Lost Canyon (Canyonlands National Park)
Distance: 9.0 miles (loop)
Walking time: 5 1/4 hours
Elevations: 360 ft. gain/loss
Squaw Flat Trailhead (start): 5,120
ft.
Lost Canyon: 5,100 ft.
highest point: 5,460 ft.
Trail: Well marked trail through the bottoms of two desert canyons. Some wading may be necessary in wet years.
Season: Summer, spring, winter and fall. This hike is very hot in the summer and cold in the winter. The best times are during the spring and fall. For current conditions call the Canyonlands National Park Headquarters in Moab at (435) 259-7164.
Vicinity: Canyonlands National Park, Needles District, near Moab
This loop hike passes through
two sandstone canyons near Squaw Flat Campground in the Needles
District of Canyonlands National Park. The parallel canyons are
only about a half mile apart, but they are very different in
character. Squaw Canyon is dry and generally uninteresting, while
Lost Canyon is deeper and has a surprising amount of water and
vegetation.
Because of its water, Lost Canyon
was well known to the cowboys who lived and worked in Canyonlands
during the first half of this century. Even when other sources
of water had given way to the dry summer heat, their livestock
could always depend on finding a pool or two of the life-giving
liquid in the green recesses of Lost Canyon. Today, one of the
most interesting attractions of the canyon is an old cowboy camp
that was used by cattlemen during the 1920s. The historic site
still contains an old table, some pots and pans, old bottles
and cans, and other implements. The camp is not hard to find,
but it requires a 2.4 mile detour downstream from the main trail.
After leaving Squaw Flat Campground
the trail proceeds southward for about 200 feet, then splits.
Turn left at the fork, following the sign to Lost Canyon and
Squaw Canyon. The path winds across the flat desert country for
another mile before reaching a trail junction in Squaw Canyon
Wash, where the loop through the two canyons begins. It doesn’t
make much difference which direction you take around the loop,
but I will describe a clockwise direction here.
After passing Squaw Canyon Wash
the trail continues for about 1.0 mile before dropping into the
mouth of a small, unnamed canyon. It then winds along the sandy
bottom of the small canyon for another 0.8 mile, finally intersecting
a large wash. A Park Service sign at this point will tell you
that you have reached Lost Canyon. The trail up Lost Canyon turns
right at the sign and heads south.
Before following the trail up Lost
Canyon you should consider a side trip to the cowboy camp historic
site described earlier. This option will add 2.4 miles to the
length of the hike. The cowboy camp is downstream (left) from
the Lost Canyon trail junction, so to get there you will have
to leave the trail at the junction. Although there is no trail
the route is not difficult; just turn north and follow the sandy
bottom of the Lost Canyon streambed for 35-40 minutes (1.2 miles).
You will come to a large pool of water with a sandstone alcove,
partially hidden by trees, just a few feet above the left shore.
The historic camp is in that alcove.
What tales the walls of the sheltered
camp would tell if they could talk. We can only image the interesting
characters that must have gathered here in days past, and the
yarns they must have exchanged to pass the lonely nights. Over
the years a collection of artifacts accumulated in the cowboys’
home away from home, and today, three-fourths of a century later,
these simple treasures offer a priceless window through which
visitors can view the past. Enjoy their presence, but please
don’t be tempted to remove anything. These treasures are
far more interesting in the context of the camp than they would
be in your drawer at home. Also, refrain from the urge to add
your name to the signatures the old cowboys scratched onto the
walls of the alcove. These cowboyglyphs indicate that the camp
was occupied at least as early as 1920, but it was probably used
much earlier than that.
Back on the trail, the path continues
from the Lost Canyon trail junction up Lost Canyon for a distance
of 2.0 miles before climbing out the north side of the canyon
onto the ridge above. From there the route drops back down to
the bottom of Squaw Canyon and proceeds for another 1.9 miles
to the beginning of the loop. From there it is an easy 1.0 mile
walk back to the Squaw Flat Trailhead.
Hike provided by www.utahtrails.com