After Work Adventures | Friday, August 23, 2024
Since I was actually home on a Friday evening, I made a last-minute decision to go on a local hike in the Devils Canyon section of the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area near Fruita. Although I had finished hiking all the trails in this section of the frontcountry back in 2016, I had recently looked at an updated map and noticed a new trail called Devils Ridge (D7) that wasn’t there back then, so I thought I’d go check it out as part of a short loop hike. Even though the weather has been quite wet and stormy recently, it looked like the storms in the area were going to miss us this afternoon, so I headed over to the trailhead after work. Of course, just as I reached the trailhead it started to rain pretty hard, so I waited in my Jeep for the storm to pass and then started my hike as soon as the rain mostly stopped.
I briefly hiked up the D1 Trail and then followed the Opal Hill Cutoff over to the Devils Ridge Trail when I realized that the wash coming out of Devils Canyon was flash flooding from the recent storm. Since the trail I was following started to get muddier and I could see that more storms were on the way, I decided to skip the new trail today and headed over to the Devils Canyon Trail so I could hike along the sandstone to avoid the mud and watch the chocolate-colored water flowing over the cascades along the rocky wash.
Hopping across the flowing water in the wash coming out of Devils Canyon.
Here’s a view from the Devils – Flume Connector Trail as I changed my plans and headed back toward Devils Canyon.
Looking back towards Opal Hill.
There was nice light and clouds in the Fruita Frontcountry this afternoon, and the sound of thunder rumbling was getting closer.
Following the chocolate-colored water up into Devils Canyon.
It was uncomfortably humid out this afternoon, especially when the sun was out.
Chocolate Milk Cascade
Hiking through a narrow part of the lower canyon.
I eventually turned around and started heading back downstream.
Devils Canyon Cascade
Before heading back to the trailhead, I hiked a little ways up the K8 Trail.
Here’s a view from near my turnaround point.
Since I was in the area, I stopped to revisit this petroglyph along the way.
Wow, thanks for sharing! Lovely photos of the water coming down the canyon. I am glad you sat out the rain! I had no idea there was a petroglyph out there – thanks for the tip!