Leslie and David's Wanderings: 26 June 2023 Dixie Loop

Friday, June 30, 2023

26 June 2023 Dixie Loop

We were considering hiking Big Horn Canyon in Grand Staircase Escalante NM but the latest on-line review said the sand in the dry wash was like hiking in a sand dune for three miles. We did not want to subject Leslie’s ankle to that so we decided to do a driving tour to the north of Hatch. We loaded up all five of us in the Behemoth and headed toward Bryce Canyon. At the traffic circle, we took Johns Valley Road north along the edge of Dixie NF. We turned off at Old Escalante Road and stopped to explore the Wiidtsoe Ghost Town. There was only a couple of derelict buildings left of the town which was abandoned in the 1930s. rather than go back to the main road, we continued up the Old Escalante dirt road up into Dixie National Forest. The road was is really good shape so we continued up to the top of the ridge and then turned onto forest road L-140 deep into the NF along the ridge top. We came to a big meadow and saw 4 big Elk grazing. After another few miles, we pulled off to a trailhead and stopped to eat lunch. There were still 4 foot tall snow drifts in the shadows. It was fun exploring some new territory. We turned around and returned the way we came and continued north on Johns Canyon road until it intersected US89. We then headed south back toward Hatch. We came to a little park that had the boyhood home of the infamous Butch Cassidy. He lived here from the age of 14 to 18. The house was very rustic and small. Surprisingly, the cook stove was located in the center of the single room. We have never seen one positioned like that before. There was an old barn in addition to old farming equipment to explore. He definitely had meager beginnings. Then we headed back for home.