Myatt's Hikes: 2025

It has been a mild December so far with temperatures in the low 60's with sunshine. With the weather so great, I figured I should get out and explore. A couple of weeks ago, Trey and I stumbled upon a trail that led us to the top of Gould's Wash Canyon while trying to find the Three Falls trailhead. We headed up a little way but that day was a very frigid, windy, and rainy day so we didn't go too far. Today, I decided to see how far the trail went.

My hike began near the Three Falls Trailhead at the south end of 60 East in Hurricane Utah. Basically, just take 60 East as far south as you can and it will dead end into a small dirt parking area. At the time I did the hike, there was construction being done near the Three Falls Trailhead (which is what confused Trey and I on our hike a couple of weeks earlier.

Here's a look at the start of the trail from the parking area. This is the same parking area you park in to get to the Three Falls Trailhead, which is off to the right (further down the parking area) of this picture.

The trail to reach the Gould's Wash Rim Trail from here is found on the left (east) side of the parking area, just north of the mouth of Gould's Wash canyon. The trail switch backs its way up the side of the Hurricane cliffs and ends up heading north, taking you further away from Gould's Wash Canyon.

There are a couple of options you have to get to the top of the cliffs. First, you can continue straight (north) on the trail which will end up taking you to the letter "H" which watches over the town of Hurricane. This route is longer (adds about a mile to the hike) but much less strenuous and involves no route finding. The second option is to cut pretty much straight up the cliffs to the right (east) side of the trail and just head to the top where a 4-wheel drive dirt road is impossible to miss. This route is steep, with lose scree and just a very faint game trail in one spot which is easy to miss so route finding is necessary. Here's an overview of each option:

Option 1 Stay on the trail to the H: This is the way that Trey and I went a couple of weeks ago. The trail heads north with a very slight incline until it switches back hard to the right and ascends at a more rapid pace, taking you just above the "H" which is made of rocks that have been painted white. From there, you're following a 4 wheel drive road back to the south towards Gould's Wash Canyon. It is along this 4-wheel drive road that option 2 will connect with this trail.

Option 2 Cut straight up the cliffs on the right of the trail: This is the route I opted for when I went by myself. There really isn't an exact spot that you have to start the ascent. If you scan the cliffs to the right of the trail, you'll know when you can start the ascent, and when you can't because of obvious cliff bands that block your way. A couple things to look for before making the ascent are are a small, man made foot bridge you'll cross about 300 yards or so before you start the ascent, and the trail will cross a couple of different flat rocks beforehand as well. Again, the best way to tell when to start up is just by using common sense - you won't have to climb up rocks so if you see cliff bands blocking the entire route, go a little farther. On my way down, I actually found an extremely faint use trail that I took which made traveling much easier than it was on the way up when I didn't see it. Once to the top of the cliff band, you'll immediately see a 4-wheel drive dirt road which runs the entire length of the ridge top. Take this road and head right (south) back toward Gould's Wash.

Here's a look at the small, man-made foot bridge I described earlier. The route up the cliff band starts a few hundred yards past this point.

This is a look at the flat rock section that the trail passes. It is just past here that I started my ascent up the cliffs to the right.

When looking up the cliff band to the right, this is what it looks like when you should start the ascent. It looks pretty benign...but looks can be deceiving.

If you're able to find the faint use trail, there are intermittent cairns like this one that mark the way towards the top. But don't count on seeing them. Just take the path of least resistance to the top.

This is the dirt 4-wheel road that greets you at the top of the cliff ridge.

To get to the Gould's Wash Rim Trail which is marked with a slender sign, continue on this dirt road for about a mile. (Sometimes the dirt road will split but they always end up at the same point - some just follow more closely the ridge top while others veer slightly away from the ridge top, only to reconnect after a little bit). At one point, you'll get to a ridge where you can see the dirt road far off in the distance, descending the other side. You'll also see some powerlines that join the road - just past where the powerlines meet the dirt road is where the Gould's Wash Rin Trail sign marks the beginning of the trail on the right side of the road.

Here's a look at the dirt road as it descends the ridge top. You'll be taking it for about as far as you can see it in this picture (1 mile) where the power lines join the road.

Here's a look at the slender sign that marks where the Gould's Wash Rim Trail breaks off from the road where the powerlines connect to the road.

The Gould's Wash Rim Trail is a 3 mile long trail (one way) that is well maintained and easy to follow. It starts off going through a fence with a cool looking cattle guard. You'll also see a small sign indicating that Motorcycles are prohibited. The trails primary use is mountain biking and while I didn't see any other hikers on my hike, I did see two groups of Mountain Bikers.

This trail would be brutally hot in the summer months as there is no shade at all as the trail winds its way around the finger washes that connect to Gould's Wash. At times, you're able to look down inside the wash and see the Three Falls trail as it winds its way up the canyon below.

