Utah: Bryce Valley and Dixie National Forest Equine Trails

We rode a variety of different types of trails while in Utah. Everything from flat topped mesas to slot canyons to between the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park to a hogs back. I cannot put into words how beautiful this part of the country is. When you watch my video below you can hear me ooing and ahing over the scenery and it’s because each thing was more beautiful than the next. I was in awe in the most basic sense of the word.

Awestruck. Awe inspired. So god damned breathtaking.

I’ve never been happier to feel small than when I was riding through the hoodoos of Bryce. They are a wonderful geologic feature that made me feel like I was walking through a natural place. I recommend going, even if you just hike the trails.

Equine Trails

These are the tails we rode mules and horses on. Most of these trails we did have to trailed to. The first two trails I don’t provide information on because they are kept fairly private to keep them in good condition. If you visit the horse park, they will tell you how to find these trails. This list in the order in which we rode them. Peekaboo was my favorite, followed by the slot canyon and Thunder Mountain. Those last two are tied because they were cool in different ways.

• Mesa Trails
  • These trails were reached via trails from the horse park we stayed at in Utah. Once we got to the top of the mesa, the trails were fairly flat. They weren’t the most exciting to ride but they were good trails for the first day to get the mules and Kitty (a quarter horse) acclimated to the area.
• Slot Canyon
  • We also visited the Grand Canyon on this trip and I saw what water can do over time but those slot canyons are a close up view of the power of water. The slot canyons are narrow and can be dangerous. Later afternoon rainstorms are still dangerous in these slot canyons and it is highly recommended for safety that hikers and riders both explore these trails in the mornings. We had to trailer the mules to this trail and we rode a 12 mile loop.
• Casto Canyon
  • This trail is part of the Dixie National Forest. More specifically it is in Red Canyon. We rode a number of trails in this are over the course of our trip. The trail I linked in the header shows 11 miles but the trail does link to others and you can make a 14 mile loop. I can tell you that 14 miles after two days of riding 14 and 12 miles respectively is a lot. This trails had so many different mini-biomes: red canyons with deciduous trees while bright yellow leaves in the fall, white rolling hills, and tall evergreen forest.
• Kodachrome Basin State Park
  • This loop is only 4 miles. You do have to pay a day pass fee to enter the state park. The state park is beautiful but it is not the most incredible thing we saw. That’s not the parks fault. The surrounding landscape is just generally incredible. There are hiking trails at the state park but they are completely separate from the equestrian trails.
• Peekaboo Loop Trail at Bryce Canyon National Park
  • This trail has ruined me for other trail rides (not that I’ll stop trail riding). I cannot put words to this beauty. If you bring in private stock animals it is a 9 mile loop from where you have to park your trailer. Pre-booked time slots are required and each time slot only allows for 10 riders. Even if you don’t have your own animals, you can hike this trail or ride with an outfitter.
• Thunder Mountain
  • The trail was on my list from the beginning because of the hogs back. It’s pictured below: the narrow trail where the ground falls away on either side. According to the owner of the horse park it freaks some riders out. The mules didn’t blink. The only issues with this trail is that it is open to mountain bikers. So if you ride this trail, make sure your animal doesn’t spook easily. Note: The AllTrails linked say the look is 15 miles. We did not do the full loop. We went up to an overlook and went back the way we came.
• Red Canyon
  • This was our last ride of the trip, a sunset trail that we celebrated by drinking champagne in the saddle. Nope, I’m not joking. Was this the most technical trail, no but it was a beautiful part of the Dixie National Forest and it was an easy ride. A good ending for a freaking fantastic trip. Note: This is a small parking lot, if you are pulling a trailer, go in the evening.

Have you ever ridden a horse or a mule on a trail ride? If so, what did you think? Would you ride any of these trails? Let me know in the comments. Safe travels.

Thank you KW Photography for allowing me to use your wonderful photos!

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