Tag Archives: canyon

Arizona

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

August 26, 2026 Raven About The Parks 4 Comments

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

Arizona

Managed by Bureau of Land Management

Established 2000

279,566 acres

Website: https://www.blm.gov/national-conservation-lands/arizona/vermilion-cliffs

Overview

The Vermilion Cliffs are a red sandstone escarpment that rises 3,000 feet above the plains north of Arizona’s Grand Canyon (and they especially glow vermilion at sunrise and sunset). This undeveloped geologic wonderland is a colorful mixture of sandstone, siltstone, limestone, and shale. The cliffs create thermals perfect for 20 species of raptors, including bald eagles, golden eagles, peregrine falcons, and endangered California condors that were first reintroduced here in 1996.

Highlights

Coyote Buttes North (The Wave), Maze Rock Art Site, White Pocket, Paria River Canyon

Must-Do Activity

There are several visitor centers to get information about the National Monument, including at Navajo Bridge on Highway 89A and the seasonal Paria Contact Station off Highway 89, as well as Bureau of Land Management (BLM) offices in Utah at Kanab, St. George, and Big Water. Guided tours are available to White Pocket (no permit required) if you do not want the challenge of driving the sandy roads.

Best Trail

It is a 1.4-mile roundtrip hike to the petroglyphs at the Maze Rock Art Site off House Rock Valley Road that may be more than 1,000 years old. Backpacking 38-mile-long Paria Canyon is a world-famous route that ends at Lees Ferry in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Permits are required to overnight, and most thru-hikers set out from White House Trailhead within Utah’s Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument to avoid the slot canyons on Wire Pass Trail or Buckskin Gulch Trail (which often has waist deep mud).

Photographic Opportunity

Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) is one of the most sought-after photography locations in the U.S., but most of us will never win that lottery. Here is a similarly beautiful sandstone formation in White Pocket, which is open to visit by anyone with a 4×4 that can get through miles of deep sand (or hire a guide to drive).

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Hours

https://www.blm.gov/visit/kanab-visitor-center

Fees

No entrance fee, but a $9 online lottery entry and $7 permits for each person and dog apply for Coyote Buttes North (The Wave), they cost slightly less for Coyote Buttes South and Paria River Canyon

Road Conditions

House Rock Valley Road (BLM 700) runs 30 miles between Highways 89 and 89A to the south, crossing several washes, but it is passable with a passenger vehicle when dry. Most of the roads running east from House Rock Valley Road require four-wheel drive due to deep sand (including access to White Pocket).

Camping

Dispersed camping is allowed in most of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, and the BLM runs the free Stateline Campground (that is the official northern terminus of the Arizona National Scenic Trail) on the northern border and White House Campground (fee) in Utah.

Related Sites

Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument (Utah)

Kaibab National Forest (Arizona)

Pipe Spring National Monument (Arizona)

Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument (Arizona)

Nearest National Park

Grand Canyon

Explore More – The Vermilion Cliffs are called as Angkar Mukwanikant in what indigenous language?

Arizona

Arizona National Scenic Trail

June 17, 2026 Raven About The Parks 4 Comments

Arizona National Scenic Trail

Arizona

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management

Established 2009

800 miles

Website: aztrail.org

Overview

The Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT) runs 800 miles from Coronado National Memorial on the Mexican border to Stateline Campground in Utah (where Vermilion Cliffs and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments meet). The AZT has a cumulative elevation gain of more than 100,000 feet and goes above 9,000 feet in several locations, with the low point at 1,646 feet on the Gila River around Mile 270. Credit for developing and promoting the AZT began in 1985 with Dale Shewalter, a Flagstaff teacher who has a memorial in Buffalo Park on the urban alternate route of the AZT. There is also a mountain biking AZT that avoids Wilderness areas and an equestrian route that is mostly the same except for some road crossings and a loop around Flagstaff.

I completed the AZT northbound in spring 2026 and you can read my series of short daily blog posts here:

Highlights

Huachuca Mountains, Mica Mountain, Upper Sabino Canyon, Gila River, Four Peaks Wilderness, East Verde River, Mogollon Rim, Anderson Mesa, Grand Canyon National Park

Must-Do Activity

Must keep moving! How many miles to do in a day is entirely up to the individual backpacker, but the less distance covered the more food carried. Water filtration is also a must-do activity because caches are few and far between, so springs, cattle tanks, and creeks provide the majority of liquid (the FarOut app is the most updated source of information). Popular resupply towns along the route are Patagonia, Tucson, Summerhaven, Oracle, Kearney, Superior, Roosevelt Lake, Pine, Flagstaff, Tusayan, and Jacob Lake.

Best Trail

My favorite section of the trail was west of Gordon Hirabayashi Campground in Coronado National Forest’s Upper Sabino Canyon at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains (before it started steeply climbing up to Mt. Lemmon). The southernmost section that immediately ascends above 9,000 feet in the Huachuca Mountains was also surprising, pleasantly for the scenery and unpleasantly for the steep grades and loose rocks (and blisters).

