Wolverine Creek Trail

Dogs Off-leash

Features River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers

The trail starts in the Wolverine Petrified Wood Natural Area—the second largest fossil forest in North America. It is about 1 mile from the trailhead to a large field of petrified wood. Keep a very close eye to the right of the trail since there are no signs and the petrified wood is not really obvious unless you know what you are looking for.

The canyon is still very wide for another mile past the petrified wood. A large side canyon joins from the left at 2.7 miles. Then Wolverine Canyon narrows quickly. Negotiating the canyon is still fairly easy, but you need to find your way through some of the boulder fields. The first part of the narrows can be wet and is lined with cottonwood trees and often covered with white mineral deposits. As you get deeper into the narrows, the canyon gets more and more scenic. The red Wingate Sandstone creates a very pleasant canyon feeling. Wolverine Canyon has several massive overhanging walls, the most impressive one at 4.2 miles.

Past the wet section, the trail is very rocky. At 5.2 miles the canyon walls narrow even further until they are about 5 feet apart. Past the narrows, the trail is smooth gravel and easy going. A wide Horse Canyon will emerge somewhat unexpectedly at 6.5 miles.