Thursday 9/22  We have visited all of the famous big attractions in Moab.  So today we searched out a couple of the more obscure and lesser-known ones.  Hunter Canyon Trail was the first one.  As with many of the sites in Utah, the road to the canyon was pretty dicey.  At first it was a nicely paved road that ran along beside the Colorado River.  But then it became a narrow, steep, dirt, uphill road with a particularly tight hair-pin turn and then a very steep descent into the bottom of the canyon.  Yikes!  When we finally found the trailhead, we really enjoyed the hike.  It was a shady easy hike along the canyon floor.  There was some uneven terrain and we had to cross the creek-bed a few times (it was dry), but it was not too strenuous.  The cottonwood trees created pretty tunnels to walk through and the canyon walls gave us shade.  Other than having to drive back out, it was a pleasant hike.

On the way back to Moab, we found another lesser-known hiking trail called Moonflower Canyon Trail.  This short hike (half-mile) leads up a shady cliff-lined box canyon.  The trail passes eight primitive campsites along the way to a small pool below a waterfall.  However, the stream and pool were dry today.  But it was still a nice hike through more cottonwood groves.

Just outside of Moonflower Canyon are the Moonflower Canyon petroglyphs.  More ancient history.  I am loving it!