super early. And since you got up that early, you might as well hike the Larch Valley Trail, especially in the fall when the larches are yellow!

On your way up toward Jasper, you can stop to stretch your leg and see beautiful Mistaya Canyon (1 km). Keep going North onto the Icefields Parkway and stop to hike Parker Ridge and Wilcox Ridge (so gorgeous in the fall!).

Also know that it is usually possible to camp in the Columbia Icefields parking lot for $15 AND to have cell service (a really good deal in that area). However, it was closed this year because of COVID. I won’t publicly share our all our camping spots, but will gladly share them with you if you write to me personally and are planning to go. If you are willing to drive a bit, there are tons of beautiful camping spots along Abraham Lake (but there is only cell signal at this spot toward the end of the lake, at the trailhead for Allstones Lake Trail, toward the town of Nordegg).

On our way back, we spent two nights in Golden at the beautiful Cedar Lake Rec site right on the Moonraker mountain bike trails. I highly recommend it!

From there, if you are heading toward Revelstoke to mountain bike, you can stop and hike the Hermit Trail.

On our way down toward Rossland, we stopped in Radium for a quick evening soak in the Hot Springs and spent the night at Redstreak campground, 6 km away.

P.S. You will notice that I didn’t mention Johnston Canyon in my post. (but posted pictures of it). It is one of the most popular hikes in Banff and we were lucky that the road that leads to the trailhead was closed this time around because of COVID to limit the amount of people, so we biked 6 km in to get to the trailhead. Even with that caveat, we found the hike to be quite busy, so I cannot imagine how crazy it must be when the road is open!

Fifty shades of blue

Mathilde hiking along Water Sprite Lake

Rohr Lake

Cheakamus Lake

Cheakamus River

Blogging has become harder over the last few years. Sharing the name and location of the beautiful places we visit attracts more people to some already overused trails and boondocking spots or means we are revealing a friend’s lesser known spot… sharing my life and heart often infringes on my teens’ personal life and their stories are not mine to share anymore. Beautiful images are shared on Instagram as soon as they are captured and spur of the moments thought and bits and pieces are shared in stories. So what is left for the blog?

Maybe the blog can be a good place to step back and reflect every few months? I like that idea. 

The blog will be a more global portrait of our life, a reflection.

As you might know, we have spent the months of July and August in a house in Squamish while our bus was at our friends’ shop, getting a well-deserved facelift (esthetic and mechanical, but mostly incredibly practical - check the Our bus and Westy section for the photos!). It’s been interesting - and honestly quite easy - to fall back into a brick-and-mortar lifestyle, but Squamish is sooo awesome, it’s really easy to love, especially when you can escape every weekend (or after work!) to hike or bike to some of these incredible locations. We had a beautiful crystal clear river a 5 minute walk from our place (to rock-retrieving Stout’s greatest pleasure) and we could watch rock climbers on the big walls behind our house while sitting in our yard! We also witnessed many search and rescue helicopters coming back from there every weekend…. I understood a bit better how easy it is to underestimate some of the hikes/bikes/climbs in this area and become the next person to need a rescue. It seems to me that most everything here is “hard”. An “easy” hike requires you to climb (and down climb) a boulder field. It seems like everybody and their neighbours, their doctors and their mechanics is an athlete here. Which is great, but also a bit intimidating for the not-super-into-fitness-nature-lover that I am. I huffed and puffed my way up steep climbs and white knuckled my descent through giant slippery rocks, getting back to the Westy bruised and tired, but very proud and recharged. And I’ll keep at it because that’s where I love to be, even if it means being slow and stopping as often as a toddler through the rough parts. I’ve waited for my girls enough years that it’s their turn now! And they carry the lunch too! Onward and upward. Life with teens is the best, hormone galore, kitchen explosions and hair-clogged drains included (just kidding, that’s sooo gross).

What to do and where to eat in and around Victoria, BC

The Parliament.

The Royal BC Museum.

The Royal BC Museum has many life size exhibits. Here: a salmon cannery and an authentic village.

Miniature World.

Miniature World.

Munro’s Books and Habit coffee shop.

Agrius and Fol Épi.

The best fish and chips are at Blue Fish Red Fish (well-worth the line!).

Jordan River Regional Park campground is only $15 June-Oct or $10 Nov-May and right on the ocean. There is no Canadian cell service (no Bell), but 3 bars 4G LTE Verizon on our American phone, however it fluctuated a bit. I posted my full review on @campendium
It's a bit out of the way but the perfect place to be far from everything and to go hiking or kayaking.

Juan De Fuca Trail

Our birthday hike tradition continues with this beautiful hike on the Juan De Fuca Trail that leads to an isolated beach for my 41st birthday.

Mystic Beach.

Discovering Victoria has been so much fun thanks to all the great recommendations many of you gave me. I'm so impressed by how green most of the restaurants and coffee shops are! No straws, all compostable containers and utensils, compost and recycling on the premises, locally sourced ingredients. 

We really fell in love hard with this city and the whole area. If we had to pick a place to settle down in Canada, it would definitely be our first choice… if lodging was affordable (which it isn’t). I can officially announce that we have decided to stay on the road at least for another year (as long as the bus doesn’t die on us…). We had said that we would not make a decision until we come to Vancouver island. Our time here has been incredible and the girls got to rub shoulders (and race with) very strong and pro riders. It has allowed them to see how our lifestyle gives them the flexibility (in terms of school schedule AND moving around) to keep progressing in the racing world - something all 3 want to do. After talking with many kids who go to school and race, our daughter who was curious about going to school changed her mind. We have a pretty exciting summer and fall ahead of us, and I can’t believe I will finally get to visit the Magdalen Island, where my dad’s side of the family comes from!

But for now, we are headed North to our beautiful Yukon!

