This guide is about hiking and generally exploring desert areas, specifically southwest Utah and adjacent areas (southern Nevada and northern Arizona). There is no better way to experience the ruggedness, the history of settlement by Native Americans and later pioneers, and the solitude than by simply hiking and exploring. My purpose in writing this book is to enhancement the enjoyment of all who wish to sample the richness of southwest Utah and adjacent areas.My wife, Deb Looker, accompanied me on every hike. This book is a testament to her love of the outdoors as much as mine. Through trial and error from scores of hikes, reading many hiking books, and much Internet research, we have become experienced desert hikers.More than 25 years ago we began seriously exploring the American southwest. During the first several years we concentrated on areas fairly close to our then home in Santa Barbara, California-the Mojave Desert around Barstow and Baker and Death Valley. We later branched out to Joshua Tree National Park and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in south central California. In the early 2000s Arizona became a favorite destination. Finally, we began exploring southern Utah in 2006. In the fall of 2009 we left California and settled in St. George, Utah. St. George is a great base camp for adventures in southwest Utah, southern Nevada, and northern Arizona.While we much enjoy the grandeur of big name desert national parks-Death Valley, Zion, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon, and others-our preference is hard to find, out of the bustle of humanity, slot canyons. Fortunately, the area we choose to live is full of slot canyons.This book was originally published in 2014. One would think not much changes regarding hiking trails. Wrong. For example, at the end of each story I provide Internet links to web sites with more information about the hike. Many of the links are missing as of January/February 2018 and almost all have been updated. With a bit of computer work, I have updated or provided new links where necessary. Some of the stories required updating since entrance fees or other minor details have changed. One hike, Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, near Las Vegas now has a totally different approach to the trailhead. Instead of needing a high clearance vehicle to navigate a very rocky dirt road, one can now easily reach the trailhead in a standard vehicle. As of March 2018, the information in this hiking guide is correct for all trails according to my online research and personal experience in re-visiting some of the hikes.
Four years have passed since the original update in 2018. Looking thorough my book and checking some references I found several that needed updating. And, having revisited a few hikes, I knew some details such as entrance fees and the directions to a couple of hikes needed revising.
[Note: Southwest Utah, particularly the St. George area, has undergone tremendous growth in the past few years. On more than one occasion the dirt roads leading to a trailhead that I described in earlier versions of the book are now paved necessitating a change in my story about that hike.]
As of June 2022, the information in this hiking guide is correct for all trails according to my online research and personal experience in re-visiting some of the hikes. Happy trails.
