Hurricane Cliffs and Mollies Nipple

It was a gorgeous January day and we needed to get out and do a hike.  But where to go?  We ended up on the Hurricane Cliffs and hiked to several buttes that can be seen from town, but were ones we had never been on top of.  While there, we decided to hop on over to Mollies Nipple and ascend this infamous Hurricane landmark.  Believe it or not, Mollies Nipple is no stranger to Utah.  In fact there are 7 peaks, a butte and a few other geological formations that claim the same name.

The winter months provide a fun time to explore the Hurricane Cliffs near our home

Summers are hot and the probability of seeing snakes is high . . . 
so you'll only find us in this area during winter days

Chipper enjoys getting out as much as we do

Here we are looking down on the Hurricane Valley . . .
Sand Hollow Reservoir and Pine Valley Mountains are in the distance

Time for a little break . . . 
Looking south into Arizona (Mt. Trumbull can be seen in the distance)

The pointy little butte is Mollies Nipple (certainly an apropos name) . . . 
we live not too far below it in Hurricane

Heading back down to our car

It has been years since we've stood on top of Mollies Nipple . . . 
since we're in the area, why not! 

There is a little trail that weaves among the lava boulders

Not sure who put this sturdy flag up here (probably a hang glider) . . . 
but it was made to withstand the strong winds 

Heading back to our car . . . in the distance are the cliffs we stood on earlier

A panorama of the Hurricane Cliffs with Mollies Nipple way out to the right 

Historic Hurricane Canal Trail

It had been close to twenty years since we last hiked the Hurricane Canal.  When Dan suggested that we put together a hike for New Year's Day, it seemed like a good time to revisit this amazing engineering feat that brought water to the Hurricane Valley.  New Year's didn't work out (weather), but Saturday was pretty close to perfect.  The hike provided a fun way to get acquainted with some new friends and show them a piece of history that is unique to southern Utah.

The canal was started in 1893 and was built primarily using picks, shovels, and wheelbarrows.  It took nearly nine more years to complete the project.  It was used to provide water to the Hurricane Valley until 1985 when it was replaced by a pipeline that fed water from the Virgin River to Quail Creek Reservoir.  Click here for an interesting article that shares more details on the Hurricane Canal.

A beautiful day for a hike . . . beginning at the Virgin Dam Trailhead
11 hikers and 2 dogs

Soon we worked our way down off the rim

Fifteen minutes later we approached the Virgin River

Dan found this cool walking stick . . . Alexa carried it for the next 7 miles!

This section of the river was calm and beautiful . . . 
Looks like a nice place to be on a hot summer day!

Walking beside the canal 

Alexa and Joe standing on a headgate

Pretty moss growing on the north facing cliffs

A relic of some sort

Rick is "walking the plank"

Looking back at the planks we all just walked over . . .
Was this a smart thing to do??

These dams diverted water for the La Verkin Canal . . . 
which was smaller, shorter and located on the opposite side of the river

Ah . . . our first tunnel . . . who's up for an adventure!
Most made it through, but a few smart ones detoured around the outside

At times it was rough going

Hup, two, three, four . . . trudging along

Chipper seems to be enjoying the hike

Passing by another of the many headgates . . .
These were used to divert water back to the river so repairs could be made on the canal

Kobe is ready for a drink!

At Chinatown Wash we left the Canal to get around this section of dilapidated pipe

Chinatown flume

Remnants of a magazine where dynamite was stored at Chinatown

Back on the Canal . . . 
Kobe says, "Follow me, Gary, we got this!"

Decision time??
Do we attempt this tunnel . . . we can't see light on the other end

We decided to bypass the tunnel by skirting around the outside . . .
This section was pretty sketchy . . . just ask Susan!

Little did we know the tunnel would have been the better route . . .
right Darrell and Mike?

Our last section along the canal

Working our way back up to the rim

Seven miles later and we're still smiling (and alive)!