Death Valley National Park

Zabriskie Point is the Delicate Arch of Death Valley National Park and people gather there at sunset. Being only 15 minutes away from the main Furnace Creek area by car, it is undeniably one of the most popular spots. It is only a 0,1 mile hike up a steep paved path to the viewpoint. Bring warm clothes if it is cold, it can get crazy windy there.

Zabriskie Point was named after Christian Zabriskie who was the general manager of the Pacific Coast Borax Company, which was huge in Death Valley during the borax mining days. The view has been featured in many pop culture references as well, with the most notable being the Joshua Tree album cover for the band U2.

Most people know that Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park is the lowest point in North America (282 ft below sea level), but there's something even more fascinating about that place. When rainstorms flood the valley bottom like it did in the last few weeks, the salt expanse is covered with a thin sheet of standing water. Each newly-formed lake does not last long, because the 1.9 inches of average rainfall is overwhelmed by a 150-inch annual evaporation rate. This means that even a 12-foot-deep, 30-mile-long lake would dry up in a single year!!! How crazy is that?

From the parking lot, you can see the sea level sign that is located 280 feet above you on the adjacent mountain. It really puts in perspective how low you are when you see it compared to the mountain.

Look at those cool salt crystals! You can even taste them!

As soon as you enter the walk out on the platform you are immediately greeted with a huge lake of what looks like snow. This water is so high is salt content that almost nothing can actually live there. The salt flat itself is 5 miles long. Badwater Basin is a truly unique place to stop. You don’t need a lot of time here, but it is worth checking out. Also note that it is very often windy there.

Golden Canyon is one of the many sites where different parts of the original Star Wars movies were filmed. It is the most popular hike in all of Death Valley National Park and is a little over 3 miles round trip, depending on where you stop. The parking lot is about 10 minutes South of Furnace Creek.

It has gaping canyons, massive boulders, waves of plantless terrain and even a large red rock called the Red Cathedral at the end. You can totally picture a few stormtroopers appearing around a boulder. You can see some of the reconstructed scenes vs the original scene here.

Approaching the Red Cathedral (in the back).

After leaving Death Valley from the south west road, we decided to stop to visit another geologically interesting place near Searles Lakes. When you visit Trona Pinnacles, you cannot help but feel like you are on the moon or on another planet. The unusual landscape is made up of more than 500 spires, some as high as 140 feet, rising from the bed of the Searles Dry Lake basin. The pinnacles vary in size and shape from short and wide to tall and thin, and are composed primarily of calcium carbonate (tufa), like those found in Mono Lake. The pinnacles were formed underwater from 10,000 to 100,000 years ago when Searles Lake was one of a chain of interconnected Pleistocene lakes stretching from Mono Lake to Death Valley.

The Trona Pinnacles are not in Death Valley, they are truly in the middle of nowhere, about 25 minutes east of Ridgecrest, and are one of those places that have to be seen to be believed. Like the Alabama Hills, it is hard to do justice to the sheer beauty of these massive rock structures that jot a landscape that is almost entirely barren and flat.

The Pinnacles are recognizable in more than a dozen movies. Over thirty film projects a year are shot among the tufa pinnacles, including backdrops for car commercials and sci-fi movies and television series such as Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Disney's Dinosaur, The Gate II, Lost in Space, Planet of the Apes, and more recently the movie Holes.

There is a short half mile hiking trail, but you can drive around easily in a 4 x 4 vehicle to see the formations. They were more impressive from afar in my opinion. There are designated camping spots and the area is very well defined with rocks to prevent driving over the fragile areas. Please set up camp only where there is already a fire ring outside of the rock-fenced areas. There was no usable cell signal there.

We have decided to camp at Texas Spring Campground, since it is the cheapest and the more beautiful. There are no services and a no generator rule. There is a dump, water and toilet on site. Note that for 5$ per person (during the week, $10 on weekends), you can access the hotel warm fed spring pool and showers. The pool was just too cold - 85 F - to be comfortable when we were there (it was cold and windy that night). Note that you only need one card ($5) to enter the pool and shower area and that there is no lifeguard or staff on duty there, so decide accordingly ;)

There are more hikes and sights to see in Death Valley, but some were closed when we were there since the recent rains had washed out the roads or there were closures due to construction. We wanted to hike Mosaic Canyon, check out Scotty’s Castle and bike Titus Canyon, but couldn’t.

We passed on the Mesquite sand dunes since we had just been at the Kelso dunes in the Mojave desert (that are bigger and more impressive) and the Racetrack (those moving rocks that have left tracks behind them) since it is located at the end of rough dirt road and is an adventure in itself.

*Be advised that exiting Death Valley through the west (road from Stovepipe Wells to Panamint Springs) requires driving a very long twisty downhill section that could be hard on your brakes if you tow a trailer or drive a motorhome. We separated the Westy from the bus for the long climb and descent and it still was a bit nerve-wracking, glad we have a brake retarder on the bus. A friends’ brakes caught on fire there. Be warned and drive slow.

Interesting facts about Death Valley:

Death Valley National Park is the largest national park in the Lower 48 at a whopping more than 3.4 million acres.

The highest recorded temperature in the world was recorded in Death Valley’s Furnace Creek at 134 Fahrenheit in July, 1913. For almost one hundred years, a false recording made in Libya overshadowed Furnace Creek’s claim to fame. In 2012, however, the record went back to Death Valley after it was concluded that the Libyan recording was made in error.

Death Valley is only 76 miles from the highest point in the country, Mt. Whitney, which tops out at an elevation of 14,505 feet. In other words, the lowest and highest points in the contiguous U.S. are less than 100 miles apart!

There is every year an ultramarathon in Death Valley called the Badwater 135, which links these two points! The race organizers description goes like this : Covering 135 miles (217 km) non-stop from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA, the Badwater 135 is the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet. The start line is at Badwater Basin, Death Valley, which marks the lowest elevation in North America at 280’ (85m) below sea level. The race finishes at Whitney Portal at 8,300’ (2530m), which is the trailhead to the Mt. Whitney summit, the highest point in the contiguous United States. The Badwater 135 course covers three mountain ranges for a total of 14,600’ (4450m) of cumulative vertical ascent and 6,100’ (1859 m) of cumulative descent.

