Pickle Springs Natural Area
The trail at Pickle Springs Natural Area may be short, but it packs in a ton of scenic beauty. The 2 mile loop goes by sandstone canyons, glades, bluffs, waterfalls and wanders through a hoodoo complex.
Distance- 2 mile loop
Scenery- 5 Stars
Difficulty- Moderate
Distance- 2 mile loop
Scenery- 5 Stars
Difficulty- Moderate
From the TH, the trail goes a short distance to the loop junction. The loop is signed for clockwise travel, but you can go either way. I'll describe it in a clockwise way since that's the way the trail brochures go.
A short downhill walk from the junction brings you to the Slot. Here the trail drops through a wide rocky crevasse in the hill. In the winter, iceicles form all over the sandstone cliffs.
Soon after the slot, the trail passes by the large sandstone hoodoos called the Cauliflower Rocks due to their rough, lumpy shapes. The trail passes through Keyhole Arch, which was formed by two large boulders falling onto each other and creating an opening.
The trail then goes through Double Arch and descends to its first crossing of Pickle Creek.
Before the trail reaches the small creek, you pass Terrapin Rock, a large rock that looks like a turtle if you squint your eyes a bit.
After crossing the creek, the trail climbs over a ridge and descends down to Bone Creek.
After gently climbing along next to Bone Creek, the trail enters Owl's Den Bluff and Spirit Canyon. Sandstone walls tower over the trail and boulders litter the canyon floor.
From the canyon, the trail climbs up through the forest to Dome Rock. From this rocky outcropping, you get nice views across the valley.
The trail makes a steep descent to Pickle Creek from Dome Rock. Halfway through the descent, you can explore a short ways from the main trail and find a neat tunnel about 20 feet long through the cliff below Dome Rock.
The trail crosses Pickle Creek on a bridge right below at Pickle Spring. The spring bubbles out from beneath a rock ledge which usually has a nice little waterfall.
The trail climbs from the spring and enters Rockpile Canyon named for the large rock slide that occurred here in 1959.
The trail climbs back to the trailhead from Rockpile Canyon. Along the way you pass through the small Piney Glade. As you return to the trailhead signboard, you can return your trail guide so the next hiker can re-use it.