The best walks and hikes in San Rafael Swell Recreation Area

Little Wild Horse and Bell Slot Canyons, unfortunately the unfinished ones for us 😥🙁😥 Today the Little Wild Horse Canyon and possibly the Bell Canyon should be visited. The two canyons can be explored in an approximately 13 km long circular tour. Here you can find my planned complete tour: komoot.de/tour/822561321 We left Goblin Campground very early because it was the weekend and all hell is supposed to break loose in the canyons on the weekend. The road to the trailhead is now paved, so it wasn't a problem even for our motorhome. When we arrived at the trailhead we were the very first ones 😃 So much for my phobia the previous days: we're pretty sure we won't get a parking space 😱 After a good breakfast we went to the Little wild horse canyon. At the beginning you go up the common wash to the junction and turn right there to Little Wild Horse Canyon. A signpost shows the way. My recommendation: Be sure to go through Little wild horse Canyon first, as most people do that. Because at the bottlenecks there is no way to get past each other in oncoming traffic!!! Now it became wonderfully nice to fight your way through the sometimes narrow and then wider places. However, after about a kilometer we were forced to make a decision in a narrow area with a boulder. Either climb over the boulder and not know whether we can overcome it again on the way back or continue walking the entire 13 km circular route or turn back here. We decided to turn back, especially since I had also pre-booked a slot canyon “Cardiac Canyon” with Page. In 2012 I was nearby in the world-famous Lower Antelope Canyon: flickr.com/photos/pharoahsax/albums/72157641505310913 On the way back we wanted to walk at least a little bit into Bell Canyon. But unfortunately a smooth rock barrier blocked the way for us old men, so we surrendered here too and ended the tour. In conclusion: Despite the cancellation, it was worth going on this tour😊 For younger people it is certainly no problem to overcome the rock and complete the circular tour, especially since you come from above at the rock barrier and you can always get down 😉

Little Wild Horse is a classic Utah slot canyon with a long stretch of "narrows", or tight, high canyon walls. It is a great introduction to exploring slot canyons.

Bell Canyon is in the heart of San Rafael Swell and goes from the Little Wild Horse Trailhead to the Behind the Reef Road. While not quite as narrow as its neighbor Little Wild Horse, it's still worth checking out.

Beautiful slot canyon. Since the road is paved up to the trailhead, you can also drive to this slot with a mobile home without hesitation. If you don't want to walk through the water with your shoes, you should bring water shoes with you. During our hike at the end of May, the water was partly knee-deep.

In the lower part of Bell Canyon there is a smooth rock barrier. Coming from above, from the direction of the circular tour (starting with Little Wild Horse Canyon), it is easy to cross or descend. However, it is not quite so easy from below. We stopped the climb into Bell Canyon here for health reasons and fear of slipping, sprains or worse. Unfortunately :-( This is also why I recommend: Please do the circular tour anti-clockwise via Wild Horse Canyon.

Here the path splits, with Little Wild Horse Canyon on the right and Bell Canyon on the left. My recommendation: start with the Little wild horse Canyon, as this is the most traveled route and there is no chance of passing each other in the narrow places!

The road to the trailhead is now paved throughout, so it makes the Little Wild Horse Canyon easy to reach. It is advisable to start very early and if possible during the week in order to be able to enjoy the sometimes very narrow slot.

Both Trail have something for themselves, when one was with the Goblins this is the next point to start off and to admire the nature