We have attended many shows at Tuacahn, over the years, and had often heard people talk about a trail that skirted past the outdoor Amphitheater and continued its way on up the canyon. Supposedly, once at the top of the divide, you could continue on by dropping down into Snow Canyon State Park. With a gorgeous December day in front of us, we decided it was time to do a little "urban" hiking and set out to explore Padre Canyon.
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We started our hike from the Johnson Canyon parking area
(This requires a $10 fee as the parking area is inside the Snow Canyon boundaries) |
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The trail to Padre Canyon is easy to follow with a gradual ascent all the way to the saddle . . .
Much of the lower portion of the trail is in the Red Mountain Desert Reserve
(This section is skirting around Tuacahn Amphitheater) |
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Past the Amphitheater, Kent was dwarfed by the canyon walls that begin to taper in
(The divide that will lead us to Snow Canyon State Park is directly in front of us) |
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| Believe it or not, Threadleaf Groundsel in known to bloom through early December! |
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| We took a little break at the saddle before heading down into Padre Canyon |
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Passing through the divide meant leaving "civilization" behind and beginning
the "wilderness" portion of the trail . . . for us, this is where the real fun began! |
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| There was a lot of moss and lichen on the rocks . . . must mean we are on the north side! |
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| Fun shapes and stripes in the sandstone |
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| Could you ask for a more beautiful day? And no wind and very few people to boot! |
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| It was certainly chilly in the shade! |
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| Towering sandstone cliffs greeted us on both sides |
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| The colorful sandstone in Snow Canyon offers quite a contrast with the Pine Valley Mountains |
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We skirted by several pools that have been filled with water from recent rains . . .
They provided nice reflections with the late afternoon sun |
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| This arch doesn't appear to have a name . . . we must be the first to have discovered it! |
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| The ripples, in the wet sand, show how much water has been making its way through this canyon |
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We are looking back towards where we exited Padre Canyon . . . We are now on the Red Sands Trail
It's doubtful the sun ever makes it into this section during the winter months |
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| The frost was thick in many places . . . our thermometer showed 42° |
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Red Sands Trail was aptly named as there was a quite a bit to walk through on this portion of the trail . . .
Luckily for us, it was fairly compacted due to the moisture that was still being held in it |
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| It felt good to be back in the sunshine! |
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| When Kent saw this falling rock . . . he couldn't resist! |
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After exiting the Red Sands Trail, we turned south on West Canyon Road for an easy 3 mile walk back to our car
Don't worry, Kent only has two speeds and neither are over 10 mph!
(This waterline road is only open to bicycle traffic . . . it made for a pleasant walk) |
Although this hike could be completed as and "out and back," we decided to make it a seven-mile loop - it was a good choice! Other options would be to begin from the Tuacahn parking lot (this will save you $10) and just do a three-mile out and back hike to the Red Sands Trail. This would certainly give you a good workout as you would have to ascend/descend the saddle twice and would cover the best parts of Padre Canyon. For more information click here for the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve description of this hike and click here for a map of Snow Canyon State Park.
