| |
|
| | |
|
| Hiking | 10.15 Miles |
900 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.15 Miles | 4 Hrs 8 Mns | | 2.60 mph |
| 900 ft AEG | 14 Mns Break | | | |
|
|
| |
| Partners |
|
[ show ]
| partners | | We had hoped to do a Bull Valley Willis loop but current reports from the Cornville Visitor Center indicated a landslide from last summer creating a large pool of either water or mud in Bull Valley Gorge that would likely be impassable. As such we decided to just do an out n back in Willis.
Overnight there was a short period of rain that dropped about 1/4". In the morning when we headed out for the trailhead, we learned quickly that Skutumpah Road really is "impassable when wet". Not more than a mile in we passed a jeep and a modified F150 that had both turned around. Another vehicle was stuck on a hill. It had already been a mess and I had no desire to push it. Unable to turn around myself, I backed up in my ruts until reaching a section of more compacted road surface.
Figuring other hike options would be just as difficult to reach, we just parked where we were and started hiking. Utah is cool like that! It was about 2 miles down Sheep Creek following some cattle tracks or splashing in the water. Upon reaching the Willis junction, we opted to continue downstream for a bit and were happy with the decision as there's some quite scenic geology here.
After a mile or so we turned back upstream and back to Willis, enjoying some nice petros along the way. It's about 3 miles up Willis to the trailhead, with the lower half a pleasant canyon, and the upper half a series of classic Utah slots. This is apparently a fairly popular hike on most normal days, but given the road conditions making access impossible, we had the place to ourselves.
The downside of this impromptu option was that we would have to hoof it back on the road nearly 3.5 miles. Under a bright sunny sky and some dry breezes, the road was quick to dry out and we were passed by a couple of trucks as we walked. After the canyon walking, the road return made for some nice higher elevation views to the freshly snow-capped mountains to our north and west.
The road part wasn't terribly exciting, but Sheep Creek was a nice option and I'd recommend any future Willis hikers to explore Sheep a bit if looking for a few extra miles. |
| _____________________
| I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies. |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
