Hanksville-based Hiking October 20-27

We had a terrific hiking weekend around Hanksville, Utah in October 2025, but there is much left to explore. I have arranged to rent a “Red Rock Cave Home” in Hanksville, Utah (https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/32183107), which will be our base for a week of day hiking in a part of Utah that I had hardly visited before last year. We have the house from Tuesday October 20 to Tuesday October 27, giving us 6 days for hiking. Hanksville is something less than 8 hours from Los Alamos by car, so we will spend the Tuesdays driving there and driving back. Some participants may want to split the drive there with a Monday overnight in Bluff, which would allow for some hiking on the first Tuesday, for example in the White Canyon area.

Although the immediate vicinity of Hanksville is a sparse stretch of desert, it is surrounded by day destinations that we have seldom visited, because they are hard to reach from the canyon country periphery where we often stay. There are a great many options. Potential hikes include:

• Horseshoe Canyon, an isolated section of Canyonlands National Park reputed to have the best petroglyphs on the Colorado Plateau
• The Robbers Roost section of the Dirty Devil River
• Trails on the east side of Capitol Reef National Park, such as the Golden Throne
• Maidenwater, Woodruff, and Swett Canyons to the east of the Bullfrog road
• Any of several San Rafael Swell canyons, focusing on the less well known known
• The domed slickrock country on the north side of North Wash, for example starting at the rock formations near mile 28.

Most of the hiking will be off trail and exploratory, checking out routes that are new to all of us. This is a hiking trip – we do not intend to include climbing or canyoneering in the day offerings.

The house has 3 bedrooms plus sleeping space in the living room – we can figure out how to arrange the lodging depending on the preferences of those who sign up. If the trip grows beyond the size of the house, others can find motel or other Airbnb space, and join us for dinners and outings. We will share the rental costs – as trip organizer, I am willing to take the master bedroom, and  pay an accordingly larger share. Let Bill (bill@priedhorsky.net) know if you would like to join in.