Reflection Canyon • Hike • Utah • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Mar 19 2025

emilystardust

Routes 386
Photos 49
Triplogs 792

43 female

Joined Jun 23 2015
Phoenix, AZ

Reflection Canyon

Southwest, UT

Reflection Canyon

Southwest, UT

Hiking		Mar 19 2025
		emilystardust • Triplogs 792

Hiking	16.52 Miles	1,414 AEG

Hiking	16.52 Miles	7 Hrs 19 Mns	2.49 mph
	1,414 ft AEG	41 Mns Break

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Long drive but glad we could make this one happen this trip. Walking down the sandstone was fun but went a more direct way back out. Hike was enjoyable all around - much more scenic than expected on the way to the lookout.

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May 25 2024

mikemcg

Guides 2
Routes 127
Photos 1,478
Triplogs 129

male

Joined May 07 2019
Tempe, AZ

Reflection Canyon

Southwest, UT

Reflection Canyon

Southwest, UT

Hiking		May 25 2024
		mikemcg • Triplogs 129

Hiking	16.38 Miles	1,491 AEG

Hiking	16.38 Miles	18 Hrs 15 Mns	2.40 mph
	1,491 ft AEG	11 Hrs 26 Mns Break

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Only 2 triplogs for this one? It's a pretty well-known area. This was Gen's first backpacking trip ever, and my first one since college (over 20 years ago).

We started at 1650, planning to arrive just before sunset. It was warm, but the sun was obscured by the clouds and the ridges to the west.

The trail begins with a mild ascent on sandstone, then is mostly flat and soft for the first 5.5 miles, with occasional descents/ ascents in and out of drainages. The trail is very well-defined and easy to follow. The geology is remarkable, and there's a lot to look at along the way. The last 2 miles are on sandstone, with more little ups and downs, but very little AEG overall.

The Reflection Canyon overlook is cool to see in person, after seeing so many pictures of it on screen savers and calendars over the years. There were about 20 other people there, and 8 tents set up. It's fun to climb around at the overlook, but it is slippery on the sandstone and was super windy, so anyone who is scared of heights or doesn't have shoes with good traction might not do well there.

We set up our tent on a flat area and the fierce wind almost stole it a couple times, as there is no place to put stakes on the rock. We ate well, then the wind died down, and the stars were epic. The almost-full moon came up later and was brilliant. We woke up at 0530 and enjoyed the sunrise. We then packed up and headed back out.

This is a great spot for a neophyte backpacker, as the trail is soft and mostly flat, with only mild AEG (but enough to feel it), not too much distance (but again, enough to feel it), beautiful views throughout, a remarkable destination, and a great experience at both sunset as well as sunrise. The sunset views are better because the water lit up nicely, the clouds made the views more interesting, and we weren't gazing directly into the sun glare when looking at the water. There were approximately 20 people there, but the vibes were great and there was more than enough space for everyone. Overall, an excellent, memorable trip.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Tufted Evening Primrose

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Black-tailed Jackrabbit

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Navajo Mountain Reflection Canyon

Wildflowers Observation Light

Reflection Canyon

Medium flow

3 archives

Mar 24 2024

ShatteredArm

Guides 12
Routes 192
Photos 863
Triplogs 356

42 male

Joined Nov 30 2015
Phoenix, AZ

Reflection Canyon

Southwest, UT

Reflection Canyon

Southwest, UT

Hiking		Mar 24 2024
		ShatteredArm • Triplogs 356

Hiking	15.60 Miles	2,717 AEG

Hiking	15.60 Miles	5 Hrs 8 Mns	3.21 mph
	2,717 ft AEG	16 Mns Break

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First entree of the weekend... Originally planned on doing this on Monday, but Monday looked like it would have a lower chance of rain/snow, so decided to do something that didn't involve being in canyons, or potential road quagmires. Took around an hour:40 to get to the trail from Escalante, giving us an 11:30am start. Partly cloudy on the way in, and the first five miles were easy going except for a wash crossing here and there. Despite not being an official trail, it was mostly well-defined.

At about 5 miles in, we hit the slickrock, and at this point, the route finding becomes impossible. Cairns every which way, none of which seemed to be marking a logical path. GPS is a must on this hike, but because it's slickrock, you can really choose your own path provided you're going the right direction.

As we got to the Reflection Canyon overlook, the weather started to turn, and we got hit by some freezing cold wind and ice falling from the sky... so we didn't stay very long. The view is even better in person, I have to say.

The falling ice lasted about half way up the slickrock, and from then on, the weather was moody, but not too miserable. Had one more short round of precipitation a couple miles from the trailhead. Navajo Mountain really stole the show on this section, but the trail really features outstanding views from start to finish.

Got back to the vehicle at around 4:45 - wanted to go check out Hole in the Rock, but with an almost two hour drive and a single restaurant in town open for dinner, we decided to head back. Glad I checked this one out, it was much better than expected.

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Mar 23 2024

John9L

Guides 6
Routes 183
Photos 5,612
Triplogs 1,647

male

Joined Mar 12 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Reflection Canyon

Southwest, UT

Reflection Canyon

Southwest, UT

Hiking		Mar 23 2024
		John9L • Triplogs 1,647

Hiking	16.02 Miles	2,036 AEG

Hiking	16.02 Miles	7 Hrs 10 Mns	2.67 mph
	2,036 ft AEG	1 Hour 10 Mns Break

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We originally wanted to hike here over the Thanksgiving Holiday but bad weather forced us to reschedule until now. We left Phoenix on Friday afternoon and headed up. We took a short cut through Cottonwood Canyon Road and this saved us roughly an hour & a lot of road miles. From there we headed for Hole in the Rock Rd and that took us one hour and forty five minutes to drive down in the dark. We arrived a little after 10pm and slept in the jeep.

We woke fairly early on Saturday and loaded up for our day hike & hit the trail right before 7am Az time. You start by following slick rock as you do a modest climb. Once up top we found the trail and were on our way. The going is fairly easy as you follow a worn trail. We made good time as we hiked in. It was a beautiful and cool morning where we managed a steady pace as we headed for Navajo Mountain, which was covered in snow. The miles ticked by and we took a break roughly 5 miles in. We continued on and then turned to the southeast and left the trail in favor of the slickrock. For this section, we made a counter clockwise loop and heavily relied on our GPS Route. There were sporadic cairns but they didn’t help. Along the way we found several potholes of water, I imagine these will last into May.

Once at the overlook, we took an extended break and admired the view. It really is amazing, and we had the place to ourselves. We took a variety of pics and ate lunch and relaxed. After roughly an hour, we packed up and started our return. This time we followed a route that was well marked with cairns and this made for quick travel. We would connect onto the trail section and then cruised back. The last mile or so became a drag but we got it done as moody clouds moved in. We took a short break and then started the drive out. We took our time but again it took roughly one hour & forty five minutes. It was much easier driving out during the day. We hit town and grabbed some food to go and returned to Cottonwood Canyon Road. We drove about halfway and ate dinner by the creek and then loaded back up and returned to Phoenix where we got home around 11pm.

This was a hell of a trip and I’m glad we got it done. We only had to take a half day on Friday and could have done this exclusively over the weekend if we wanted to. The drive took roughly 9 hours from Phoenix and it included 100 miles of dirt in both directions. I have a jeep wrangler and didn’t need to engage my 4x4. Beside that, the hike took 7+ hours and that includes a one hour break at the overlook.

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WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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