Fish & Owl Canyons drain the northeastern part of Cedar Mesa in southeast Utah. This area is included in Obama's version of the Bear's Ears National Monument, but excluded from Trump's unprecedented reduction of an established National Monument. I've hiked these canyon's twice, each from a different direction, and each time accompanied by my faithful companion, Jack. This was one of my first backpack trips in canyon country, and after having done many others, I still think this is one of the best. It has all the elements: a challenging hike, ruins, rock art, incredible rock formations, wildlife, and most importantly, water!
Even though it is only about 16 miles, I wouldn't try to do the whole thing in a day. Most people take 2 or 3 days to fully explore all these canyons have to offer. Dropping into, or climbing out of Fish canyon is probably the trickiest part of the hike. It involves a few rock climbing moves. Jack (a dog) had no problem going down this. On the way up he needed a boost.
Always watch your dogs if you take them hiking with you. On one of these hikes, it was winter, so the creek had thin layer of ice on it. At one point I had lost sight of Jack when I heard some sort of splashing sound. I ran over to the edge of the creek just in time to see Jack's little black nose disappearing beneath a hole in the ice! Without hesitating I jumped in to the waist deep creek, not bothering to remove my backpack. I grabbed jack and hurled him up onto the bank. He took off to resume his explorations while I struggled to extricate myself from the icy hole I found myself in. That left me in a situation where I had to try to dry my clothes as quickly as possible before the December sun fell below the canyon rim. Too late, no more sun, still wet, I had no choice but to hike. After about 2 hours of hard going I was mostly dry. Had a nice little twig fire that evening . . .
Even though it is only about 16 miles, I wouldn't try to do the whole thing in a day. Most people take 2 or 3 days to fully explore all these canyons have to offer. Dropping into, or climbing out of Fish canyon is probably the trickiest part of the hike. It involves a few rock climbing moves. Jack (a dog) had no problem going down this. On the way up he needed a boost.
Always watch your dogs if you take them hiking with you. On one of these hikes, it was winter, so the creek had thin layer of ice on it. At one point I had lost sight of Jack when I heard some sort of splashing sound. I ran over to the edge of the creek just in time to see Jack's little black nose disappearing beneath a hole in the ice! Without hesitating I jumped in to the waist deep creek, not bothering to remove my backpack. I grabbed jack and hurled him up onto the bank. He took off to resume his explorations while I struggled to extricate myself from the icy hole I found myself in. That left me in a situation where I had to try to dry my clothes as quickly as possible before the December sun fell below the canyon rim. Too late, no more sun, still wet, I had no choice but to hike. After about 2 hours of hard going I was mostly dry. Had a nice little twig fire that evening . . .