USA West Fork Bighorn Canyon

Short section of colorful slot canyon. This is a short but worthwhile 20-30 minute detour from the main Bighorn Canyon drainage. The main (center) fork of Bighorn is the primary destination. All the branches of Bighorn contain very pretty rock striations that are very photogenic.

Get there as early as possible to minimize contrast issues.

From the intersection of Utah Highway 12 and Hole in the Rock Road, turn on Hole in the Rock and drive 4.5 miles (7.2 Km) to a short dirt road on the left. The last time I was there, a large blue container that resembled a train freight car (probably water) was parked just next to the road. Turn left and drive about 40 yards (36.6 meters) to the parking area large enough for 5 or 6 vehicles. There are no facilities there. Practice pack in, pack out. Take snacks and plenty of water. Temperatures frequently hover around 110° F (43.3° C) during the summer. Follow the trail roughly southeast parallel to or crossing Harris Wash multiple times until you get to the remnants of a barb wire fence. Along the way, use the shortcuts across the branches of the wash whenever possible to shave steps off your hike. When you get to the fence, turn left, following the wash about 100 yards (90 meters) where you’ll see a hanging cattle fence. Walk through the fence and turn left. Walk another 300 yards (274 meters). Turn left at the confluence of Bighorn Canyon West Fork and the main branch of Bighorn. Walk through deep sand for about 10 minutes to get to the short slot canyon of the West Fork. Both times I explored Bighorn was during Feb/Mar when the first couple hundred yards of Harris Wash was filled with snow. We therefore took an alternate route a couple of miles further down Hole in the Rock road (37.6702700, -111.4729624) and followed a cow path cross country down to Harris Wash. The wash was completely dry at that point. This route was a bit shorter but required a steeper hike down to the wash (and back up on the way back).