Photographic Opportunity

The AZT goes from “spines to pines” and then back and forth between the two again and again. I was excited that after living in Arizona for 11 years of my life, I finally saw my first wild desert tortoise and two Gila monsters in the Sonoran Desert.

Peak Season

March and October

Fees

The only fee required is to pass through 18 miles of Saguaro National Park (an America the Beautiful pass also works)

Road Conditions

A few trailheads are on paved roads, but most require dirt roads and some are no longer accessible at all. A good but narrow dirt road climbs to Montezuma Pass at Mile 2, while House Rock Valley Road at Mile 800 requires a high-clearance vehicle (and can be impassable when wet). Shuttle services are available by reservation for thru-hikers at both ends.

Camping

If thru-hikers wish to camp in the 18 miles of Saguaro National Park that climbs Mica Mountain, they must pay to make a reservation at Grass Shack or Manning Camp. Grand Canyon National Park does not charge for thru-hikers to stay at the hiker-biker campsites on either rim or for a permit to camp at Bright Angel or Cottonwood Campgrounds at the bottom of the canyon. Stateline Campground on the Utah border is small but free with no water available.

Related Sites

Coronado National Memorial

Coronado National Forest

Saguaro National Park

Tonto National Forest

Coconino National Forest

Walnut Canyon National Monument

Kaibab National Forest

Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni–Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument

Grand Canyon National Park

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

Explore More – One of only 11 National Scenic Trails in the U.S., what year was the first official thru-hike on the AZT once the final gap was completed along the Gila River?

Arizona

Arizona Trail Days plus+1 to plus+3

June 10, 2026 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

After completing the southernmost 713 miles of the Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT) in March, I took 45 days off to wait for the North Kaibab Trail to reopen so I could finish hiking through Grand Canyon National Park and north to the Utah border. I had gone hiking in the time between, but was unsure how “backpacking ready” my body would be after the time off. I surprised myself by starting with a 26-mile day that included going to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and turning around, then following that up with a 31- and 37-mile day to reach where I left my vehicle parked at the end. Again, I could not have done this without assistance from my wonderful Mom who drove up north from Pine, Arizona with me.

This has been a wonderful experience, and I met some fascinating people even though I spent 95% of the trail miles alone. It has me excited about doing the 214-mile John Muir Trail in California’s Sierra Nevada in August. At this point in my life, I am fairly certain that I am not mentally ready to take on a multi-month-long trail.

Arizona Trail Day plus+1, Mile 721 to 713 to 730 returned to Ribbon Falls in the Grand Canyon where I made it day one on March 4. There were lots of people out on the trail early, plus trail crews working hard to fix and maintain the steep route. Today had a 7,000-foot cumulative elevation gain and 6,000-foot cumulative loss. However, thanks to my Mom, I just carried a day pack. Got to start hiking through part of the 2025 Dragon Bravo Fire as I left the National Park and entered Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni–Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.

Arizona Trail Day plus+2, Mile 730 to 761 on the Kaibab Plateau through the 2025 Dragon Bravo Fire. Started by climbing to 9,139 feet, the highest point on the entire trail. Big thanks to the sawyers who cut thousands of dead trees for safety in Kaibab National Forest. Saw mule deer, grouse, and my first Kaibab squirrel (with the long ear tufts), but no bison. Had a nice dinner at Jacob Lake Inn with my Mom and trail buddy Jake (“Earthshaker”) who I met today.

Arizona Trail Day plus+3, Mile 761 to 798 to finish at the State Line Campground on the Utah border for my highest mileage day of the journey. This was my 33rd hiking day, plus I took 6 zero days and 45 days off waiting for the North Kaibab Trail to open in Grand Canyon National Park. The scenery was epic the final two miles as the setting sun lit up the Vermilion Cliffs and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. A wonderful ending to an unforgettable adventure.

Previous trail journal blog posts:

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West Virginia

Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area

May 13, 2026 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area

West Virginia

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region

99,794 acres (57,232 federal/ 42,562 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/monongahela/recreation/spruce-knob-seneca-rocks-national-recreation-area

Overview

In 1965, this portion of Monongahela National Forest became the first National Recreation Area managed by the U.S. Forest Service. It includes 4,863-foot-tall Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia and the Alleghany Mountains. Seneca Rocks is a 900-foot-tall quartzite crag heavily used by rock climbers, including by the military during World War II. Also part of this area, Smoke Hole Canyon is a rugged 20-mile gorge on the South Branch of the Potomac River. It is best seen by kayaking and whitewater canoeing since there are few trails. Formerly, the canyon had remote family homesteads and moonshine stills, and now it is considered one of the most biologically diverse spots in the eastern U.S.