From this blog.

The Mojave National Preserve

Pencil cholla in front of a big Joshua Tree.

Great campspot among the Joshua Trees.

The Mojave desert is the driest desert in North America, receiving less than 2 inches of rain a year. One of the most significant dunes in North America, the Kelso Dunes stick out like a sore thumb in the landscape of the Mojave.

It is a pretty challenging hike in the sand, but they are known as the singing dunes, a phenomenon you can experience if you slide down slowly, generating a low-frequency rumble that can be both felt and heard. Watch this YouTube video if like me, you have a hard time picturing what it can sounds like. We went to explore them, but didn’t have the courage (or the time) to climb all the way up.

Our favorite place was the Rings Trail; it’s one of the best 2 miles hikes you can do. We decided to go down the rings and back up at the end of Banshee canyon to experience the rings again, since the rest of the trail is more traditional hiking through the desert.

Banshee Canyon

The Kelso Depot is quite the unusual Visitor Center. I wrote its story below.

The Kelso Depot’s beautiful Spanish Colonial revival style architecture.

If you are just driving through the Mojave desert, you might think it is a big expanse of desolate land; but once you take some time to explore its remote corners, you realize it’s a pretty special place with singing sand dunes, lava tubes, cinder cones, abandoned mines and the highest concentration of Joshua Trees in the world. (Near the cross on the Teutonia peak trail, you will find the largest Joshua Tree forest in the world. Most people assume it is in Joshua Tree National Park, but it is actually here in Mojave National Preserve.)

While you are there, take a look at the Cima Dome. Most people would probably go past it if they didn’t know it was special but once you notice it, it is pretty crazy. It looks like the land is being viewed through a fisheye lens (from this site, lots of great info on the area).

We decided to stay at the Hole in the Wall campground since it is located right next to the Rings Trail and since it is one of the only places in the park where we knew we would have decent connexion for work. This campground is 12 bucks a night, first come first served and has water. It is a great spot to stay at and has amazing surrounding mountains and views.

You can camp at most spots in Mojave National Preserve as long as they have fire pits set up. This allows you to be able to camp in some amazing places. Just be sure to respect the environment if you chose a spot like this. Know that the connexion is very spotty in the Preserve and that most place won’t have signal strong enough to allow you to work.

There is no gas and no food in the park, and many of the backroads are washboards and only accessible by 4 x 4.

The story of the Kelso Depot

The first depot was built in 1905, when the Union Pacific wanted a foothold on the West Coast, but the actual building was built in 1924 and included a conductor’s room, telegraph office, baggage room, dormitory rooms for staff, boarding rooms for railroad crewmen, a billiard room, library and locker room.

Originally, the restaurant and telegraph office each had three shifts, operating around the clock. This continued through the boom years of the 1940s, when Kaiser’s Vulcan mine caused Kelso’s population to grow to nearly 2,000. The closing of the mine coupled with diesel engines replacing steam resulted in the UP moving jobs and families out of Kelso. In 1985 the UP decided to close the Kelso Depot entirely.

Believing that the now empty building would become “a target for vandalism, unauthorized entrance, and a legal liability,” the UP Division Superintendent made plans to raze the building. Local residents and others across the region heard about the proposed demolition and began to publicize the building’s plight.

They organized into the Kelso Depot Fund and set about saving the building. While they were able to stop the demolition, the costs of restoration grew too expensive for the group and they turned to local politicians and the federal government for assistance. Members of Congress from the area went to work, and by 1992, the BLM had the title to the building. Renovation of the Kelso Depot began in 2002. The building reopened to the public as the new visitor center for Mojave National Preserve in October, 2005.

Homolovi State Park and Petrified Forest National Park, AZ

It is so incredible that the archeologists that work at the Homolovi State Park research center allow visitors to wander through the site and find artefacts (it is obviously illegal to take anything).

It is quite the feeling to find all sorts of pottery pieces created by the Hopis that are over 800 years old.

As we exclaimed at every find we did, we could picture the women who cooked in these pottery containers…

Between the 1200s to the late 1300s, there was over 1,200 rooms on this land. Standing on these grounds, you can still feel the village buzzing with life. What a privilege to be there.

Petrified wood is pretty cool the first time you see it, but a bit less exciting on the third or fourth time… We went to Petrified Forest National Park mostly to see the Painted desert, those colorful layered hills you see in the background. It’s too bad there are not longer hikes in the park. I would have loved to get lost in that unique landscape.

The next day, we went to visit the Petrified Forest National Park. This is the painted desert part. Just gorgeous.

Blue Hill Mesa.

At the bottom of Blue Hill Mesa (short hike).

Petrified wood.

I've spent many hours in nature lately, in silence, on my bike, meditating on the part of me that is afraid of not offering my girls a more normal teenage life full of activities and peers on a daily basis. What if we stick to the fact that our family culture is to live on the road, away from a busy calendar? How do I know what is best for them at this stage of their lives? I can listen to their desires (which ebb and flow and change with their hormonal cycle...) or I can simply hold the bar, as I did all those previous years and say: this is our family, this is what we do. I will make sure you get a great online education and a high school diploma while living on the road. I wonder if we have become a generation of parents who cater too much to their children's desires. If I struggle with this transition, if living in a house for 4 years, needing a second income and vehicle, yearning to be out in nature in my bus, to have more quality time with them does not feel right... is it still the right thing to do for them? I don't know. I truly don't know.
My friend @reneetougas wrote a beautiful series on her blog on homeschooling the high school years. She asks an important question:
"Perhaps in the same way that schooling parents ask homeschoolers - how do you manage to be with your kids all day? Which for me is incomprehensible to answer since my reverse question is how can you stand to not be?" I still cringe when I hear parents cheer because school is about to finally resume after spring break. I mean, I get it, being surrounded by young children all day is hard work and wanting some alone time is totally human. But I feel like we don’t know how to be together anymore. We find it intimidating. Here, take my phone. And draining. Yes, you can go on Netflix. 
Why is that? Can’t we just have a good time together? Have meaningful conversations? Have we become so busy that we need to schedule fun times and laughter fits?

