MARCH 2013 & JULY 2017
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| NARROWS SECTION |
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| THE CATHEDRAL |
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| MIDDLE BLUE JOHN OPENING BACK UP |
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| MOTEL 6 NEAR THE TRAILHEAD |
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SAND DUNES ALONG THE DRIVE TO THE TRAILHEAD
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The Blue John network of canyons are located on BLM, not too far from the Horseshoe Canyon Unit of Canyonlands National Park. To get to the trailhead, you will travel about 30 miles down a dirt road off of State Highway 26 just across the street from the turn-off for Goblin Valley. The road is not too bad, but there are a couple long sandy sections you will need to be careful on. I began my hike at the Granary Springs Trailhead, which includes the iconic Motel 6.
On my first trip to Blue John in 2013, I brought a rope and rappelled down the steep drop into the narrows section of Middle Fork just to be safe. However, when I returned in 2017, I was able to safely squeeze my way down to the narrows section without a rope. The canyon walls are so close together on the descent that you can press yourself against both sides of the canyon to slow yourself down and as you drop to the bottom of the canyon.
Just after arriving at the bottom, you will enter a really nice, tight narrows section known as The Cathedral. The canyon walls are so tall and narrow, that it feels like you are walking in a cave. Because it is so dark, it is hard to get a good photo of this section. There are no obstacles or difficult sections in the narrows, just a very pleasant walk down a cave-like canyon. The first time I hiked the Middle Fork I exited out the West Fork. As the West Fork is not a very interesting section, I took an earlier exit on my return trip located on the left side of the canyon. It is also possible to backtrack up Middle Fork and climb back out where you dropped in, but I decided to play it safe, as I've read it could be difficult climbing out solo.
When I hiked this area in March, 2013, I saw several other hikers along the way, but when I returned in July, 2017, I had the entire area to myself. If you can take the heat, summer can be a good time to get some solitude in Southern Utah. I remember the first time I visited, one of my tires went flat while I was camped at the Granary Springs Trailhead. I only had a doughnut as a spare, so by the time I got to Green River the spare had gone flat. Being a Sunday, All of the tire/auto repair shops were closed, except for one semi truck shop that was kind enough to patch my tire and get me back on my way.
