Photo: Barry Morenz Dark Canyon Mysteries, Dark Canyon Wilderness, Utah Highlights:
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Trip Number: 09086A Price: $795 Deposit: $100 Capacity: 12 Rating: M Leader:
The Trip  Photo: Barry Morenz
Dark Canyon is narrow, deep, and colorful. Imagine sitting near a waterfall pouring into a deep, clear pool with a lush green cottonwood nearby and pink pastel sandstone towering above. Dark Canyon has a special mystery about it that invites exploration. By the time Lake Powell finished filling in 1980, it had flooded many of the most spectacular canyons in southern Utah. Only a few of the region's most dramatic canyons - that is, canyons with 1,500-2,000-foot walls - were left. Of these few, Dark Canyon may be the wildest canyon in southern Utah. The upper half of Dark Canyon is already designated wilderness and the lower half has been proposed for inclusion. Dark and its side canyons are the epitome of classic canyon country hiking. Canyons don’t get any better than this. Dark Canyon is carved out of the 300 million-year-old Honaker Trail Formation, one of the oldest rock layers exposed in southern Utah. Consisting of mixed limestone, shale, and sandstones, the Honaker Trail Formation produces spectacular cliffs and talus slopes. Home for many years to the Anasazi, and protected by its remote location, the canyon is abundant in archaeological treasures. The area is rich with many lush trees, numerous wildflowers, and colorful cacti. It is also home to the Mexican spotted owl and the desert bighorn sheep. We will have some long days but the trip is not rushed. And except for the last day when we have a 1,500-foot climb the hiking is all downhill. There will be plenty of time for exploring side canyons and enjoying some great swimming holes. The weather will likely be dry and cool at the start of the trip (70’s during the day and 40’s at night) becoming warmer as we descend into the lower reaches of Dark Canyon (80’s or 90’s during the day and 60’s at night).
 Photo: Barry Morenz Day 1: We begin our trip high amidst aspen and Douglas fir trees on Elks Ridge at about 8000’. We descend on a fair trail down Woodenshoe Canyon into Ponderosa pine forests. We will cover about 5 to 6 miles and will be in the forest most of the day. Along the way we will be looking for Anasazi cliff dwellings and we will pick a camp in the Ponderosa pines near Woodenshoe Creek. Day 2: We continue our gradual downhill hike into the sagebrush, juniper, and pinyon pine life zones. The water becomes intermittent as we hike down canyon. We will pass Cherry Canyon where we will stop and take a close look at an Anasazi cliff dwelling. Later in the day we will come to a good spring and the junction of Woodenshoe with Dark Canyon. We will camp either at the spring or further down Dark Canyon to the mouth of Black Steer Canyon. Dark Canyon is often dry along this stretch. Our hiking distance will be from about 6 to 8 miles. Day 3: After a day hike without packs up Black Steer Canyon we will continue our journey down Dark Canyon. Within a couple of hours we will come to permanent water flowing in Dark Canyon. We will camp down canyon at a sandy bench with some cottonwood trees less than a mile before Young’s Canyon. Our hiking distance with packs will be from about 4 to 6 miles.  Photo: Barry Morenz Day 4: Starting early we will arrive at the junction of Young’s Canyon and Dark Canyon within an hour. We will then drop our packs and enjoy a several hour day hike up Young’s Canyon. Returning to our packs under some cottonwoods we will enjoy lunch before continuing down Dark Canyon. Young’s has the first major swimming hole and we will see more as we hike down Dark. We will camp near some cottonwoods in Dark Canyon. Our hiking distance with packs will be about 6 miles. Day 5: Our journey will continue down Dark Canyon. The scenery is changing continuously as we hike. There will be some great sheets of relatively level rock to hike over and we will see the canyon walls start to tower over us. We will stop and set up camp at the mouth of Lost Canyon. With the time remaining in the afternoon we will hike without our packs to explore Lost Canyon. Our hiking distance with packs will be about 5 miles.  Photo: Barry Morenz Day 6: Arising early we will move camp about a mile further down Dark Canyon. We will leave our packs and spend the rest of the day hiking to Cataract Canyon and enjoy swimming in the great swimming holes along the way. By this time we will be at about 3500’ where the weather is warm making it perfect for jumping in some cool pools. Day 7: On our last day we will climb the Sundance trail about 1,500’ and hike about 7 miles to meet the bus that will return us to Recapture Lodge by about 1 p.m. Getting There We will meet at Recapture Lodge, on U. S. Highway 191 in Bluff, Utah, at 8 a.m. on day one. Consider making a reservation to stay at Recapture Lodge (435-672-2281) the night before the trip begins. Commercial flights are available to Durango, Colorado (3 hour drive to Bluff), Grand Junction, Colorado (four drive to Bluff) or Salt Lake City, UT (340 miles and a 7 to 8 hour drive to Bluff). After we meet we will distribute the commissary, load our packs, and leave our cars at Recapture Lodge for the week. A bus will transport us from Recapture Lodge to the Woodenshoe Trailhead, a ride of approximately three hours. We will begin hiking from Woodenshoe about noon. The leader will facilitate sharing vehicle rides or car rentals among participants.