You know, we did not wake up one morning and saw that all the stars had aligned, that all the conditions had come together and decided not to send our girls to school. It is rather the opposite. We decided to not send them to school, then we invented the circumstances that made that possible.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Can you spot the sand dunes at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains?

These huge dunes look totally out of place at the edge of the snow-covered Rocky Mountains. Located in south central Colorado (about 2.5 hours from Colorado Springs and nearly four hours from Denver, they lie at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. They are the tallest sand dunes in North America.

There are no official trails into the dunes and because of the soft, ever-shifting sand, possibilities for exploration are limitless. It is permitted to walk anywhere, and one popular target is the top of the tallest dune, which conveniently is only half a mile from the edge. Still, the journey takes up to one hour and it is often a case of one step up, half a step down. It is easier to walk along sand ridges, rather than up the side of the dunes. The surface temperature of the sand can rise to over 140 F in the summer, much too hot for barefoot walking, and very hard on your dog’s paws (bring booties). Note that this is one of the rare National Parks where dogs are allowed on hiking trails. It is written everywhere that you need to keep your dog ON LEASH. I know the dunes feel like a sandbox of epic proportions, but please respect that rule so we can keep coming here with our pups (most people had their dogs off leash…).

It is often windy on the dunes (it was when we were there) and it was not a pleasant experience. Wear long pants and non-mesh shoes (or walk barefoot if the sand is cool enough), a windbreaker and buff and tight-fitting hat, as well as sunglasses if you plan to hike the dunes on a windy day. It will make your journey much more fun.

You can also rent sand board or sand sleds to play on the dunes just outside the park (regular sleds or snowboards don’t work well on dry sand). Another amazing feature of the Great Sand Dunes is Medano Creek - a small stream fed by melting snow that is only about ten miles long and flows most strongly during spring and early summer. It starts in the Sangre de Cristo mountains, runs along the east edge of the dunes and disappears below ground in the valley.

It is also a great area for stargazing and there are often ranger-led astronomy programs in the park. A really unique experience would be to camp overnight in the dunes (when weather is calm and clear to avoid blowing sand or dangerous thunderstorms with lightning). You can pitch your tent anywhere in the dune field that lies outside the day-use area. You'll have a minimum hike of 1.5 miles over the dunes, but will experience a unique overnight setting. Don’t forget that hauling your gear up slippery sand dunes is quite the workout.

There is a limit of 6 people per party, and limit of 20 parties in the dune field per night; permits are first-come, first-served (gas stoves only; no campfires). Dogs are not permitted in the dunes backcountry.

Though not inside Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, Zapata Falls is a terrific little hike (0.8 miles) during a visit to the area and a fun place to cool off from the hot sun in the summer since you have to walk in the water to get there.

There are a few options for camping in the area. The Piñon Flats Campground is run by the National Park Service, with 44 sites that are first-come, first-served and 44 that visitors can reserve in advance.

For those traveling in 4WD vehicles, there are 21 campsites along Medano Pass Road within the park that are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Outside the park, there is the San Luis Wilderness area, which was a state park until last year, where you can camp FOR FREE WITH 30/50 AMP power, sheltered picnic tables and fire ring in a gorgeous setting. Too good to be true? That’s what we thought, but we had a hard time leaving.

A hike in Rocky Mountain National Park

Nymph Lake

Emerald Lake Trail

Emerald Lake

When we arrived at the trailhead, it was cold and rainy. Aisha grumpily got out while Mara pranced across the parking lot, oooing at the gorgeous yellow aspens. Mathilde had stayed behind with our friends and their baby. The air was thin and fresh at 9,500 feet, and it felt so good to be surrounded by tall mountains! I wanted everybody to be happy and have a good time, but it seemed like someone just needed to complain about something and I had a really hard time finding empathy… This was Rocky Mountain National Park. On a Monday. Girl!!!!

But after a few miles, nature worked its magic, the weather cleared up and we all found our groove. I'm so glad my man reminded me to just give her space, not question her or try to fix her. Just let her be.

It doesn't have to be complicated.

If only I could remember that next time (or like tomorrow…).

I'm so thankful for this stable calm man in that sea of hormones!

As you probably have noticed, I haven’t been in this space much. Now that we are back on the road, I’ll post more about the destinations we visit. I’m posting regularly on Instagram and Facebook. Here’s something I posted about there a week ago that I’ve decided to repost here:

This year, the girls are homeschooling completely online. It’s new for all of us and it was quite the ordeal to get everything up and running. We really wanted them to do the bulk of their classes in French, so they have a patchwork of classes from different provinces, but it is finally set up. Their Humanities class (a cool integrated Yukon combo of English 9 and Social Sciences 9 with lots of content on First Nations) is a virtual class where they have to be online for 1 hour, 3 times a week, with the teacher and other students. The teacher was a traveling homeschooling dad himself and mountain biked quite a bit with his daughters. As you can imagine, they quickly clicked with him. The French class (from BC) is really interesting (BC has adopted a new curriculum last year and it is great!). Their science (from Alberta) and math (from Ontario) classes are more traditional.

I’ve created a Google calendar for each girl in which their classes are well laid-out with deadlines for assignment and times of day (with alarms). On top of their core classes, they are doing a great Art 2D/3D with the Vancouver animation school and two afternoon a week, I have asked them to pick a personal project they wanted to work on. For now, Mara is writing a book, Mathilde is working on upcycled bike parts jewelry and Aïsha is sewing a storage pouch. Their bike training schedule is in the calendar too.

