View of the canyon wall, about a mile up Casto Canyon. Photos by Bruce Argyle, July 17, 2001.
Casto Canyon TrailCasto Canyon is like a miniature Bryce Canyon. Spires of orange rock rise
up the canyon walls, among pine and cedar. The main trail is an ATV path that's easy to ride.
The many creek drips and turns will hold your interest while you gawk at the
awesome spectacle of rock. And if you're looking for tougher riding, there's
some of that at the top -- if you want.
The lower 3.7 miles of Casto Canyon is an easy ride on an ATV trail. But I
don't recommend it for tiny tykes, because small wheels and lighter bodies will
hang up on some of the large rocks in the many creek crossings.
Beginning riders
will turn back where the singletrack forks off of the ATV trail, for a total
ride of 7.4 miles. Almost all of the eye-popping rock formations are on the
lower section anyway. Vertical climb will be 600 feet for this version, but the
elevation gain is slow and almost imperceptible.
Jackie pauses to cool her feet and grab a drink of water. The eroded creek walls are the result of flash flooding two nights before our ride.
Highway 12 in Red Canyon.
The trail clears of snow in mid May. While in the area,
riders can also enjoy the nearby Losee and Cassidy trails, the Panguitch
race loop, and famous Thunder Mountain. There's a paved trail up Red
Canyon -- and on to Bryce Canyon -- that's very popular.
Parking at Casto Canyon.
Casto Canyon trailhead
From US-89, drive 2.9 miles east on
U-12 (towards Bryce Canyon National Park). Turn left on the gravel road
marked for Casto Canyon. Drive 3 miles. Parking is on your left. The trail
begins across the road from the primitive parking lot. The trailhead has a
toilet but no other services.
Looking northeast from the trailhead.
You can also connect to upper Casto Canyon via a connecting
trail at the top of Losee Canyon. You can arrive by climbing Losee, or by
taking the Cassidy trail from Highway 12.
Getting started!
Casto Canyon has a small trailhead at mile 3 from Highway
12. Parking is on the left side of the road, and the trail is on the
right. Pedal uphill to a metal gate and a ride-over cattleguard.
This trail sees a lot of ATV and horse traffic. Over the
years, a couple of spots have been eroded and torn up to expose some rock.
But overall it's pretty plush, and not as loose and dusty as you might
expect.
The trail begins in juniper and pinion forest, with long-leaf pine
taking over in the upper elevations.
Lots of views.
Bruce rides the singletrack in upper
Casto Canyon. Photo done with the camera's timer.
(This was before GoPros and digital cams.)
You'll ride into the creek over 20 times. (The creek may dry up before it
reaches the parking area.) Plan on dust settling on a wet chain. To prevent
chain suck on the steeps that follow, I suggest you wash your chain before you
exit the creek the last time (either at the trail fork if you're heading left,
or at mile 5.4 on the singletrack). Packing a tiny bottle of chain-lube with you
can't hurt.
The orange rocks on the walls of Casto Canyon (and of Bryce
Canyon) are formed of Claron-formation limestone. This limestone was
deposited at the bottom of a large fresh-water lake about 40 million years
ago, before the plateau area was lifted up above the valleys of the Great
Basin.
Hard to keep the eyes on the trail.
Following the ATV path up Casto.
The lower canyon has spaced fir and long-leaf pine, with a
scattering of brush and wildflowers. Walk up to one of the tall long-leaf pines and stick your nose in a crack in
the bark. Seriously. It smells like vanilla.
Once you're up on the mesa, the vegetation becomes more
dense, with lupines and grasses among the brush, with low forests of
pinion, fir, and juniper.
Climbing up toward the
Fremont ATV trail on the north fork.
From the Fremont ATV Trail looking
north.
The upper mesa also offers a different panorama, looking at
rock cliffs of a different color and views over the valleys to the north.
The volcanic rock here originated within the past 20 million years,
when volcanoes dominated the southwest corner of the state.
For those who are interested in a longer ride, I suggest you form a loop of
the singletrack past Casto Springs, the Fremont ATV trail, and the northern end
of the ATV trail. This ride will be 14.4 miles. (See map.) Peak elevation will be
8000 feet, for a climb of 1000 feet.
As you climb the canyon, the walls of limestone come
closer.
Looking up the wash as we cross. It's huge.
Another riding option is to head down the Cassidy Trail, either to highway 12
for a road return, or to Losee Canyon. Be warned -- the Cassidy Trail was hard to
find, but (I hear) a sign has been installed, and more tires are following the
Casto-Losee loop. Cassidy forks south (right) off
Casto near Casto Springs, about 0.5 miles from where the singletrack meets the
Fremont Trail. In 2002, perhaps it was because I was riding just two days after massive
thunderstorms, but I couldn't find any sign of the trail.
If you plan on using
the Cassidy Trail from the bottom end, the trailhead is the "Red Canyon" Trailhead, 2.5 miles
uphill from the "Red Canyon" sign on the left at GPS N 37° 44.692' W
112° 18.090'.
View over the handlebars in the wider
section of lower Casto Canyon. Yeah, my first ride in Casto was that long
ago!
This is what makes Casto Canyon a hit.
Riding notes for loop version:
0 trailhead
0.4 metal gate, continue straight
3.7 signpost marking fork of singletrack off ATV trail, go right across creek
5.1 pass Casto Springs
5.4 steep short climb up out of wash on left, last chance to wash the chain
5.7 reach Fremont Trail ATV path, turn left
uphill.
7.5 after crossing large "meadow" area, descend steeply into creek
then climb again
8.5 junction of Fremont Trail with Casto Canyon ATV Trail, turn left.
10.7 back to junction of ATV trail with singletrack, turn right downhill.
14.4 back at trailhead
Bottom Line!
Very nice ride for an ATV route. The hoodoos and cliffs make awesome
scenery. Weekday riding will avoid most of the ATV traffic, and getting an
early start will help you avoid horses.
View up the trail.
Casto Canyon map
Getting there:
From US-89, drive 2.9 miles east on U-12 (towards Bryce Canyon National Park). Turn left on
the gravel road marked for Casto Canyon. Drive 3 miles. Parking is on your left, the trailhead
is on the right at GPS N 37° 47.038' W 112° 19.919'.
Wide area map with alternate rides.
