Red Canyon Recreation Area
Personal Notes
This page contains our personal observations on camping and hiking in the Red Canyon Recreation Area, near Panguitch, Utah.
We have visited the Red Canyon Recreation Area on many occasions, camping in its wonderful campground and hiking just about every trail within it's boundaries. Over the years, as we drive Highway 12 to and from Bryce Canyon National Park or the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, or other canyons to the east, we always enjoy the brief passage through this colorful little canyon with its red rocks and contrasting pine trees.
For too many people it appears to be the entrance to Bryce Canyon, for other it is just a momentary stop for a photo opportunity, and now, with the new modern Visitor's Center, it may become a quick rest stop on the way to somewhere else. And that's too bad. This small recreation area has scenery to rival Bryce, trails through spectacular canyons, and, best of all, there are few people in the backcountry.
Thursday, July 15, 2010 to Sunday, July 18, 2010
We set up in Red Canyon Campground, in site 2, which is in the west loop. We've camped in this same spot several times over the years. It is close to fresh water and not that far from the modern restrooms and showers. On this trip we pulled our Coleman pop up. There is now a self-registration station just at the beginning of the loop, but otherwise the campground is much like it has been.
It's not a quiet campground, in that Highway 12 runs along its entire length. So all day long, and long into the evening, there is the sound of traffic headed to and from Bryce Canyon National Park and other points to the east and west of this location.
There are tall ponderosa pines and a few pinyons and juniper around to provide some shade, but it is a high desert forest, so it can be hot in the summer months.
Each site has a nice new fire pit surrounded by a wide concrete ring to help prevent unwanted fires. There is also a new heavy metal picnic table, the type with the thick rubberized coating over a mesh that makes for a stable table.
On Friday and Saturday we drove into Bryce Canyon National Park for a couple of different hikes. Around those adventures we spent most of our time relaxing in the campground.
We stopped a couple of times at the Bryce View RV Park to buy gas. They also have a small convenience store there, where we bought bread and an ice cream treat.
On Thursday afternoon we had some lightning and thunder, but it didn't turn into anything.
On Saturday morning we found a mouse scurrying around inside of the trailer, helping itself to our small packets of oatmeal and Luna bars. I chased it around a bit until it left through a small hole beneath one of the seats. It must have climbed up the tire and worked its way through the hole where the power cable enters the trailer.
On Saturday afternoon there was a large group of what appeared to be local kids have some sort of a party down at one end of the campground. They were really loud and obnoxious, with loud singing and extremely loud music. After the campground host talked to them they all stormed out of the campground in several vehicles, honking and hollering like a bunch of idiots. We were glad to see them go.
At one point on one of the afternoons I was walking down to the restrooms when I came upon a pair of young girls horsing around in one of the vacant campsites. One of the girls approached me and accused me of killing a rattlesnake. I had no idea what she was talking about, assuming that she had mixed me up with someone else. I told her that I liked rattlesnakes and that if I encountered one I would do everything I could to prevent it from getting hurt. She just kind of looked at me and walked away. Every time I'd see her around the campground she'd give me the evil-eye.
The campground usually fills in early in the afternoon. On one of the days the spot across the road from us was open, and a couple in a large RV pulled into the site. The filled out the registration cards and appeared to have left money in the slot. They posted the receipt at their camp site, then they drove away. My assumption was that since it was early in the day, they were going site-seeing. They never returned. I'm wondering if they found a better spot at some other campground and figured they'd sacrifice their camping fee. But it bothered me, since many others drove through in the early evening, looking for a place to stay, and had to go on because this spot was reserved. You see so many selfish people, even out away from the cities.
On Sunday morning, after we'd packed and were ready to leave, the temperature, at 10:04 a.m., was 69 degrees, though it felt warmer than that.
North of Panguitch the local cops were setting up a speed trap. We saw them catch at least one car load of tourists in a hurry.
Monday, September 6, 2004
2004 Canyon Country Tour
1:00 p.m.
We took Highway 12 east from Highway 89, and when we reached the Red Canyon area we stopped at the first two view points to take photos.
1:10 p.m.
We entered the Red Canyon Campground and were met by the campground host. He took our $2.00 for day use and directed us to site 19 where he said the picnic table was in the shade. He was right. It is a nice site. We had our usual picnic, and enjoyed the company of a Pinyon Jay who cautiously checked out our site.
2:00 p.m.
We used the campground restrooms and left headed east along Highway 12. The air temp was in the 70s, the sky was blue, and we had a very nice, although short, stay.
Sunday, December 28, 2003
Winter Wonderland
We spent the night at Ruby's Inn, near Bryce Canyon National Park, and were on our way home. We drove down Highway 12 through the Red Canyon area. Just as in Bryce, the red hoodoos were covered in a white frosting of snow. It's amazing how different the scenery looks with that white blanket. The trees stand out more against the white, and the reds and oranges of the outcrops becomes vivid. Even though we'd been down this road many, many times over the years we had never seen it covered in snow. It's a totally different experience. Worth the effort to see.