We also invite them to spend some time reading the news each day (American - in English,  and Canadian - in French). Our goal for this year is to feed their growing minds and have discussions with them on different topics. We watch documentaries and movies on varied topics with them at night to broaden their horizons. We are very aware that these are some of the most formative years where their brains create tons of connexion. It’s the best time of life for learning!

They have daily tasks that rotate monthly and are responsible for 1 dinner a week. It might seem pretty regimented, but it is quite interesting to see them relax into that schedule. After years of relaxed homeschooling/unschooling, they have demanded a more structured learning process in the last few years and we have created it for them.

Some people will say that our girls are sheltered; they would be right in a sense. We have sheltered them from the mainstream, but not from real life. We have always believed in offering them a rich environment in which they could explore the world, themselves and their interests. And I think we are succeeding in that. Yeah, us.

Mary Jane Canyon and some Moab updates

Driving on Ranch rd/BLM 98 to get to Mary Jane Canyon. What a view!

After about 5 minutes of walking on the trail, you have to get your feet wet!

And it just gets better.

The sandstone is so red it's almost purple and when you walk in the water, it looks like there is blood around your feet.

Finally found a quiet camping spot about 25 minutes out of Moab. With a gorgeous view of the Fiery Furnace.

Silence. Finally. After days of constant OHV noise.

If you type Moab on the Home page search bar of the blog, you'll see a ridiculous number of posts pop up. We just love Moab and have been coming here every year for the last 5 years. The more helpful post for bike trails and general info that I wrote is this one and this one contains more photos or trails (all the info is still good, except that the coffee at Bike Fiend was NOT good this year, stick to Moab Coffee Roasters and the good cheap laudromat by the Village Market and Chili Pepper Bike shop is not a Domino Pizza and you are left with very few options for laundry... We ended up going to Moab Laundry (that we call the Gringo Laundromat, because it's pack full with travelers and it's ridiculously cheap and the driers take forever to dry... buuut, it's right by the City Market AND Gearhead (where you can fill your jugs with delicious spring water for free), so we can kill 3 birds with one stone.

Coming here every year for a while also means that we have seen the effects of more and more people camping on the public lands and that every year, we camp a little further away... Last year, we stayed on Dalton Wells Road since Willow Springs Road was packed and this year, after spending a few very noisy days on Dalton Wells with people riding and racing their OHV all day long in front of our bus, we moved further out of town.

There has been lots of discussions on Instagram lately among the vanlifers about the repercussions of sharing the exact coordinates of these free campsites (and other beautiful locations). Many of us feel directly responsible for drawing crowds there (and some of us truly are... I know I am for at least a few spots I first reviewed on Campendium). It’s a complex issue and many of us stand on the fence here. We’re not a select little group who should be the only ones to have access to this information. HOWEVER, as Kerri McHale (@asolojourner) says: “There’s surely enough info already out there to get anyone’s feet wet; even if every single one of us stopped geotagging today. (…) This land is open to everyone, and everyone’s free to explore it. We’re not putting up “no trespassing” signs; were just not putting up neon arrows to the road here”.

Of course, I will keep sharing these special spots with people I know. And I will keep sharing them here on the blog. I receive lots of messages from friends and acquaintances (and readers!) planning trips and never refuse them a piece of advice. However, I know these people and know they will not trash them. “These places are our second homes, our refuges”, as Kerri McHale says. She continues: It’s not good for everyone to crowd onto one pinpoint on a map—it changes the land, even when people *aren’t* trashing it. I’ve talked to many locals lately, who see places they’ve come back to for decades overrun and trashed. I once thought, “I don’t have that many followers…how could I really be affecting this?” But that’s kind of like saying, “I’ll just drop this one coke can on the ground. No one comes around here anyway,” isn’t it?

So if you have read this far, let me share with you here one of Moab's best kept secret: Mary Jane Canyon. When the crowds are invading Arches and Canyonlands National Parks (and Corona Arch trail too now...), there are a few hidden gems that you will likely only have to share with a few other hikers if you are willing to drive a few extra miles (or 20). Last year, I told you about the Fisher Towers (still our favorite hike in the area!) and this year, we discovered Mary Jane Canyon. Unfortunately, we didn't get to go all the way to the end where the true gem is: a beautiful 30 feet high split waterfall INSIDE the slot canyon because we ran out of light. It is a long hike (9 miles/14 km round trip) mostly IN the water, so plan accordingly. It is however perfect on a hot day when the crowds are all at Grandstaff Canyon (aka Morning Glory, aka Negro Bill Canyon) to get their feet wet. Some people have reported being able to keep their feet dry by rock hopping, but it'll be a lot of work (and you'll likely slip and get wet or injure yourself). You CAN be in the water 90% of the time, but you will likely have to be walking in it at least 50% if you follow the trail that meanders in and out of the creek. We don't have Keens, so we simply used our regular sneakers with wool hiking socks and it was perfect. JF did it in his Chaco sandals and said it was not ideal because the sole became abrasive under his feet after a while. If you have weak ankles, brink hiking poles. The water was pretty shallow when we did it at the beginning of April (mostly ankle deep, some spots mid-calf) and cold but not freezing. We called the BLM field office in Moab beforehand since it had rained a few days prior, but they said they do not monitor the water level there, so I guess it is not as likely to get flash floods there. The water level does vary during the year and it is usually dry at the end of the summer.

Once you reach the trail head, make sure you take the right trail. The more obvious one is for Professor/Sylvester Creek, which is NOT where you are going. The trail to Mary Jane Canyon is just across the parking lot by a no camping sign. The best info I found about it is on this blog (with photos of the trail head). The canyon walls get higher as you hike further into the canyon, and eventually will reach upwards of 100 ft. I also read that there are several side canyons that allow for exploring tighter slot canyons.