Our first trip meal will be lunch on our first day and the last meal will be breakfast on our final day. Trip meals will include some meat but vegetarians can be accommodated. Trip participants share in meal preparation and clean up. We try to bring enough food so everyone is satisfied but also want to keep our packs as light as possible. We try to make the food appetizing but fairly simple to make. Our experience is that everyone will likely be more than satisfied with our menu.
The route is generally level-to-downhill except when we climb the last day about 1,500 feet and thus the trip is rated moderate (M). There are, however, some strenuous portions - this is not a beginner's trip. There is no official, maintained trail in the canyon. Our hiking will include narrow footpaths among the forests, talus slopes that must be traversed, slickrock ledges, bouldery streambeds, mud, and sand. A few spots may require handholds and footholds.
We bring the pots, stoves and food but you need to bring a Sierra cup and/or dish and spoon for your personal use. We will distribute about 12-14 lbs. of group food and gear for each participant to carry at the beginning of the trip. Group water will be purified with MicroPur chlorine tablets or boiling. We will distribute Micropur tablets to participants for purification of personal drinking water. Bring enough water containers to carry 4 quarts of water and have them filled when we meet on day one. We strongly discourage anyone from bringing a heavy pack. If your pack seems too heavy we will work with you to remove non-essential items to lighten your load. This trip will be much easier and more pleasant if you keep your weight to the minimum. The leaders will start the trip with 39 pounds or less. Their pack weight includes four quarts of water, 12-14 lbs of group food and gear and all personal gear (sleeping bag, clothes, camera, etc). A very specific equipment list will be sent to you after you have signed up for the trip.
Conservation When hiking in the Southwest, you develop a heightened awareness of the role water plays in your life. We will talk about the changing attitude towards high dams and water impoundment. What have we gained with these dams, and what has been lost? And what will happen as the population centers of the west continue to grow and the demand for water for urban areas increases? Currently, agriculture gets first priority for water and population centers come second. If anything is left over, nature gets a share. We will discuss the implications of this policy.
See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy. The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.
 Anna Morenz has been backpacking since she was a young girl. She has been on backpacking trips all over the Southwest and to the Rockies and Alaska as well. After being a participant on or helping to scout several Sierra Club trips she decided she wanted to become a Sierra Club leader. Anna loves wilderness and is dedicated to conserving our great wilderness lands and is very enthusiastic about her first trip as an assistant leader. General Notes About Sierra Club Trips
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Barry Morenz has lived in Tucson for over 25 years and loves to travel in the nearby mountains and canyons, as well as throughout the American West. He has led Sierra Club trips for many years, and travels regularly to the Caribbean and Central America where he enjoys the varied cultures, Mayan history and magnificent birds and coral reefs of the region. A lifelong student, Barry enjoys studying the natural and cultural history of the areas he visits, and experiencing with others the wild and historically significant places of the world. The camaraderie of sharing adventure travel with other Sierra Club trip members is especially rewarding, as it educates people about the need to protect these fragile corners of our planet and leave an environmentally sound legacy for future generations.