Amazing Travels - March 2025 - Hiking to the Wahweap Hoodoos

Hoodoos and balancing rocks are a natural wonder to see. Some describe these as goblins, ghosts or toadstools. This is a unique geology of the sun scorched lands of the Southwest. The cap of the hoodoo, a Dakota Sandstone that was a beach of an incoming seaway, is 100 million years old. The post is Entrada Sandstone that is 160 million years old. The hoodoos came in many shapes and sizes and can be reached by taking a leisurely, easily navigated hike through Wahweap Creek. There are a few little slot canyons along Wahweap Creek that you can also explore. The Piutes believed that the hoodoos are the remnants of people who were turned to stone. Ghostly white hoodoos with brown capstones, make for a unique one of a kind landscape that will make you think you’re on a different planet!

From the Glen Canyon Dam Bridge in Page, Arizona, drive north on Hwy 89 towards Kanab, Utah. At 16 miles, turn right onto Ethan Allen Road, which is directly across from the Big Water BLM Visitor Center. Stay on this road until you reach a T. Turn left onto the gravel road, pass a baseball field on your left, and continue past a fish hatchery. About 3 miles from the highway, continue north past a corral. Shortly after, the road bends down and crosses Wahweap Creek. If driving a 2WD vehicle, park on the side of the road before the wash and start walking upstream. If you have a 4WD vehicle, you can cross the creek and drive three-quarters of a mile farther. Park in the designated area marked with a sign. The trail to the Wahweap Hoodoos begins near the confluence of three creeks – Coyote Creek comes in from the left, Nipple Creek from the right, and Wahweap Creek is sandwiched in the middle. From the 4WD parking area, follow the BLM trail sign north along a sandy path that drops you into Wahweap Creek (usually dry). From here, choose your own path as you make your way up the broad creek bed. After you pass underneath a rickety fence suspended over the wash floor, navigation is easy. Near 2.3 miles, a drainage comes in from the left.

Stay straight, continuing north up Wahweap Creek. Keep following the drainage north until you find the hoodoos, the first of which appear around 3 miles. The creek bottom, if wet, can be very slippery and difficult to hike. Avoid crossing the benches dotted with Russian thistle, sagebrush, and tamarisk – your unscratched legs will thank you!

First group of hoodoos — Along the stream There are several groups of hoodoos to explore and the first is reached after hiking for about four miles. The stream channel hugs the left wall, and you spot the first hoodoos ahead on the west edge of the creek. They are positioned along the left (west) side of the trail along the canyon wall and are easily visible from the creek bed. The spires are surrounded by a distinctive ragged cliff face that can be seen from miles away. Here, white Entrada Sandstone forms large, thick ethereal chimney stacks. Time, weather, and wind have sculpted this highly erosive rock over millions of years. Some are positioned quite high up the valley side. Please do not climb on the delicate structures.

Second cove — hoodoo central - Finding the next group of hoodoos takes a little bit of effort. At about 4 miles in, a big brushy area blocks the path between the first two sets of hoodoos that is impossible to cross. You’ll have to circle around these bushes until you find a path through on the north side. Here the columns are thinner and more delicate, pure white in color, and striated; the surface has a pretty, rippled texture, as do the undulating mounds beneath and the steeper cliffs above. They contour along the base of the cliffs, squeezing between the sandstone wall and the overgrown tamarisk to reach a second outcropping of hoodoos. The cove opens into another unworldly scene of rock goblins, ghosts, and toadstools. Explore as you like, then continue upstream into the next alcove.

Third cove of hoodoos — Towers of Silence - Once you’ve found the second group of hoodoos, the third is easy to locate. It’s about a three minutes away around the corner of a tall rock wall. These ones are perhaps the most spectacular as they are formed of white sandstone. Undulating mounds of white entrada sandstone line the canyon walls here and are out of this world. These are the most photographed of the Wahweap hoodoos, Towers of Silence, appear in the third and final cove. Enjoy exploring the rarities, which stand like sentinels; when you’re ready to leave them behind, retrace your steps back to the trailhead along the stream bed. This remote, longer hike is perfect for those who want to get out into the desert.

Music:
Ancient Legend by David Arkenstone; Album: Visionary- the Ultimate David Arkenstone Narada Collection
The Magic Forest; by David Arkenstone; Album: Visionary- the Ultimate David Arkenstone Narada Collection
Challenge From Heaven by 2002; Album: Damayanti
We Got This by Nathan Moore; YouTube Audio Library