Miles: ≈2 miles one way (we did 1.3 miles RT)
Elevation Gain/Highest: 115ft/4593ft
Map: USGS Five Mile Valley
Favorite Eats After Hike: Pack A Cooler
Find out current conditions and as always, practice Leave No Trace. Pretty please.
My hike:
3/28/2018
This was the first of four hikes we did in one day on our honeymoon to the Southwest. Catstair Canyon begins just off US 89 between Kanab and Page, Arizona. There isn’t much signage and you have to know what you are looking for or you will easily drive by and miss it (directions below).
We parked at a cattle gate which we opened and then closed to wander a few feet down a gravel road to the trailhead.
I wasn’t complaining, this area is so beautiful with the warm tones of the mountains speckled with green brush.
It wasn’t clear at first where Catstair Canyon might open up but within a short distance we could see the mouth before us.
Catstair Canyon transverses the Cockscomb and runs parallel to US 89.
Most of the petroglyphs seemed to be at the beginning and there was a register that visitors could sign but we decided to see how far the canyon went and enjoy the solitude we were pretty sure we wouldn’t have later in our day.
The canyon didn’t venture in very far, only about 3000ft from the car, before it became clear that continuing meant scrambling.
It was a bit of a stretch for my short legs but my husband didn’t have any problem making it up to top. It was a nice view down into the canyon and out where we had wandered from. The gain was only about 100ft or so.
At this point we opted to turn around since I hadn’t brought enough water for further exploring and we had a few other hikes on our list for the day.
Our hike was short but sweet and if you ask my husband one of his favorites. We had Catstair Canyon to ourselves and even more fun was the owl that flew over head and the honeycomb he found that some marauder must have secured out of one of the many nooks in the canyon wall. Once a boy, always a boy.
There is supposedly another way to access the Catstair Canyon from the other side closer to House Valley Road which my husband says he spotted (between MP 24 and 25) but we didn’t try that as it brings you down into the canyon from the west. Some day we’ll return and go for the whole thing! If you are interested in the west entrance and the famous pile of cars, check out this report by Girl On A Hike.
Directions: This can be a little tricky to find. Coming from Kanab, Utah, after you pass the right hand turn to House Valley Road, the highway heads into the cliffs and there is a guardrail. When coming down out of those cliffs the guardrail ends and the turn for the trailhead is a unmarked gravel road directly on the right.
There is room for a car or two here at the cattle gate or you can open the gate and drive through to a larger trailhead (just remember to close the gate!).
From Page, Arizona, it is a little trickier to spot. After passing the Paria Contact Station, the road is relatively flat for a few miles and then you can see it head up into the cliffs. A guardrail begins on your left with a unmarked gravel road and cattle gate (roughly MP 24). If you pass Paria River Road on the right you missed it.
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