This post is part of our record of fun things to do along the way. We are hoping that the information in these short posts, will help you in planning awesome adventures of your own… and help us in remembering and recording some of the things we’ve done while on the road
One of the things I most wanted to do while van camping was hike Southwestern canyons. My teaching schedule made visiting the Southwest tricky. Summers were always too hot for adventuring and other times of the year were tricky and expensive to arrange. Little Dominguez Canyon, south of Grand Junction, Colorado was our very first “real” canyon hike. It was a great introduction!
Little Dominguez Canyon is part of the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness, a vast area within the Colorado Plateau, accessible from both east and west. We camped at the trailhead on the East side, near Whitewater, CO. This involved driving several miles down a rugged, though well-traveled, gravel road. There were several spots along the hill-hugging road that were too narrow for two large vehicles and we had to back up to allow a horse trailer to pass…. a bit tricky and stressful, but do-able for the not so faint hearted adventurer.
The trailhead is a short ways from the Gunnison River and both Big and Little Dominguez Canyons are accessible from here. Camping is allowed there… and it is free. We spent two days camping here, exploring the canyons and looking for pictoglyphs and pictographs in the nearby hills.
Accessing the Dominguez canyons involves walking down to the Gunnison River and along an active railroad track for almost a mile. The trail crosses the Gunnison River and heads into the canyons, which then branch.
This trail is not terribly busy. We ran into three other hikers while exploring the canyons. It is popular with trail riders and we saw two small groups on horseback while we were there.
Those who hike Big Dominguez Canyon is known for rock art and hikers can access a formal campground at the far end (I believe 12 miles in). Little Dominguez is narrower and more overgrown. There is an old homestead at the end, occupied by Mr. Rambo, son of the original homesteaders, until a few years ago. The cabin contains printed info about the homestead.
Along the way, there are many spots to stop and enjoy the beautiful creek and sandy canyon bottom. There is not one formal trail up the canyon, but a series of them. Hiking is not difficult, but the trail out and back is long (11 miles) and involves crossing Little Dominguez Creek several times. This was refreshing when we were there in September but could be daunting during times of high water.
The canyon is wide, narrowing slightly as you head up, and there are many spots to explore along the way: the old homesteaders cabin (which contains info about the family that lived there), side trips to explore rock shelters, old corrals and to look for rock art in the desert varnish along the canyon walls. There is no rock scrambling or climbing needed to explore here.
We highly recommend this beautiful and wild hike!