Exploring Utah's Canyons part 4: San Rafael Reef

Little Wild Horse Canyon is so sinuous, you feel like water walking through it.

Mathilde is always ready to rest. Ahem.

So, so gorgeous!

Canyons have been described as sensuous and feminine, womb-like in opposition to mountains and spires or hoodoos. You see, something unique happen when you stand in the belly of the earth. You want to run your fingers along the round walls, like a pregnant belly or a breast. You want to linger, to drift… you don't want to get out of that embrace, to reemerge  and reenter the world beyond that womb.

In their book Utah Canyon Country, Kathy and Craig Copeland warn the hikers pretty clearly about Bell & Little Wild Horse canyons: The circuit linking the two canyons is a merry-go-round of enthusiastic hikers: kids sprinting away from their ambling parents, young couples lugging babies in backpacks, seniors cautiously shrouded head-to-toe in sun-barrier clothing, experienced trekkers sheepish about participating in such a carnival yet enjoying it too. (…) Hiking here is like joining a hikers’ pride parade. It’s an act of solidarity with your comrades: the people raising hikers-to-be. Not convinced? Then come here simply to marvel at the bizarre beauty of the San Rafael Reef. These canyons are so extraordinary they’ll command your attention while the party swirls on without you.

Little Wild Horse Canyon (2-4 miles round trip to simply explore the first section of LWH Canyon or 9 miles to do the loop hike with Bell Canyon, easy, dog-friendly but lots of people, VERY HEAVY traffic):

There were over 60 vehicles in the parking lot when we arrived at 3 pm on a Monday afternoon (granted, it was during Spring Break, but still!). We decided to go find a camping spot on Little Wild Horse BLM just a few minutes from there and waited for the crowd to leave. We started our hike in the canyon at 6 pm and had the place pretty much to ourselves. It was AMAZING. We hike pretty fast, but we were able to see a lot of Little Wild Horse Canyon and return by 8 pm. It is undeniably the most beautiful slot canyon we have seen when taking in consideration the minimal approach and how easy it is to hike it (no technical challenge at all).

Most people simply walk a few miles into Little Wild Horse Canyon and turn around (like we did), but you can also do it in a loop starting with Bell Canyon and returning through Little Wild Horse Canyon. I believe it would be doable the other way around too (but you might want to double check that in case there are obstacles) in order to avoid the crowd if you start very early from LWH canyon.

Our beautiful (and very windy) campsite on Little Wild Horse BLM.

To also check in the same area:

Crack Canyon (7 miles round trip, easy with a few obstacles requiring some gymnastic efforts, dogs allowed, but has to be pretty athletic, moderate to low traffic)

Chute Canyon (4.5 miles round trip, easy, dogs allowed, moderate to low traffic)

I'm not going to keep you from paying $15 to go into Goblin Valley State park and spend an hour (or less) climbing on goblin-like rock formations (why on earth do they allow people to climb on such fragile formations, I don't know...), but if you do and you have bikes, go explore a much less crowded area of the park with really nice easy bike trails and ride The Dark Side of the Moon to get very close to the San Rafael Swell.

Recommended books:

Map (note that there is no cell signal in most of these places, so you'll likely need a paper map) : Canyons of the Escalante

Hiking Grand Staircase-Escalante & the Glen Canyon Region: A Guide To 59 Of The Best Hiking Adventures In Southern Utah

Hiking from Here to Wow: Utah Canyon Country

Hiking the Escalante

Exploring Utah's Canyons part 3: Burr Trail

On the Burr Trail, at about mile 15.

Driving the Burr Trail, mile 12.

Happy!

The Crown, on the Burr Trail. 

The last time we were here was in the Fall of 2012. We had fallen in love head over heel with this place, but could not come back because of the lack of connexion (needed for our work) and because we thought Route 12 would not be doable with the bus. So this year, for my 40th birthday, we took 2 full weeks off work and came back to our first love. At that time, we had also explored some of the canyons around Kanab (Wire Pass + Buckskin Gulch), The Wave and Waterholes Canyon (near Page, AZ).

We are happy to report that there is now signal in Escalante (and at the BLM on top of Hole-in-the-Rock Road), but still no signal past 5 miles on the Burr Trail (but signal in Boulder).

The entire 68-mile stretch of the Burr Trail Road is scenic and filled with natural beauty. I still think it is one of the US most scenic road. The drive takes you from Boulder through Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, all the way to the Notom-Bullfrog road in Capitol Reef National Park.

Hike to Wolverine Canyon.

The petrified wood field on the way to Wolverine Canyon.

LOTS of cows and calves on the trail at this time of year!

Those wholes in the sandstone are called taffoni. I always feel like Al Pacino when I pronounce it.

These boulders are begging to be claimed.

There are two giant alcoves in the canyon.

Driving on Wolverine Rd.

Wolverine canyon (3 miles round trip to the petrified wood pile, 5 miles round trip to the narrow section of the canyon, easy, dog-friendly but lots of cows, low traffic): Located on the Wolverine Loop Road, this canyon begins wide and gradually constricts into beautiful sculpted narrows (from 8 to 15 feet, this is not a slot canyon) with huge alcoves (this is where we turned around, for a 5 miles round trip). There is an abundance of petrified wood (I know, I felt I was done with petrified wood, but this is something else…it was set aside by the BLM as an outstanding natural area). The black petrified wood attracts the eye because the purple and lavender hills provide such a vibrant backdrop. The only challenge when we hiked it were the many cows (and brand new calves) along the wash and we needed to give them some space and go off trail.

To also check in the same area:

Little Death Hollow (15.2 miles round trip through Horse Canyon and Wolverine Canyon, moderate to challenging, not dog-friendly, low to moderate traffic): This was closed when we got there because a cow was stuck inside the canyon. Most people do the loop starting at Little Death Hollow trailhead, through Horse Canyon and back up Wolverine Canyon in 2 or 3 days because there are some nice campsites along the trail, or a longer full day hike. Note that Little Death Hollow cannot be done as an in-and-out day hike unless you are a seasoned climber.

