Pine Valley Canal Trail

By summer in Utah standards, we got a late start. It was noticeable when we arrived at the entrance gate to Pine Valley. There were a long line of vehicles and we had to wait for people to figure out there camping issues even though we could nearly see the trailhead that we were going to from the entrance gate. When we finally got in, we parked a short ways up the road. We started from a cemetery, so the trail we were taking was the Cemetery Trail that connected to the Canal Trail. The Canal Trail was one of the few flatter trails in Pine Valley as most of the trails went straight up into the hills. Having hiked most of those at some period in time, we were happy to find a new trail to hike. It was a warm day as could be expected, so we had full water bottles to begin our hike. The trail did a little bit of up and down, but for the most part we were in the forest and able to have even a little bit of shade some of the time. 

There were flowers around and some of the time big views of the mountains, but mostly we just enjoyed the slightly cooler temperatures as we made our way along the trail. The trail made a big sweeping curve around the edges of the developed part of Pine Valley. The original settlers must have used this as a way to supply water to the valley, but not much sign of it was left. It was an enjoyable hike with few other people and some signs that horses made their way through here. After around 3 miles, the trail connected with a series of trails that were to take us back to our car. Some of these trails went by campsites. Some were paved bike paths that took us right by what looked to be man made lakes. 

No matter what, it was incredibly pleasant. The trees were large. The trails were nice. The people were friendly. There was water around which in the desert is always welcome. The weather was in the 80s rather than 100 degrees plus. We really enjoyed our day just meandering our way through Pine Valley. When we made the nearly 8 mile round trip, it was almost disappointing to be back at our car so soon. The entire hike took us less than 3 hours, but it was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon in June in Southern Utah.