Little Wild Horse Canyon to Bell Canyon Loop

[Slewings]

I did these canyons last weekend (5/13-5/15). On the maps on this site it has Little Wild Horse Canyon mapped out, which was great, but it didn't have the loop with Bell Canyon on it. If you do the full loop it is 8 miles. It's a good 4-6 hr trip and you get two different feels in each canyon. Later in the same day my wife and I did Ding and Dang canyon, which is a lot of fun as well. These two canyons were more tech than the first two but are still good for beginners. All for canyons make for a good 13+ mile day or cut up into two days. There is free camping at both trailheads and other camp spots on the road into the trailheads.



In LWHC there are a lot of different rock formations.


Sign aiming you towards the loop.


Entrance into Ding Canyon


Pot holes in Ding, that you can walk around


Dang canyon needed some stemming to stay out of the water but if you want to walk through it it wasn't deep.

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[Nick]

Nice! I fixed the images. Some cameras and the BCP software don't play nice with image rotation but it's something that I have a permanent fix for that is coming soon. Thanks for posting!

 

[DrNed]

Thanks for the photos! I'm doing the Little Wild Horse / Bell Canyon loop in September.

 

[Slot Canyon]

I do not believe they allow camping at the actual trailhead of LWH but as you mentioned there are many opportunities to camp off the road and near areas. The first time I went there I had formed the impression that Bell would not be very interesting and my wife and I did an in and out of LWH. Later, someone I respected told me that indeed Bell also had many interesting qualities (including the old miners cabin about 1/4 mile up the behind the reef road to the left). I found this to be true and have hiked the loop 3 times since then....most recently last month. Funny story during our most recent trip: My brother was about 5 minutes behind me taking pictures in LWH. I had exited and went down canyon in the wash to a shaded spot to wait. After about 30 min he did not show and we went looking for him. He had come out of LWD and had his head down and turned right back up Bell. After about 20 minutes of walking back up Bell he realized his mistake and turned around and met us as we were hiking up. Getting distracted at the wrong time can have consequences. Thanks for the report. I am well acquainted with that Ding/Dang puddle in the photo.

 

[steve]

Thanks for the photos! I'm doing the Little Wild Horse / Bell Canyon loop in September.

I'm sure you're aware, but be very careful this time of year. Monsoon season brings the rain and rain brings the danger in these slots. Keep a vigilant eye on the forecasts for the surrounding areas.

 

[Aldaron]

Getting distracted at the wrong time can have consequences.

That's true:

http://www.moabtimes.com/view/full_...ody-of-missing-hiker-found-near-Goblin-Valley

 

[Tater Head]

My brother and I just did the LWH-BELL loop last Friday. We were at the trail head a 6 a.m.. We pretty much had the canyon to ourselves. Only two other vehicles in the lot when we arrived. One was empty and the other had few people sleeping in it. Friday's weather was great for hiking. The lot was packed full when we finished.Saturday was a different story. We had plans of heading over to Horseshoe Canyon, but with the sky looking like it was going to rain any minute we decided against it. We were not afraid of the water in Horseshoe but the roads becoming impassable. We opted to stay close so we made a quick run into Goblin Valley. Then the rain and hail started. The valley cleared of people in record time. I don't think you could have fit one more person under the pavilion at the top of the hill. The rain/hail didn't bother us,neither did the mud. Sorry... Getting back to the point. With all the rain and hail coming down in Goblin Valley I was surprised how fast the water stared flowing. After we finished at Goblin Valley I was curious how full the parking areas were at LWH and Ding and Dang. Much to my surprise LWH was packed and there was a group getting in to wet suits at Ding and Dang. I personally don't think any canyon is worth the risk of drowning... (Above are a few pics when we were in Goblin Valley)

 

[Tater Head]

Woops...

 

[Hurakan]

last time I just did the whole loop LWH to Bells starting early and then hit up a hotel in Moab. The next day did Gold bar arch. Gold bar is nice if you want to get away from everyone and get off trail and is actually a great little day hike. Just have to be good at your route finding, but its hard to get lost.