Wooden Shoe Canyon (Squaw Canyon) Trail

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Commonly Backpacked · Views · Wildlife

From the Squaw Canyon Trailhead at the Squaw Flats campgrounds, you start out heading southeast on the Squaw Canyon Trail by trekking over small knobs with a unsurpassed 360° view of the canyons and snow-capped mountains in the distance for as far as the eye can see. The sandstones many shades of reddish, burgundy, brown and tan start to surround you. You pass through the abundant cottonwood trees, sagebrush, pinyon pine, and ever present reed grasses along the way.

Keep following the trail southeast for about one mile until you get to the Peekaboo Trail split. Keep right and head southwest to stay on the Squaw Canyon Trail. (Around here we saw lots of mountain lion prints and it smelled of feline urine. Though mountain lions tend to avoid humans at all cost, be aware and keep kids and pets close.) Here the canyons walls begin to swallow and surround you with their magnificent beauty.

About 3/4 of a mile past the Peekaboo Trail split you come to SQ1 campsite on your right. It's perfectly nestled in the canyon.

Keep winding your way through the canyon for another 3/4 of a mile and you'll arrive at the Lost Canyon Trail split. Stay right and continue southwest to stay on the Squaw Canyon Trail. Shortly after the Lost Canyon Trail split you'll arrive at SQ2 campsite on your left.

Continue southwest for about one mile until you reach the end of Squaw Canyon Trail at an intersection with the Big Spring Canyon Trail.

The vegetation mostly consist of Pinyon Pine and Claret Cup Cactus. Mule deer, coyotes, porcupines, desert cottontails, black-tailed Jackrabbits, kangaroo rats, wood rats, skunks, ringtails, foxes, bobcats, mountain lions, bats, lizards, snakes, hawks, and eagles all can be found in Canyonlands National Park.