The Trail Provides: Boynton Canyon

The Trail Provides: Today the sky was gray and it was cold and there was a snow rain mist the whole time. It was mildly uncomfortable. But the thing about the gray sky, it makes the reds redder and the greens greener. The colors just pop against the backdrop and its magical. It's not something that everyone gets to experience and that makes it special. The saturated color makes its special.

Everyone is going through a storm of there own, I feel like I have been hit by back to back to back winter storms lately. And that is emotionally draining and it can be hard to see the calm after. But just like hiking in the storm, I can find the special moments in my life even during the relentless rain.

Boynton Canyon Trip Report: This is a moderate out and back hike with a detour to "the subway." The trail has a moderate climb for the first few miles. The trail is wide and meanders past a resort. The first mile and a half parallels the resort so it takes a little while to feel like you are in the wilderness. But once you pass the resort there is a sense of being in the middle of nowhere.

At 2.4 miles take a right to head to the subway where there is a 0.2 mile climb. Once you get to the subway area, there are two options to climb the ledge. One leads you right to the famous viewpoint and another that will take you to another overhang with some cliff dwellings to explore. One the overhang there are spectacular views of the red rocks around. I would recommend spending about an hour exploring.

Once you head back to the main trail, take the trail all the way to the end for a 360deg view of Boynton Canyon. The views are stunning, even on a cloudy day. The trip back to the packing lot is almost exclusively downhill and you can make great time.

Note: GO EARLY. This trail is packed. It is not a secret. It has easy access. And people love it. Don't expect people to have any trail etiquette and don't expect peace and quiet. You'll have to find a different trail for that.