Exploring Sidestep Canyon

Green, brown and white stripes cover everything in Sidestep Canyon

Sidestep Canyon is often overlooked because so many other world-class features are located between Page, Arizona and Kanab, Utah. However, taking time to explore this area is certainly rewarding. It's a fairly simple drive to the rim of Sidestep Canyon. Climbing down into the canyon is more of an adventure. There are no trails. Many of the rocks are rounded like the ones pictured above and jumping from one rock to another is not only the best way to travel but it is also quite fun. As you can see in the bigger picture above, Sidestep Canyon is quite deep and there is a lot to explore. Many impressive hoodoos are located on the north and south canyon walls. Within the canyon itself on are beautiful colored rocks, some with green, brown, red and white of course.

On this particular day, the sun was out and beautiful to begin the day. At the end of the day the class came in and it was snowing lightly. It did not become uncomfortable but the beautiful sunshine that Southwest is so famous for abandoned me. Before the sun departed, I was able to photograph a massive white hoodoo with the largest caprock I've seen. In the picture below, the caprock completely obliterated the sun as I took its picture.

Huge twisted and off-balance hoodoo of Sidestep canyon, in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.  The underbelly of the cap rock is colored like flames.  The cap rock looks like it will make a huge fall sometime soon.