Long Canyon’s Dog Loop

This morning, I hiked a trail that is new to me.  It’s located on east side of Long Canyon.  Because of the names of the caches along the way, I’ve called it the Dog Loop.  The southbound route is through Oak Canyon and the return is through Montgomery Canyon.

An unusual thing about this trail is the trail head.  There is a very nice parking area, probably enough for at least 10 cars, but it is chained closed with a No Parking sign on the fence.  This is a small parking area located at Quick Grab, a short distance down the road.

I choose to hike the trail in a counter-clockwise direction.  Looking back on the trip, I think that is the better direction to take the trip.  The trail begins with a level walk through nice oaks.  After 1 mile, the trail climbs for a bit less than another mile (climbing about 400 ft), then it’s downhill the rest of the way.  The total hike is 3.5 miles.

It was a perfect day for the hike:  sunny, cool, and only a slight breeze.  I only saw a couple of people along the way; a woman trail runner and a woman mountain bikers.

We had a pretty good rain a couple of days ago.  The trail was in good shape, only muddy in a few places.  I’m hoping that the rains will bring some flowers.  Today, I only saw a few flowering plants.

I enjoyed the hike.  I’m sure that I will be back for more visits.

I found 12 caches along the way, with one DNF.  I’ve listed the caches at the end of the post, along with the trail track.  3.5 miles, with total elevation gain of about 800 feet.

Dog Wood

Dog Bark

Dog Rest Spot

Dog Bones

Silver Bullet

The Thinker

Barking Up The Wrong “Branch”?

Dog Gone Minute

Dog Herder

Flour Pot

Quick Grab