The desert is full of little gems, and again I was off to explore another little nook in the wide expanse of the Colorado Plateau in Utah. As I headed south on U.S. 191, passing through the sleepy towns of Monticello and Blanding, my headlights cut through the darkness of the night-shaded road. I was on another unplanned road trip, fueled by my need for some space and nature therapy after having a typical week in the city.

After car camping for the night I awoke the next morning to my alarm and the warming sky. At the south end of the Abajo Mountains in Southern Utah are Fish and Owl Creek Canyons, which converge into each other to make a loop for a fantastic overnight trip, or even a multi-night trip if you want to spend some extra time exploring the area for Native American ruins and relics. Bridges National Monument is in the same area too, but it didn’t really seem to fit a backpacking trip as it’s more of a loop road for tourists. I decided it would be fun to visit both, day tripping the monument with the other tourists and getting away from it all in the remote canyons.

The ranger station opened up at 8am, and luckily they had a few permits still available even though it was considered the “high use” season. Because of the remoteness of the Cedar Mesa area, even during the high use season, it is still pretty desolate. After watching a required informative movie about leave no trace and the ecology of that area, I paid the nominal fee and collected my permit, and headed back out on the road towards the trailhead. Luckily my little hatchback made it down the last little bit of dirt road, where some of the roads in the area would have forced me to pack in my stuff.

I had read about Fish and Owl Creek Canyons in Peter Potterfield’s Classic Hikes of North America a year or more earlier, and thought that if it had been placed in such a prestigious book that it definitely warranted a visit. It went on my short list since it was within an 8 hour drive from home, and beyond that I didn’t really look into it any more. Part of the adventure is knowing that a route exists and seeing it on a topo map, but leaving the sights and the rest for when you get there. Sure, I saw a few photos in the book, but from what I read it was the perfect length for an overnight loop and I thought I’d figure the rest out there when I got there. I brought my topo map and my overnight kit, slimmed down to the bare necessities due to the weather being mild and relatively warm for April. One other car with a New Mexico license plate was at the trailhead, a different one than at the BLM station since that couple had come to see another attraction in the area, the Moon House.

An Owl Creek and Fish Canyon Hike Begins

I shouldered my pack gingerly, keeping the right strap a little looser, and started off towards the trail that veered right towards Owl Creek Canyon. I hadn’t been backpacking since the fall, but all winter I had been climbing snow in the Colorado Rockies, so while it felt great to be back in the warm desert, I wasn’t used to wearing my trail runners and walking in the seemingly solid red Utah dirt. At first the path cut through a fairly thick pinyon pine and juniper forest, eventually becoming faint as cairns started to mark the path down the slick rock into the first canyon.

As I worked my way down, the only obvious Native ruin along the route came into view. Sitting under an alcove stood a small mud and stone hut with the roof missing. It was surrounded by footprints but seemed to be in good shape without any modern vandalism or graffiti, and was a fun surprise to see. I took a moment to imagine what the indigenous people would have seen in this canyon centuries ago when they lived here, and how strange I would look to them. As I continued down the canyon, I found the trail and cairns to be easy to follow, and the walls grew around me fairly quickly.

After a few miles, the grade leveled out and led to a much lusher area with Owl Creek meandering down through small ponds. Cottonwood trees and grasses replaced the pines, and on either side of me cryptobiotic kept me from wandering off the trail. A beautiful little pond with a small waterfall greeted me, and I decided it would be a good lunch spot. After having a quick bite, I continued on, and about a mile later I spied a few cairns on the left that were out of place and too high to be the actual trail, almost leading straight up the side of the canyon walls. I decided to check it out and drop my pack, and after a few moments of scrambling I found out what it was marking. A fairly large Native ruin appeared, similar to the first one but built against the side of the canyon walls, with a beautiful view down canyon. Here a few shards of pottery were placed in an obvious spot to be seen, but I knew that touching was off limits.

After getting back to my gear, I shouldered by backpack again gingerly and continued on. My right shoulder gave me a dull throb, telling me that I needed to think twice. A few days earlier I had found out that it was torn, something called a labrum that I understood just enough to know that it was serious. Being out in the wilderness was doing more to remind me about my new found limitations than to find the freedoms I was hoping for. I answered back by popping a few vitamin-I’s and pretended it wasn’t there. I knew that it wouldn’t tear further while I was walking, and I tried to distract myself again. The trail twisted around a few minor washes that came through from the north, and then opened up to the left to a beautiful arch and sandstone spires.

