Bell and Little Wild Horse Trails

A loop route connecting two beautifully sculpted slot canyons. One of the most popular hikes in the San Rafael Swell.

Trail description

The trail leaves from the north end of the parking lot. Small trailside rocks funnel you into the bottom of a wash through a tangle of brush that lines the banks.

As the surrounding walls grow taller, the flat wash becomes a shallow canyon. You’re heading into the San Rafael Reef, the steeply angled eastern side of the sandstone dome known as the San Rafael Swell. You can see the angle of east-sloping rock layers decrease as you hike west into the interior of the Swell.

At 0.5 mile, water has carved large pools below pouroffs. If you don’t want to wade through the water, look for a cairned route to your left that bypasses this section by climbing up the overhung rock ledge. This easy, high route cuts back to the canyon floor after a few hundred feet. Shortly after, you reach the loop junction. Veering left takes you up Bell Canyon for a return through Little Wild Horse.

Up Bell Canyon

As you enter Bell Canyon, the wash curves towards the Swell just before the walls close into a narrow slot canyon. Over millions of years, water has coursed through the canyon, sculpting elegant curves and smooth depressions into the sandstone. Here in the desert, water is a powerful force. And be aware there’s no escaping the narrows. Make sure the weather is clear before entering this or any slot canyon.

Around 1 mile, you reach a 10-foot-tall pouroff. A pile of rocks at the base gives you a boost, but you might need to be creative in hoisting yourself up the smooth and slippery rock face. With the hardest obstacle behind you, continue upcanyon for more scrambles and boulder climbs. Rock hop your way through the narrowest section where the walls are less than an arm span apart.

Close to 2 miles, the smooth canyon gets messy — terraced ledges soon replace the swirled, billowy walls. Thin rock layers cascade up to the top of the canyon, while boulders and rocks clutter the wash bottom. A giant boulder appears to block passage through the canyon, but a rock ledge to the left provides an easy ramp up to the top of the wash.

The canyon diminishes in height as you near the mouth. As you exit the canyon, continue hiking up the wash until you reach an informational board that points to the right towards Little Wild Horse Canyon. Follow the sign out of the canyon to the 4WD road that you will follow for about the next 1.5 miles.

Backside of the reef: along the 4WD road

The road curves northeast as you head up a steady incline. Chinle shale slopes, dotted with juniper trees and scrub brush, stretch to the western horizon. Near 4 miles, at the highest elevation of the hike, the road bends around an outcropping of Wingate Sandstone. From here, you begin a gradual descent that continues until you return to the trailhead. Terraced rock layers bring you down to the mouth of Little Wild Horse Canyon. Enter the wilderness study area around 4.5 miles just before arriving at a wash that leads into the canyon.

Down Little Wild Horse

Turn right and follow the wash, heading back into the San Rafael Reef. Around 5 miles, veer right again as the wash converges with another. At this point, the streambed is still wide.

Your hike up Bell Canyon was good preparation for what to expect on your return trip through Little Wild Horse. Eventually the walls narrow, and you begin to encounter drop offs, boulders, and pools. You arrive at the first obstacle around 5.5 miles, which likely involves lowering yourself into a muddy pool. Another half mile of hiking brings you to another steep pouroff. Look to the rock face on the left for good handholds and footholds if you prefer to climb down to the wash bottom and avoid wet feet.

A little farther downcanyon, you come to another obstacle. You may have to wade or swim if there is water in the pools. Otherwise, a cairned route bypasses this section and brings you up the right canyon wall, but it can be easy to miss.

By the time you return to the canyon floor, the sheer walls tower above you. They contract as you head toward the highlight of the hike — the narrows of Little Wild Horse Canyon. Just when you think the walls can’t get any narrower, the next bend proves you wrong. Slanted lines of honeycombing reflect nature’s symmetry. What little light shines into the slot canyon projects shadows on sculpted walls.

Heading deeper into the narrows, bedrock soon replaces the gravel wash bottom. You are encompassed by slickrock, with only a sliver of blue sky hanging above you. Brief openings trick you into thinking the narrows are over, but they continue for about 1.5 miles with intermittent breaks in the sandstone.

Around 8 miles, the twisted and gnarled canyon walls recede, and you rejoin the loop route at the junction with Bell Canyon. Turn left, following the wash another half mile back to the trailhead.

Directions

From Hanksville, Utah: Drive 19.5 miles north on UT 24. Just past mile marker 136, turn left onto Temple Mountain Road, following the sign towards I-70, Goblin Valley, and Temple Mountain. Drive 5 miles along this road before reaching the turnoff to Goblin Valley State Park, Bell, and Little Wild Horse Canyons. Reset your odometer, turn left at the junction, and continue about 6 miles. Make a right turn just after the Goblin Valley State Park boundary sign, and follow the arrows toward Little Wild Horse Canyon and Muddy River. You stay within state park boundaries for the next 1.5 miles, while the road winds west. At 11.4 miles, turn right into the parking area signed Little Wild Horse Canyon trailhead. Since this is one of the most popular hikes in the San Rafael Swell, the parking lot could be full. Additional parking is just down the road on the left. Informational boards and pit toilets are located at the trailhead.