Another thing I noticed is that there is an entry point into the Gould's Wash Canyon after about 2 miles or so from one of the minor washes, making it possible to get to Molli's Nipple from this route. You would simply have to head up Gould's Wash through what looked to be a very picturesque rock narrows portion of the wash and then up the other side of the wash shortly thereafter.

After a relatively flat 3 miles, you'll come to the end of the trail, which is marked by a large map and sign which looks to be more of the official start of the trail rather than the end. I did the hike as an "out and back" hike meaning I just headed back the way I came in but I can see why people would mountain bike because I'm sure that it would be easier to bike on the dirt road back to where I started on the trail in the first place.

In all, I hiked about 10 miles, cutting off the section of the trail that takes you to the letter H both on the way up and on the way down. I would assume that saved me about 2 total miles. The only physically demanding section of the trail is the first mile where you ascent about 500 feet to get to the top of the Hurricane Hill from the Valley. After that, there is some up and down on the dirt road but not too much and the Gould's Wash Rim Trail is relatively flat for its 3 mile one-way duration.

Zion Nation Park is an excellent backdrop on this hike!

August 2, 2025

I decided to take the opportunity to go with a church group to see the Indian Canyon Pictographs in Southern Utah. Because I don't have a 4 wheel drive vehicle and one is definitely needed to traverse the last 5 miles of deep sandy track, it was the perfect opportunity to join friends that had the needed vehicles.

The trailhead is located about 54 miles (or just over an hour) from Hurricane, Utah. To get there, I took highway 59 (also 100 south) out of Hurricane for 28 miles just past Colorado City, Arizona, where I took a left onto highway 237 (which turns into Coral Pink Sand Dunes Road) and followed it for about 20 miles, just past the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. From there, I took a right on Hancock Road which can be easy to miss if you're not paying attention. You'll take Hancock Road for about 3 miles or so (I didn't clock this so this is an estimation) where a small dirt road beaks off on the right and heads to a small dirt parking area. One landmark that might help locate this turnoff is that it is not far past the Ponderosa Grove Campground (slightly less than a mile). At the dirt parking area there is room to off load a side-by-side or 4 wheeler if you are pulling one in a trailer. Otherwise, proceed with your 4 wheel drive vehicle back down the sandy road which turns back in a south-westerly direction (you're basically going around the back side of the Coral Pink Sand Dunes).

This road is impossible to get through without a 4-wheel drive. In fact, our 4-wheel drive SUV almost got stuck on the way out because the sand is so deep in spots. It is also just wide enough for 1 vehicle which very few turnouts along the way so if there are vehicles coming in the opposite direction, it can be difficult to figure out a way to pass. (One thing I will consider for next time is to actually hike this part of the road since I don't have a 4-wheel drive vehicle. It would be a difficult hike through sand and not much shade and would add about 9-10 miles to the hike, but it would be doable). The road here has a moderate amount of elevation gain and loss, up and down a generally sandy track with some rocks that must be driven over here and there. Also, about half way through this road, the road splits with a sign indicating that the left fork (service road 50) will take you to the pictographs.

If you notice how sandy the road is, it is just like this through most of the drive.

Although the sign doesn't indicate where the right fork (service road 51) goes, I was told that it ends in a canyon overlook viewpoint.

Eventually the road takes you to a small parking area, big enough for about 7 or 8 vehicles, and a signed trailhead indicating the Indian Canyon Pictographs.

There is also room for maybe 2 vehicles behind where I'm taking the picture from.

This sign indicates that the trail is 1.5 miles and has a 1700 foot elevation change. I have no idea where these numbers are coming from because the trail ends at the pictographs and to that point is only about .4 of a mile and 270 feet elevation change.

Once through the trailhead signs, it is about a half mile to get to the pictographs. The trail descends about the entire way to the pictographs, losing about 270 feet of elevation in total. The trail, made mostly of just native sand, is easy to follow. There are a few sections where rocks must be navigated to descend (or ascend on the way back). Those sections would be considered a difficult class 2 or easy class 3. We had 2 members of our group that were around 80 years old and both were able to make it with much assistance.

This is one of the areas of the trail where you have to do a little climbing.

This is the last portion of the trail before reaching the pictographs.

The trail ends at the pictographs which are found in a cool, shaded alcove which was home to Indians hundreds of years earlier. The exact time the pictographs were made is under some dispute with some believing they date back to 70 BC-400 AD while others believe they were most likely made between 1000 and 1400 AD. Either way, the pictographs are really cool to see. Depicted on the art are the faces of 12 people (sometimes referred to as the 12 apostles), along with many other full body drawings of people and animals.

This is what awaits you where the pictographs are.

It is in a very secluded area and we didn't encounter any other people while we were there. I was very glad that I went to see this incredible piece of history. If you'd like to see a video of the pictographs, you can see it on my YouTube channel by clicking here. Here's a look at more photos from the trip.