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The Canyons of North Wash III

West Fork of Butler Canyon & Death Canyon | Saturday & Sunday, December 13-14, 2025

This weekend I returned to North Wash so I could continue hiking all of the side canyons in the area, which is a project that I began back in 2022 when I realized that I don’t often get down this way. I wasn’t able to make it out to North Wash last year like I had hoped to, so I wanted to make sure that I got out there at least once before this year was over. This time I didn’t leave home until bright and early on Saturday morning, made my way through Green River and Hanksville, and then continued on past the Henry Mountains to Three Forks so I could start the day with a hike up the West Fork of Butler Canyon. I had hiked to an overlook of the West Fork back when I was exploring the Sandthrax Slickrock area and I was looking forward to getting a closer look down in the canyon this morning.

Below the Bears Ears: Thanksgiving Weekend 2025

Cedar Mesa Chronicles: Chapter 15 | Thursday – Sunday, November 27-30, 2025

Back before Diane even knew she had a meningioma and would be having surgery in October we were hoping to return to the Dinétah in New Mexico this Thanksgiving, but with everything going on lately we switched gears and decided to return to the Bears Ears region instead since it’s a bit closer to home and a more important place to us. Up until about two weeks ago Diane was still planning to join me this holiday weekend and we were planning to stick to easier hikes like we had done at Bryce Canyon National Park earlier this month, but unfortunately she has had some setbacks with her recovery and is not allowed to do any hiking right now, so she would be spending Thanksgiving with a friend while I spent the extended holiday weekend below the Bears Ears on my own since I was really feeling the pull to get back down there one last time before the year was over. I’m really hoping that Diane will be able to get over these setbacks and can get back out hiking again soon.

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Kodels Canyon & Devils Canyon Rims

Colorado National Monument | Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Last week when I was hiking up the Fruita Dugway in the Colorado National Monument, I noticed a bench just above Kodels Canyon and below Kodels Point that looked like it might be an interesting place to hike, and since I’m always looking for new places to explore close to home I decided to check it out after work today. I started out by hiking up the Fruita Dugway from the Historic Trails Viewpoint along Rim Rock Drive and then left the trail to make my way around the head of Kodels Canyon and across the bench to the rim of Devils Canyon where there was a pretty nice view. All in all, this turned out to be a fun off-trail hike through new terrain and was a good way to spend a few hours after work today.

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Junes Bottom & Moonshine Wash

Edges of the Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness | Friday – Sunday, November 21-23, 2025

This weekend I didn’t want to stray too far from home but I also wanted to go somewhere where I knew the roads would be OK since we had a week full of wet stormy weather across the Colorado Plateau, so I decided to return to the Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness for the third time this year since there are still a number of hikes I want to do in the area. My main objective was to hike down to Junes Bottom since it’s been on my to-do list for a long time and I have never had the opportunity to stop there while on a river trip through Labyrinth Canyon yet. I left from work on Friday afternoon, got fuel in Green River and then made my way south to the rim above the Trin-Alcove Bend which is where I planned to watch the sunset and then spend the night.

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Fruita Dugway: Kodels Canyon to the Black Ridge Trail

Heart of the World | Wednesday, November 19, 2025

I was hoping to get out hiking at least once between storm systems this week and finally made a last minute decision to head out to hike up the Fruita Dugway right after work today. Although this may not be an ‘official’ trail within the Colorado National Monument, I still wanted to include it in my Heart of the World project because not only is it a historic route through the area, it’s also probably my favorite hike in all of the Monument. I started the hike from the Kodels Canyon Trailhead, climbed up to the junction with the Black Ridge Trail and then returned mostly the same way. Early on the hike was a bit hot and humid while I was in the sun, but it got a bit chilly when the clouds started to block out the sun. Here are a few photos from my evening hike up and down the Fruita Dugway.

Category: Exploring

The Canyons of North Wash III

Below the Bears Ears: Thanksgiving Weekend 2025

Kodels Canyon & Devils Canyon Rims

Junes Bottom & Moonshine Wash

Fruita Dugway: Kodels Canyon to the Black Ridge Trail