After our ATV broke down it was only noon or so – so we tried to find something else in the area to do. It was kind of hard because you have the spottiest service when you’re not close to a town. We happened upon a town called Colorado City, UT where we got gas and ate our sandwiches and from there Lizzy found a trail called: Water Canyon Trail.
From the gas station we drove toward the Water Canyon Trailhead. You definitely 4-wheel drive to get here, especially If there’s any chance of it raining. The “road” is red dirt with steep drop offs.
We passed one spot on the road that said “Zion Glamping Adventures” – which actually looked like it would be a blast with a group of friends. Check it out!
Drive back as far as you can on the trail. There is one pull off we almost stopped at but you can go until it ends. The small lot was actually quite full but later on the trail we understood why… some people do more than just hike this trail – they go canyoneering.
Our hike to the waterfall was steep and sandy constantly going up and down on narrow trails. This was pretty green though and lush with foliage all the while being nestled amongst massive sandstone formations.
We experienced a lot on this hike. And you’ll see it all – Pricker bushes, rocks, boulders, sand, water, rocks covered in lichen and rocks submerged in water covered with slick algae. There are massive canyon views and nice lush greenery. Shade and sun too! We all wore layers on this hike too because canyons can be cool but as you ascend it gets hot… then back down toward the waterfall it was cool again.
AGAIN, WE HAVE THE COMMON THEME: The waterfall is further and harder to get to than you realize. Before we started the hike some little kids and their dad said it was just a mile away… when in fact you have to what??… double it! Haha.
At the base of the waterfall we weren’t able to stay too long because we were told that “flash flooding kills” and a huge storm cloud rolled in. It was thundering very loudly, and my dad was yelling that we needed to go because we were exposed and far from the car. It did start to rain while we were exploring where the waterfall was, and we were so bummed we had to leave. We wanted to explore this area a lot more than we got to.
“It would have been totes-amaze” – Ricky if we could have scaled the waterfall.
“I ended Father’s Day early with waterboarding.” – Dad
REMEMBER:
- Flash floods are unpredictable
- Flash floods can be deadly
- Slot canyons are particularly dangerous
- You can’t outrun a flash flood
- Flash floods can happen with sunny skies overhead
TIPS:
- Take a vehicle with 4—wheel drive
- Wear shoes with some grip and probably some ankle support
- When you get to the ferns you know you’re getting close to the waterfall
- Take water & snacks – the hikes take more out of you than you realize sometimes
- You can go a lot further on this trail if you have a whole day