Highlights

Seneca Rocks Discovery Center, Smoke Hole Canyon, Spruce Knob Tower

Must-Do Activity

When the road is not closed due to snow, it is easy to drive to the top of Spruce Knob where an observation tower was built for seeing over the trees at the flat summit. The half-mile Whispering Spruce Trail has interpretive signs at the top, and an extensive network of backcountry trails leave from the parking lot to access Seneca Creek and Alleghany Mountain. To the west, 25-acre Spruce Knob Lake has campgrounds and picnic tables, as well as boating and fishing opportunities (but no swimming is allowed). Rock climbing is one of the biggest draws to this area, especially at Seneca Rocks and in Smoke Hole Canyon (at Eagle Rocks, the Route 220 entrance, and the walls of Long Branch).

Best Trail

For those not interested in roping up to climb the steep cliffs, stop into the Seneca Rocks Discovery Center open Thursday through Monday in the summer. Next door at the Sites Homestead, on Saturdays pioneer interpreters demonstrate quilting, fiddling, and basket-weaving. Hikers can access the narrow rock ledge at Seneca Rocks via a steep 1.3-mile one-way trail that circles the formation.

Photographic Opportunity

The jagged spires of Seneca Rocks are the most photogenic rock formation in the state. Since 1971, more than a dozen people have died from falls at the site, so exercise extreme caution at the top of the cliff.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

The paved road to the top of Spruce Knob is open year-round when it is snow-free.

Camping

Big Bend Campground offers 46 sites with hot showers and is located on a peninsula in Smoke Hole Canyon. Seneca Shadows Campground accepts online reservations April through October for walk-to tent sites and standard RV sites. Spruce Knob Lake Campground is more primitive with vault toilets, as are some other campgrounds in Monongahela National Forest.

Related Sites

Allegheny National Recreation Area (Pennsylvania)

Gauley River National Recreation Area (West Virginia)

Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area (Virginia)

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (Kentucky-Tennessee-Virginia)

Nearest National Park

New River Gorge

Explore More – When was the log house first built at the historic Sites Homestead?

New Mexico

Kiowa National Grassland

September 3, 2025 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Kiowa National Grassland

New Mexico

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Southwestern Region

137,131 acres

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/cibola/recreation/kiowa-national-grasslands-0

Overview

Kiowa National Grassland encompasses two discrete units in northeast New Mexico, the eastern one bordering Texas and Oklahoma’s Rita Blanca National Grassland. This patchwork of public and private lands is administered together with the larger Cibola National Forest and Black Kettle National Grassland. Elevations range from 4,500 up to 6,300 feet in the western unit where La Frontera del Llano Scenic Byway (NM 39) runs north to south. Shortgrass prairie is the dominant cover type, with sand sagebrush and pinyon-juniper woodland mostly found in the west. Ponderosa pines are dispersed on wetter hill faces and riparian areas support Fremont cottonwoods and willows.

Highlights

Mills Canyon, Santa Fe National Historic Trail

Must-Do Activity

Melvin Mills (an attorney, territorial legislator, and entrepreneur) established the Mills Orchard and Ranch along the Canadian River in 1881. Flash flooding devastated the orchard in 1904, leading to the ranch’s abandonment a decade later. In 2005, the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service collaborated to restore three ranch buildings, and for their efforts they won the Windows on the Past Award for historic preservation. There are also interpretive signs and a free campground at the bottom of Mills Canyon, located nine miles down unpaved Mills Canyon Road.

Best Trail

A three-mile stretch of the Santa Fe National Historic Trail’s Cimarron Route is marked by rock posts 17 miles north of Clayton, and it is open for walking and horseback riding. There are interpretive signs along the route and wagon ruts remain visible.

Watchable Wildlife

An introduced herd of Barbary sheep are thriving in the Mills Canyon area. The Canadian River supports largemouth bass and channel catfish. Nomadic Naturalists blog reported seeing swift foxes, spiny softshell turtles, black-chinned sparrows, and pinyon jays on their visit.

Photographic Opportunity

Mills Canyon was cut by the Canadian River through sedimentary rocks ranging in age from 200-million to 90-million years old.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Past Mills Canyon Rim Campground, the unpaved Mills Canyon Road #600 is not recommended for trailers or passenger vehicles as it switchbacks down into Mills Canyon. A high-clearance vehicle is also recommended for the two-track paralleling the Santa Fe National Historic Trail’s Cimarron Route.

Camping

Both the Mills Canyon Rim Campground (6 campsites) and Mills Canyon Campground (12 sites) are free with vault toilets, but no water. Dispersed camping is allowed in the eastern unit around the Santa Fe National Historic Trail.

Related Sites

Cimarron National Grassland (Kansas)

Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site (Colorado)

Comanche National Grassland (Colorado)

Fort Union National Monument (New Mexico)

Nearest National Park

Great Sand Dunes

Explore More – As an attorney, Melvin Mills’ work often involved outlaws, American Indians, and politicians; who saved his life when he was nearly hanged by an angry mob?

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

Arizona National Scenic Trail

Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area

Kiowa National Grassland

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