The Red Cliffs Recreation Area is not a place that would be a well known spot, nationwide, like Zion National Park or The Grand Canyon. However, it does seem like a popular spot to the locals. The Red Cliffs Recreation Area is located about 12 miles or so north of St. George, Utah and covers multiple square miles of area. It has camping and many hikes, including one to see dinosaur tracks and others to see waterfalls and sandstone canyons.
I actually went twice. The first time I went was with Mama Nomad. It was on a weekday, like a Tuesday. We had planned to do some light hiking just to check the place out. There was plenty of parking and almost no one around. Well, we were kidding ourselves that it would be light hiking. Our curiosity and enjoyment of exploration always gets the best of us. We were gone for 2 to 3 hours and only came back because it was getting dark.
We hiked to the tops of some lower level mesas and rock structures. That led us to explore the entirety of a sandstone canyon that was formed by water cutting through it. We followed it until the only option we had was to do some vertical climbing. We were not equipped so we moved on.
After we came out of that sandstone canyon, we followed the stream on up the main canyon and we came across a small waterfall and swimming hole. We rested there for a bit, took in the waterfall sounds and then continued on upstream.
After about another 1/2 mile or so, we came to a place where there was no river bank anymore. It was pure rock and water. At one point, the only way we could proceed was to use a rope, that was anchored into the rock, in order to scale the sandstone shoulder in front of us. I was very proud of Mama Nomad, true explorer. She grabbed the rope, climbed and skirted that rock edge like a boss!
Just beyond this we came to an area with no flat, rock walkways or shoulders. It turned into vertical canyon filled with water. It was getting late so we returned to Ebony and headed back to home base.
That weekend, the boys and I returned to the Red Cliffs Recreation Area. Our main intention was to try to explore past the point where Mama Nomad and I had gotten to. When we arrived, the parking lot was packed. We had to circle around to find a spot. We saw dozens of people around and knew the trail would be crowded, much different experience than when Mama Nomad and I came.
As we got to the first waterfall, there were a dozen or so people swimming in the water hole. They were mostly younger kids. We continued forward until we got to the area where the rope was anchored in the rock. We encountered a traffic jam. There was a line of 15 to 20 people trying to climb down the rope to where we were. And there were 10 or so teenage girls waiting to climb up. All the while there were another 15 college guys jumping from the top of the rock into the water hole to our left.
Eventually we were able to ascend the rope and get past the traffic jam. That spot seemed to be the final destination for most and the crowd thinned out past that. This is the point Mama Nomad and I made it to. To go forward was to get submerged in water due to steep canyon walls and no place to walk. We found another trail that seemed to go up and over the top of those rocks.
We hiked up the trail and tried to find a way around the area with no walkable ledges. Each time we climbed over another ridge, we descended back to the river and it was still sheer canyon walls. This continued over and over. We thought we would either never find a place where we could walk by the river or, if we did, the climb down would be too steep.
We eventually got to a point that was 50 or 60 feet above the river and gave us a great vantage point. We thought if we got over the next ridge that we would be able to make it down to the river side and continue our hike upriver. Well, over the next ridge was a sheer drop-off. We did not want to go back the same way we came. It took us around 2 hours to do that hike going one-way. So, I found a small cranny that went down through the rocks. It was about 3 feet wide and semi-steep. However, there seemed to be some foot holds worn away into the rock by weather.
I gave careful instruction to the boys on how to descend. We went one at a time and only moved a short distance. This would minimize anyone falling and causing everyone else to fall as well. One person would move down and then to the side so they could grab the next person if they slipped. I am so proud of the boys. They listened to what I said. They had patience in the descent and with each other. At the bottom it took some true team work to lower each other down the last 6 to 8 feet of rock. But, we made it down and did so safely.
We were finally at the river bank. We celebrated a little, took a snack and water break and then we were ready to go. It was getting late, so we decided not to go any further upriver. We did not want to ascend where we just came down. So, our only choice was to face the river. We were all in hiking boots, shorts, tank tops and backpacks.
So we stayed on the walkable area of the river until it plunged about 7 feet or so into a deep water hole that was over 8 feet deep. So, we put our phones, wallets, etc into our backpacks. I jumped in, boots and all, grabbed my backpack and swam to the other side where it got shallow enough to stand. Then, Ethan through the rest of the backpacks to me and one by one they jumped into the water and made their way to me.
Completely soaked through, we navigated through the river the whole way back. Some places had steep drop offs. One time I almost sunk as the water was over my head. With stiff kicks, I got back to the top. We used team work to pass backpacks back and forth. But, in about 30 minutes or so, we were back to the rock with the rope and in another 15 minutes we were back to Ebony.
Both times I went were fantastic experiences. I can see why the locals really visit this place. It is one of my favorite hikes. I plan on going back to check out the dinosaur tracks and to explore another canyon that has quite a few rocks and trees blocking the entrance. If you love exploring off of the beaten path and are near St. George, Utah, I highly recommend you check this place out. Safe Travels.
