Hell Hole Canyon, part of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve is one of the premier Southern Utah hikes when conditions are right. I describe the conditions below.

Feature Image Details

• EOS R5 Mirrorless Camera
• Canon 16-35MM F4 L Lens at 16 MM
• F13 seconds, ISO 100 for 8 seconds

The feature image is a blend of multiple exposures. The smooth water exposure was for 8 seconds. To eliminate movement in the trees and shrubs, I took focus-stacked images at 1/8 of a second.

Hike Details

The Hell Hole Canyon trail is in the Red Mountain Wilderness, near Ivins, Utah. It is part of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

On Alltrails, it’s called the Hellhole Trail.

The trail a 3.5 mile out and back. Parking is next to a next to a signed pull-off along Taviawk Drive. Google Maps will take you there.

Parking is limited. But people park along the Taviawk Drive. That’s OK as long as you are off the road.

A trail sign will point you down into the wash, but I strongly advise avoiding that route. Instead, hike on the ridge above the trail, on the left as you are heading in. There usually will be many footprints, but if not, just follow the ridge until it is pretty obvious you need to down down into the wash.

The first time I did the hike, I met a woman who gave me those directions and they worked fine. If you run into others on your hike, most will be on the ridge as well.

The wash is a scramble and it will take you much longer. If water is flowing strong in the wash, do not go in the wash at the start of the trail.

Best Conditions

The waterfalls happen only in the rain or immediately following a rain.

We had a rare three-day rain in early February and I made these images on the third day. Water in the wash was roaring and it would have been dangerous, if not impossible, to follow the signed route.

The skies cleared up in afternoon, and I was treated to golden light reflecting off the canyon walls.

The first time I tried the hike was after a summer hike. Although it had been raining, by the time I got to the falls, they were just a trickle.

This is a very hot hike in the summer, and it will be sweltering after a rain. Bring lots of water.

For the waterfalls, plan to be there in the rain, or as soon as possible after a long period of rain. This is a better winter hike, waterfalls or not.

An image of the three falls (above) is best taken on the ridge before a descent into the canyon towards the falls.

The lead image is at the bottom of the wash.

It’s a moderately difficult scramble over boulders to get to the location where I made this image.

One can scramble up ridge high and to the right of this picture. I wanted to get there, but climbing up slippery wet rocks near sunset when you are the last person in the canyon isn’t the brightest idea. So, I took a pass. Next time.

Equipment

Those interested in my equipment and recommendations can find it here: Mish’s Equipment List.

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Mike “Mish” Shedlock