Scott Chandler
Wildness is a necessity- John Muir
11/6/14
Ever since I knew the Red Mountain Wilderness Trailhead existed I wondered what was back there. We're talking a couple years of me wondering about it but not getting around to it. So finally I went.
The main attraction of this hike is the western rim of Snow Canyon. It looks like someone can get all the way to the southern end of the mesa and look down at Santa Clara if they wanted to but I just wanted to see the canyon and the rimland.
I was surprised at the amount of fall colors I found. While the rim was mostly a juniper/pinon pine forest there were many small trees that were yellowing.
![Snow Canyon Rim 016-15.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 016-15.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21418-58b2cd365fb73b70288017cf6ece68a9.jpg)
After a couple miles of walking, including a weird mile in a barbed wire corridor, I reached the Snow Canyon Overlook.
![Snow Canyon Rim 010-9.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 010-9.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21415-3c2aa85e185d196f2c2b7e21ac78da04.jpg)
Seeing Snow Canyon from this angle was pretty neat. There were also some nice sandstone domes nearby.
![Snow Canyon Rim 007-6.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 007-6.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21412-8c38b46134e6bf77cf3be61c5ff60091.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 014-13.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 014-13.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21417-379e851d02574869d70b7dba3c35be41.jpg)
It was still early in the day so I set out to follow the trail along the canyon rim. I eventually hit a sweet slickrock area around half way down the canyon.
![Snow Canyon Rim 018-17.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 018-17.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21420-b46ae043c8010480af57436502f47504.jpg)
I was amazed at the colors that existed up there.
![Snow Canyon Rim 019-18.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 019-18.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21421-4792c67a35cf896383f4ee5d8fc5d81c.jpg)
And by this crazy forest of stunted Ponderosa Pine
![Snow Canyon Rim 023-22.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 023-22.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21424-4d730a5974a6ee59959f0db10b62ca6d.jpg)
I even found a water hole
![Snow Canyon Rim 028-27.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 028-27.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21426-8b443e034cc8ab26bdba84aa0398e642.jpg)
I ate lunch right on the rim. Twas a very nice spot to soak in the view, think about life, and enjoy the leftover Moab Brewery IPA I had.
(Phone pic)
From here I decided to head back. On the way I cut through more of the slickrock pocket I was in.
![Snow Canyon Rim 043-42.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 043-42.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21436-2bcfd5dbab297434c5c7c271793d56de.jpg)
It turns out that there is some pretty neat country on that Red Mountain Trail.
Featured image for home page:
![slide.jpg slide.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21439-ed34c5c943a01f610b01aade7fd694b8.jpg)
Ever since I knew the Red Mountain Wilderness Trailhead existed I wondered what was back there. We're talking a couple years of me wondering about it but not getting around to it. So finally I went.
The main attraction of this hike is the western rim of Snow Canyon. It looks like someone can get all the way to the southern end of the mesa and look down at Santa Clara if they wanted to but I just wanted to see the canyon and the rimland.
I was surprised at the amount of fall colors I found. While the rim was mostly a juniper/pinon pine forest there were many small trees that were yellowing.
![Snow Canyon Rim 003-3.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 003-3.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21409-1245bf8b6448b8a9119010e3582aab22.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 004-4.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 004-4.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21410-f3677d98ee23151f73bc60091138718f.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 016-15.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 016-15.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21418-58b2cd365fb73b70288017cf6ece68a9.jpg)
After a couple miles of walking, including a weird mile in a barbed wire corridor, I reached the Snow Canyon Overlook.
![Snow Canyon Rim 005-5.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 005-5.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21411-84e26250546d44e4c0bace42cddb337e.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 008-7.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 008-7.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21413-3a2d19427c20558e63db56651ae1bc86.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 009-8.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 009-8.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21414-e2d016f44304c747b561cfa0fd56892d.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 010-9.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 010-9.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21415-3c2aa85e185d196f2c2b7e21ac78da04.jpg)
Seeing Snow Canyon from this angle was pretty neat. There were also some nice sandstone domes nearby.
![Snow Canyon Rim 007-6.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 007-6.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21412-8c38b46134e6bf77cf3be61c5ff60091.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 013-12.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 013-12.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21416-d51eaa987497100407b3cffeb29ae995.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 014-13.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 014-13.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21417-379e851d02574869d70b7dba3c35be41.jpg)
It was still early in the day so I set out to follow the trail along the canyon rim. I eventually hit a sweet slickrock area around half way down the canyon.
![Snow Canyon Rim 017-16.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 017-16.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21419-954ddc6d1829147eecee4e17f72d80cf.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 018-17.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 018-17.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21420-b46ae043c8010480af57436502f47504.jpg)
I was amazed at the colors that existed up there.
![Snow Canyon Rim 019-18.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 019-18.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21421-4792c67a35cf896383f4ee5d8fc5d81c.jpg)
And by this crazy forest of stunted Ponderosa Pine
![Snow Canyon Rim 021-20.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 021-20.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21422-d7fab6857798991826f4eeec676ae402.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 022-21.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 022-21.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21423-3efadaf28f0f147ed6ed3f0820cdab92.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 023-22.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 023-22.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21424-4d730a5974a6ee59959f0db10b62ca6d.jpg)
I even found a water hole
![Snow Canyon Rim 026-25.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 026-25.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21425-8eea4fcd9b5144fcba168ffcafb2e781.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 028-27.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 028-27.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21426-8b443e034cc8ab26bdba84aa0398e642.jpg)
I ate lunch right on the rim. Twas a very nice spot to soak in the view, think about life, and enjoy the leftover Moab Brewery IPA I had.
![Snow Canyon Rim 029-28.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 029-28.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21427-930c38c6fdeddca5201c4ec3a27e8c6c.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 031-30.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 031-30.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21428-b4e02e1465d9c9336118c7f9860ab51c.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 033-32.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 033-32.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21429-e35f1a91ed48debccf6468057f679e3e.jpg)
![temp_4.jpg temp_4.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21437-40a79ed02391e43a76516717e17ab893.jpg)
From here I decided to head back. On the way I cut through more of the slickrock pocket I was in.
![Snow Canyon Rim 035-34.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 035-34.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21430-4ee972ea44b51e5ebf589fbe50ef7fda.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 036-35.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 036-35.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21431-62d9454c607c993bde110281a3e19351.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 037-36.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 037-36.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21432-47afaf939c9bb85df737db3f0dcdf900.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 038-37.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 038-37.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21433-7fc5a0752e8fe01ea52d580f2dce88e1.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 039-38.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 039-38.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21434-4fe5db06e54684272df08d9f139bbf82.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 041-40.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 041-40.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21435-13552038365b40adb3a10ab727825203.jpg)
![Snow Canyon Rim 043-42.jpg Snow Canyon Rim 043-42.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21436-2bcfd5dbab297434c5c7c271793d56de.jpg)
It turns out that there is some pretty neat country on that Red Mountain Trail.
Featured image for home page:
![slide.jpg slide.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/21/21439-ed34c5c943a01f610b01aade7fd694b8.jpg)