Nevill's Arch is definitely the highlight of the entire loop, and is quite the formation. I spent a few minutes just photographing the arch and enjoying the bluebird weather that had welcomed me to the desert. After getting a few shots, I noticed on the map that the trail straightened out and I wondered what the canyon junction would look like. I hoped for it to be marked, but instead I just turned when the canyon seemed to almost disappear into a flat, and I noticed some foot prints keeping a little more left than normal. As I made the turn and started into Fish Canyon, the trail and cairns came back, reassuring me that I had made a good decision.

Fish Creek Canyon

While not quite as beautiful as Owl Creek Canyon, Fish Creek Canyon didn’t disappoint. Like Owl Canyon, the walls grew quickly around me, but with a little more room in-between and with less slick rock sections. No creek existed at first, but after a few miles a small pool of water appeared. I decided it would be a good place to fill up, the first time since I had left the car, and I pumped a few liters. As I sat, I started hearing a few voices coming from up canyon. A moment later the only people I saw the whole trip came into view, three scientists from Los Alamos. I spoke briefly with them, finding out that I had also been the only person they had seen so far and that they had started down Fish Creek the afternoon before. Soon enough I returned to solitude, and continued on.

At this point the sun disappeared over the west rim of Fish Canyon, and I began to hike in the shadows. Larger pools of water appeared, and in them you could see fish swimming around, undoubtedly giving the canyon its name. Not just minnows, but small trout that didn’t seem like they should exist here. They were landlocked with no water downstream, so I wondered if someone had stocked them years ago, or if they had somehow swam upstream during rainier seasons gone by. More and more fish appeared in additional pools as I moved further up the canyon, although nothing that was big enough to catch. After moving on I slipped into the bivy and my sleeping bag, and again let the stars of the desert sky lull me to sleep. I woke the next morning to the sunlight instead of an alarm. The night has been dreamless, and the throbbing in my shin and feet had disappeared.

Another Hike Comes to a Conclusion

I quickly packed up and started up the canyon, looking forward to the treats in my car somewhere above me. I felt like most of the canyon was behind me, and sure enough after a larger dryfall the trail steepened as it climbed up to the rim high above. Near the rim’s edge I came upon the only hard part, a two move scramble that some might consider to be slightly technical. I checked it out and hoped my shoulder wouldn’t bother me, but my rumination last night gave me hope. Luckily the rock was solid, and a small pile of rocks at the bottom served as a booster step to get me high enough to grab a positive hold. I was glad that I didn’t have to down climb it, and once I topped out, I found myself back in the pine forest that I had started in, with less than an hour’s worth of hiking to the car.

I made a quick trek of the last bit, finding my car before noon. Getting out of the canyon so early in the day made me almost wish I had gone a little slower, but I remembered that I still had one sight to see before heading on. Bridges National Monument welcomed me with fresh water and bathrooms. As I enjoyed the lookouts over the three major bridges, crowded with RVs and tourists, I was happy in my decision to spend most of the trip in the backcountry. After driving the loop, I set back onto the road, feeling renewed and ready for the next piece of life to strike.

Need to Know

Information

The BLM website has a brochure and more information about the area. Permits are required.

Best Time to Go

Spring and Fall will have the mildest temperatures, and spring will have more water options.

Getting There

There are no major airports near Cedar Mesa, and the closest town is Blanding. From Blanding, head south on Highway 191 to Highway 95, and then west on Highway 95 to Highway 261. Fish and Owl road is designated as road #253 and is 5 miles south of Highway 95 along Highway 261. The Kane Gulch Ranger Station would be able to relay current conditions. Dirt roads in the area can become impassable in bad weather.

Maps

Trails Illustrated #706 (Grand Gulch & Cedar Mesa Plateau) is your best option for a good map of the area. For getting to the trailhead and exploring other hikes in the state, the Utah Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer can be useful.

Books

Peter Potterfield’s Classic Hikes of North America.

Editor's Note: This article by contributor Ted "tmountainnut " Ehrlich originally appeared in Issue 20 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content.