Singing Canyon (a canyon just by the road, 11.5 miles down the Burr Trail, dog-friendly): a great stop on the Burr Trail with little ones or just to go explore and break into a tune. This canyon offers spectacular acoustic and you might even see a violinist of flute player while you are there.

Upper Muley Twist (9.4 miles, moderate with some exposure, dogs not allowed, low traffic): Deemed the most beautiful hike in Capitol Reef N.P., this hike has it all: a wash approach, a rim trail and a canyon. Check the weather before going this is a prime spot for lightning strike.

Our beautiful free campsite on the Burr Trail. Not sharing this one ;)

Easter Pizza! That's a thing, right?

Recommended books:

Map (note that there is no cell signal in most of these places, so you'll likely need a paper map) : Canyons of the Escalante

Hiking Grand Staircase-Escalante & the Glen Canyon Region: A Guide To 59 Of The Best Hiking Adventures In Southern Utah

Hiking from Here to Wow: Utah Canyon Country

Hiking the Escalante

Exploring Utah's Canyons part 2: Hole-in-the-Rock Road

Approach hike to Big Horn Canyon

The incredible colors and texture in Big Horn Canyon.

Feeling like we are in another world, alone in Big Horn Canyon.

Playing in a shallow section of Big Horn Canyon.

Hole-in-the-Rock Road has the biggest concentration of slot canyons in Utah. It is 57 miles one-way and 4 x 4 is strongly recommended for the last 7 miles. There was LOTS of wash board on this route when we were there and driving it in our van wasn't fun. We decided NOT to drive the 50 something mile required to get to some of the canyons we wanted to explore and stuck to the canyons located on the first 15 miles of the road for that reason.

There are no route markers on most canyon trails (sometimes a cairn here and there). You need a map and some navigation skills.

As the Copelands put it in their book: Hiking, particularly when routefinding rather than heedlessly following a trail, reboots our connection with nature. It requires us to engage directly. And canyon country is the ideal place to venture into trail-less terrain.

These places invite exploration, but if you want to veer off the path, you should stay on the cattle trails to avoid destroying the fragile desert crust. Do not add cairns, do not write with mud on the canyon walls, keep your voice down (and teach this to your kids). Enthusiasm is beautiful, but this is not an amusement park. Be respectful of others who are likely to look for a more contemplative experience.

Big Horn canyon (5 miles round trip, easy, dog-friendly, moderate traffic): Big Horn Canyon is an interesting tributary of Harris Wash in a rarely explored part of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It was our best *discovery*. The wide range of colors, textures and formations took our breath away. The canyon deepens quickly, eventually reaching a depth of 400 feet, and forms slot-like channels of varying narrowness mixed with wider, flat sections. It has two forks and all could be seen in five hours though adjacent parts of Harris Wash, and especially some of its nearby side canyons, are also worth visiting.

Squeezing through an unnamed side canyon we discovered while hiking in Big Horn Canyon. It led to a beautiful cathedral-like area.

JF using his elbows to slowly get down this steep section of the side canyon.

We have a tradition to pick a birthday hike (or ride). I had picked Little Death Hollow, but it was closed since a cow was stuck in it and someone else had been charged by an aggressive cow… So back to the drawing board we went and decided to check out Zebra Canyon.

Zebra slot canyon (5 miles round trip, easy to get there/moderate, some stemming required in the canyon, canyon is not dog-friendly, high to moderate traffic): This is a very short slot canyon (200 m) that require some wiggling and stemming to get through. It often contains water and quicksand. When we did it, there was two 50 feet-long sections of mid-calf freezing cold water. The slot canyon is reached after a 2 miles beautiful approach walk down to Harris Wash. There are not route markers here and it can be confusing for many. Make sure you have a map.

The birthday hike crew

Canyons invite exploration

Walking in the wash to get to Zebra Canyon.

Getting closer.

There was two 50 feet-long sections of mid-calf freezing cold water. I got feet cramps that were so bad I could not stand for a minute.

Mara-give-me-a-challenge Roldan

Being tall is not always a good thing when exploring slot canyons.

Left: int the narrowest and most beautiful part of Zebra Canyon. Right: JF helps Mara down a steep section.

Right: looking at a bird's nest in an alcove. Right: me, stemming to avoid a section of freezing water.

In many of these canyons, you will see Moqui Marbles. They are sandstone balls cemented by a hard shell of iron oxide minerals. They tumble from the pale, cream-colored navajo sandstone beds, when wind and water wash away the softer rock. The children of the Indian tribe who lived there were known to play with these stones, particularly the smaller stones, and used them like children today use marbles, hence the name Moqui Marbles.

The curious rocks have inspired fantastical tales of fairies, meteorites and dinosaur eggs, but their origin is fairly mundane. Water flowing through sedimentary rock leaves behind minerals that glue together masses of sand, mud or other particles.
Collecting them is prohibited. Please be respectful.

In my research online, I actually discovered that some people are selling them on eBay as shaman stones having special powers. I’m pretty sure this is bad Karma...

To also check in the same area:

Devil’s Garden Hoodoos (stroll around, up to a few miles, perfect natural playground for kids, a few arches and funky hoodoos, 12 miles from Highway 12 on Hole-in-the-Rock road).

Devil's Garden Hoodoos (on Hole-in-the-Rock Road, not to be confused with Arches NP Devil's Garden).

Metate Arch at Devil's Garden Hoodoos.

Mara standing on an arch at Devil's Garden. This is an amazing natural playground. You have to stop there if you have kids.

