Ice Box Canyon - 4/7/11

Last Friday, the Around the Bend Friends and the Over the Hill Hikers combined to do a hike in Ice Box Canyon. Today, due to a high wind warning, three Around the Bend Friends hikers decided to forgo the regularly scheduled hike to Hollow Rock Peak and attempt to hide from the wind in a canyon. The Ice Box Canyon trailhead is found on the Red Rock Canyon scenic loop. We took off from there and didn't see any other hikers until we were half way back out of the canyon.

There were two very interesting things about the canyon at this point in time. First, there is a lot of water flowing down the wash changing the course of the hike here and there. Second, that huge tall tree that stood in the middle of the canyon for so long finally fell.


The tree is now incorporated into the hike. The hiker is now obliged to walk the length of the tree to easily get to the next point. Perhaps there was another way around the tree for the particularly squeamish, however, this will be a welcome point of interest for many people.

The waterfall at the end of the canyon has a steady stream of water that pools at the bottom. One hiker of this group went to the top to check out the pools up there. Sliding back down on the seat of her pants solved the age old problem of, "Now, how do I get down?" Worked like a charm!

Below note the pinion pine showing that Ice Box Canyon indeed lies within the Pinion- Juniper Woodland life zone.