| Located in Capitol Reef National Park, Lower Muley Twist Canyon Trail can be completed as a day hiking or overnight backpacking trip. Hikers have the option of hiking an upper loop, lower loop or both. Total mileage to hike from Burr Trail Road to Halls Creek then completing the loop via Notom-Bullfrog and Burr Trail Roads is 22 miles. Completing the long loop via The Post Trail is nearly 24 miles.From the trailhead located on the Burr Trail Road, the route drops quickly and easily into Lower Muley Twist Canyon. Follow the twisting drainage down canyon. The canyon forms a short section of narrows midway between the trailhead and The Post cutoff trail. The slick rock canyon walls are white Navajo sandstone colored by streaks of desert varnish. The red sandstones are the Kayenta and Wingate formations.Four miles south of the trailhead is The Post cutoff trail, which is marked by a sign. At this point, day hikers should either backtrack to the trailhead or continue two miles to The Post parking area via the cutoff trail. The cutoff trail climbs up and over the Waterpocket Fold, providing dramatic vistas. The trail traverses steep slick rock with loose footing and is exposed in several places. Use caution, especially if wet or icy conditions exist.Continuing south through Lower Muley Twist Canyon, it is eight more miles to Halls Creek Canyon and then five miles north to The Post. Large, dramatic alcoves highlight the lower portion of the canyon. Here the Wingate sandstone has been undercut forming high overhangs and sandstone caves. Near the end of Lower Muley Twist, the canyon turns toward the east and becomes narrow with high walls. At this point, the tall red cliffs of the Strike Valley rim are visible ahead. As hikers exit the canyon, cairns on the north (left) side of the wash will mark a route out of the drainage and across allow ridge to the northeast. This route connects with Halls Creek and saves hiking time. If hikers stay in the Lower Muley Twist drainage, the route connects with Halls Creek in approximately a half mile.If hiking south from The Post, it is easy to miss the route into Lower Muley Twist Canyon. Hikers should track their location on a map and scan the steep slick rock slopes of the Fold for the upper portion of the north-facing wall of Lower Muley Twist Canyon. The wall is stained with desert varnish and is visible a good distance up Halls Creek. When hikers are due east of this landmark, look for a way over the low ridge separating Lower Muley Twist and Halls Creek to enter the canyon via the short cut or stay in Halls Creek until encountering the Lower Muley Twist drainage further downstream.Between Lower Muley Twist Canyon and The Post there is a section of Halls Creek that cuts a meandering channel into the Navajo Sandstone. This is a longer but more scenic route, or it can be bypassed by following an old jeep road.At The Post, the road runs south to Bullfrog Marina or north to the junction of the Burr Trail Road and on to Utah Highway 24. If you left a vehicle at The Post, your hike is over. If your vehicle is parked at the Burr Trail Road trailhead, you can either walk the Notom/Bullfrog Road north and then up the Burr Trail Road switchbacks (four miles), or return to the trailhead via The Post cutoff trail and Lower Muley Twist Canyon (six and a half miles). |
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