Peekaboo and Spooky Canyons (4.8 miles round trip, moderate, not dog-friendly, heavy traffic): These are undeniably the most visited canyons on Hole-in-the-Rock Road and for good reasons. The approach is short and the experience is unique. However, you might have to wait in line to enter through Peekaboo… it’s that crazy busy. People usually hike up Peekaboo and down Spooky (DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS HIKE IF YOU ARE IN ANY WAY OVERWEIGHT, these canyons are so narrow that people got stuck). Spooky will force even the most slender lanky types to carry their packs over their heads, turn sideways and wiggle through. There are a few chokestones and short drops. If you are #ho shapeshifter, you can also attempt Brimstone Canyon located at the same trailhead (darker and more obstacles, great to check you immunity to claustrophobia). We hiked these almost six years ago with the girls and it was quite the adventure (read the whole story here!)

Neon Canyon and the Golden Cathedral (9.2 miles round trip), moderate, dog-friendly, moderate traffic)

Note that there are many more very interesting canyons to explore on Hole-in-the-Rock Road (Davis Gulch, Llewelyn Gulch, Reflexion Canyon, Willow Gulch, Fortymile Gulch, Egypt 3, Spencer), but many require a 50 mile drive on that often very wash boardy road (it was in very rough shape when we were there).

We camped at this BLM while exploring this area. 

Recommended books:

Map (note that there is no cell signal in most of these places, so you'll likely need a paper map) : Canyons of the Escalante

Hiking Grand Staircase-Escalante & the Glen Canyon Region: A Guide To 59 Of The Best Hiking Adventures In Southern Utah

Hiking from Here to Wow: Utah Canyon Country

Hiking the Escalante

Exploring Utah's Canyons part 1: Skutumpah Road + Lower Calf Creek Falls

Willis Creek

Willis Creek overarching walls

Wavy walls inside Willis Creek Canyon

When we started traveling around the US 6 years ago, Zion and Bryce National Parks were the new Grand Canyon. Crowds were filling every trail and people that had never hiked in their life showed up on Angel’s Landing trail wearing flip flops and carrying a tiny 250 ml bottle of water they had just bought at the lodge. Now, mainly thanks to social media, Utah’s slot canyons seem to be the new Zion. Whereas we had enjoyed Peekaboo and Spooky Canyons with only a few other adventurous parties 6 years ago, the Escalante Visitor Center ranger told us to stay away from it because there were line-ups of people trying to get in and out. And many of them were not serious hikers, even less slot-canyon savvy.

We knew that Willis Creek slot canyon and Lower Calf Creek Falls would be busy, but we didn’t expect to have people literally crawl under us inside Zebra Canyon (I wish I was joking). It was just ridiculous. Granted it was Spring Break, but we never expected it to be THAT busy.

One of our best experience was at Big Horn Canyon, where we started early and had the place mostly to ourselves until we were on our return. It was also quite special since we *discovered* one of the side slot canyon and ventured inside it not knowing what we would find. It ended in a gorgeous cathedral-like cave. The experience is just not the same at all. Of course, nobody likes busy places, but a crowded slot canyon is just not fun. And can border on dangerous.

Mostly, people are not aware of canyon etiquette. They are loud (and their voice reverberates on the canyon walls and don’t give people space to enjoy the spectacular sections of a canyon. Don’t be these guys. This is not a race, this is an experience. Many are there to have a contemplative experience and don’t feel like chatting. Canyons invite silence and respect.

Here are short description of every canyon we visited (note that there are many more and in other areas of Utah too). These are all accessible from Route 12. To simplify things I have separated them in 4 different posts.

More info can be obtained online or at the Escalante Visitor Center for directions. ALWAYS stop at the nearest visitor center to get information about the state of the trail and the risks of flash floods.

When hiking Willis Creek, we camped on this BLM.

It is easy to get good pictures in Willis creek: the narrow sections are not very long allowing ample light to come in.

Willis Creek is very dog-friendly.

From Cannonville (Skutumpah Rd):

Willis Creek (4.8 miles round trip, easy, very dog-friendly, high traffic): Many slot canyons are accessible only after a 2-3 miles hike in a usually pretty sandy wash (in full sun), but Willis Creek is an exception, which explains why it is so popular. In some books it is describes as the best bang for your buck experience, and I guess it is true if you are in a rush or you want an easy mostly flat hike with no obstacles to climb. However, unless you go very, very early or late in the day, expect to be with a crowd. From the parking lot, the trail quickly drops into the canyon, within 5 minutes, you will see sculpted Navajo sandstone walls rise on both sides. You will go into many sections of slot canyon that alternate with short sections of wash. This explains why it is easy to get good pictures in Willis creek: the narrow sections are not very long allowing ample light to come in. It is a 20 minutes drive down unpaved Skutumpah Road (from Cannonville, on Hwy 12). It is not big-rig accessible (you can leave your rig for the day at the Cannonville Visitor Center or at a nearby BLM).

To also check in the same area:

Lick Wash Canyon (8-mile round trip, easy, dog friendly, moderate traffic). We did it almost 6 years ago and didn't find it particularly interesting.

Hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls

Hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls

Right on Route 12, between Escalante and Boulder:

Lower Calf Creek falls (6 miles round trip, easy, very dog-friendly, high traffic): Note that this is not a slot canyon, but a hike that leads you along high sandstone walls (with a few petroglyphs) to a beautiful waterfall. The hike in itself is beautiful from the start. It is a great hike to do if slots canyons are vulnerable to flash floods. There are some sandy sections and some ups and downs. In warm weather, people swim in the pool at the bottom of the fall.

Lower Calf Creek Falls.

Recommended books:

Map (note that there is no cell signal in most of these places, so you'll likely need a paper map) : Canyons of the Escalante

Hiking Grand Staircase-Escalante & the Glen Canyon Region: A Guide To 59 Of The Best Hiking Adventures In Southern Utah

Hiking from Here to Wow: Utah Canyon Country

Hiking the Escalante