Reflection Canyon

Dogs Leashed

Features Commonly Backpacked · Lake · Views

Reflection Canyon is a landscape photographer's dream, which is why this remote wilderness hike has become very popular with the help of social media. Plan to arrive at Reflection Canyon in time for sunset and then get up for sunrise in order to earn the best spectacles. Aside from getting the photos, it's also worth it for the challenging cross-country hike and camping on slickrock in a place that feels too dramatic to be real.

Some people attempt to do this as a day hike out and back, but that is not recommended. There is no trail; it requires cross-country hiking over slickrock and around cliffs where routefinding is difficult and the going is slow. It's best to do this as an overnight backpacking trip, but that means bringing lots of water. There is no shade, and the only possible water sources are stagnant potholes near the end of the route. You could filter from these in an emergency, but it's best to bring all the water you'll need for two days in the desert.

The trailhead is located at mile 51 on Hole In The Rock Road, which will take 2+ hours to drive when the road is dry. At mile 51, the terrain on both sides of the road flattens, which is unlike most of the road. This is where you can pull off the road and park, but neither the parking area nor the trailhead is marked.

This trail from the parking area heads upwards to a bench at about 4400' and follows that contour through dirt and dry creek beds for about 5.5 miles. At 5.5 miles, you begin to head east and around mile 6, you'll reach the slick rock. By taking a more direct route across the slickrock, we were able to cut some distance on the beginning section but lost it later when we went around a mesa that we could have gone over.

The slickrock section is not marked at all, and the dirt section has a few cairns, but there can be multiple routes or no visible routes at all depending on when it has last rained. The route is constantly up and down, but with very little net elevation change. Along the way you'll get great views of Navajo Mountain on one side and cliffs of the Kaiparowits Plateau on the other.

A final section of sloping slickrock will lead you to the rim of Glen Canyon at last. While the viewpoint is stunning year-round, you'll want to check on the elevation of Lake Powell. Generally, anything under 3600' offers prime viewing, but lower is probably better. Based on historical Lake levels, September through May offers the best viewing window and February through April has the lowest Lake levels.

I recommend camping right on the slickrock, where flat spots are easy enough to find. This produces the lowest impact because you'll avoid trampling desert soil. Remember that you need to carry all your water for your entire trip, as there is no consistent water source on the trail.