Saturday we learned about another slot canyon very close to Kanab. Confusingly, Red Canyon is also known as Peek-a-Boo Canyon. The 4 mile “road” to Red Canyon was a deep red sand wash that was a blast to drive through after airing down the tires on the 4Runner.
The Canyon itself was a short and easy but beautiful little hike.
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| Near the entrance to Red Canyon, before it began to narrow |
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| Susan in Red Canyon aka Peekaboo |
Have we mentioned how much we enjoy hiking in slot canyons? :-)
Afterward we drove back along the Johnson Canyon loop where many westerns were filmed in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Along the way we ran across some ranchers moving a small herd of cattle along the road.
The Saddle Mountain viewpoint of the North Rim was our goal Sunday morning. Unfortunately there was quite a bit of smoke in the air, but the haze made for some interesting photography.
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| We had excellent fall color on the drive to the Saddle Mountain Overlook |
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| We took a small detour off the road to Saddle Mountain to another overlook |
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| The aspen along the road was pretty much at its peak |
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The view from the Saddle Mountain Overlook  |
There wasn’t much open space to explore at this viewpoint, so we decided to do the off-road trek to Point Sublime. This is about a 20 mile drive on a moderately difficult 4x4 trail, so we stopped at the North Rim Backcountry Office to check on trail conditions. We learned the trail was open and in good shape, though the ranger told us when they go to Point Sublime they often take the longer way in from the north, as the trail we would take is so rough. We were not deterred. We also picked up some food for a picnic lunch later in the day.
The road to Point Sublime passed through many open areas and also forested areas, with a few places to pull off and walk to the rocky canyon rim for stunning views.
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| One of the pullouts near the canyon rim |
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| Susan at the rocky canyon rim |
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| Red point on map showing location of the pullout and views to the south |
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| View from the unnamed pullout |
After arriving at Point Sublime, we parked Moby, and walked around the rim, marveling at the views. Surprisingly, there were 3 or 4 other parties with 4x4 vehicles who came and went while we were there.
Of course, we discovered why Point Sublime has its name -- the views from there are truly stunning, and we lingered for awhile, taking in the views and eating our lunch.
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| The view from our shady picnic table lunch spot |
We hit the trail again, heading north with another 20 miles of off-pavement driving, and another 3 hours back to Kanab. It was a very fun day! But the next day, we took a break...
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