Friday – Saturday, May 8-9, 2026
After spending the previous week at the foot of the Vermilion Cliffs and Grand Staircase in Kanab, I left right after the conference wrapped up on Friday afternoon and drove east to Page where I grabbed an early dinner in town. Then I topped off my gas tank and then headed west again to explore a few roads in the Ferry Swale as I made my way over to the trailhead for Wiregrass Canyon in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area so I could go on a short evening hike when the temperature started to cool down. Initially, I drove into the Ferry Swale because I was thinking about either hiking to the Thousand Pockets or Dominguez Pass, but it was just too hot for me to want to do any open desert hiking this afternoon, so instead I just kept driving until the road ended at the Lees Ferry Overlook above Paria Canyon and I took in the views from there.
Although it was very hazy out today, I still enjoyed this view over Lees Ferry. I especially liked the way Marble Canyon cuts through the Marble Platform and snakes off into the distance.
Driving back down into the Ferry Swale.
I stopped to visit this photogenic little alcove on my way over to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
Before searching for a campsite I went on a hike through the narrows of Wiregrass Canyon since the temperature was beginning to cool down and the hike would all be in the shade.
Ghostly Narrows
White Narrows
Wiregrass Canyon Narrows
Interesting walls in Wiregrass Canyon.
Wiregrass Alcove
Soon the canyon began to open up a bit.
I turned around when the canyon began to really open up and returned the way I had come.
Wiregrass Natural Bridge
After returning to the trailhead I continued further west across the East Clark Bench until I found a campsite along Coyote Creek at the edge of the White Rocks, which is where I planned to hike the following morning.
Early on Saturday morning I was up well before sunrise and started hiking just as soon as there was enough light to see without having to use a headlamp. I made a through Chimney Canyon and the White Rocks while visiting a number of interesting hoodoos and slot canyons along the way.
Chimney Rock Canyon at dawn.
Big Camel Hoodoo
Zebra Hoodoo
Melting Wall
The early morning light lit up this ridge as I crossed over into another drainage.
Lit Up Hoodoo
White Hoodoo
Dromedary Hoodoo
Twisted Hoodoo
White Valley
Little Hoodoo
Narrow White Rocks Canyon
End of the Canyon
Leaving the Narrows
Leaving the White Rocks
I made it back to the trailhead later in the morning after hiking just over eight miles and before it really started to get warm out. Since I had been gone for over a week by now, I was ready to start my drive back home so I could relax on Sunday before returning to work on Monday.