Wilderness Almanac: Dark Canyon

BY BAILEY BREMNER

Setting off from the Peavine Trailhead, the morning air is cool and crisp as we walk under the shade of the ponderosa pines. Our goal is to complete the 40-mile Dark Canyon Loop, a route that showcases the ecological variety of this remote wilderness. This trip has been on our radar for a while—it is one of the few multi-day backpacking routes in this part of Utah that allows dogs. After a short road walk to the Woodenshoe Trailhead, we begin our descent into the heart of southeast Utah’s Dark Canyon Wilderness. 

One of the most striking features of this hike is the transition between ecosystems above and below the rim. Within a few miles, the trail descents from 8,000 to 6,000 feet, and tall conifer forests with a carpet of pine needles give way to piñion-juniper woodlands that is defined by the red rock hemming in the canyon. On the return leg up the northeastern edge of the loop, the landscape shifts again—grassy benches dotted with sagebrush eventually lead back into high-elevation forests. 

Throughout the journey water is a near-constant. Streams begin as clear trickles and gain volume and sediment as they flow through the canyon, gradually shaping the sandstone walls on their way to the Colorado River.

Our time in the canyon was quiet and restorative. We didn’t see another person the entire second day, but we did see fresh bear tracks and ravens circling overhead. Although we didn’t come across archeological sites, spending a weekend below the rim deepens an appreciation for why this region holds cultural significance for the Zuni, Navajo, Hopi, and Ute peoples.