Hidden Haven Falls

The Trail
This moderate 0.75 mile (one-way) trail has a 250 ft. elevation change. It leads to a shady and secluded waterfall that drops from the Benson Creek slot canyon. Prior to 2018, this trail was fairly easy, but due to the Brian Head Fire, this area has changed a great deal. It is more difficult to reach the falls now than it once was before flooding greatly changed the area and the trail.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

The trail starts at a wooded area and crosses over a bridge. Signs up now warn that this area is an active flooding zone in which waters can rise quickly, so be aware of potential flooding danger before you proceed.

Trailhead - note that this sign has not always been there
and may or may not remain over time

Sign at the parking area

 

Bridge prior to 2018 fires

 

Bridge as of time of this post - note the warning sign

Sego Lily

Beware that there are some other trails that turn off from the main trail along the way. The first seems to head north and is marked by a blue flag on the topographical map. The next turn-offs occur right next to each other. The first shown in gray seems to head up the mountain, but I am not exactly sure where. The second goes out to an amphitheater and is shown by the red trail on the maps above. The area by these trails is a bit more open and sports a wooden bench.

Turn-off trail for amphitheater

Amphitheater

The trail is rougher than it used to be even at this point. There are places with fallen trees to climb over. The next bridge used to go over Benson Creek, but the creek path changed with the flooding, so it now just goes over an empty creek bed.

Bridge going over stream bed where Benson Creek used to flow

The last turn-off (shown in purple) is nearby the area with benches. This trail circles around up the mountain and back down through the slot canyon. If you wish to go repelling down the Benson Creek slot canyon, this is the way to go.

Turn-off for repelling down Benson Creek Slot Canyon-
here someone has cordoned it off with rocks.

Picnic Area

Cliff to the south of the waterfall

At this point, the trail used to meet up with the water again and once again crosses the stream.

Pre-flood picture near where trail crossed stream

However, now the trail comes to a shallow ravine that must be descended. From here, hikers must follow the creek up between two cliffs while climbing over and around fallen trees and large boulders. The temperatures continue to drop the further up the canyon you go.

Climb down the ledge and follow the creek up to
the waterfall

Boulders lodged in the canyon to climb over

If you go in the late fall as we did last, the stream turns to ice in places and leaves interesting designs in its wake.

The final approach to the falls was slightly more tricky due to the crumbly dirt slide to the left and the large boulders blocking the way immediately in front of us.

Final approach to the falls. There is a crumbly
dirt/rock/gravel hill to the left that can be climbed
or you can weave your way around the boulders

Descent down crumbly gravel/dirt hill

Finally, the trail reaches the waterfall. The water flow can vary. During dry years it can be no more than a trickle, but the waterfall is larger during years that the area receives more water. We found it partially encased in ice during the late fall.

Falls at a trickle in 2014

View of waterfall and canyon in 2014

The waterfall in November 2019

This trail is open to dogs. There are no restrooms available at the trailhead.

Directions
This trail is located in Iron County, Utah up Parowan Canyon. To get there from the north on I-15, take Exit 78 and head south on Main Street in Parowan. Continue to UT-143/Canyon Rd. and turn left onto it. Continue for about 5.9 miles and you will come to a good sized gravel pull out on your left. There is a large sign here that reads "Parowan Canyon Wildlife Management Area," but there are not always other markings. More recently, a homemade sign has been posted indicating the trail as pictured above, but it may or may not be there.

If you are coming from the south, take Exit 75 and head east on UT-143. Turn right onto UT-143/Canyon Rd. and continue for 5.3 miles up the canyon until you arrive at the area explain above. GPS Coordinates: N37 46.329 W112 50.417

The Grotto in Hornet Canyon

The Trail
This moderate trail is 1.25 miles (one way) with about a 590 foot elevation change. The trail leads to a pleasant grotto area in which a couple small waterfalls drops into a little pool, and water "weeps" off a 30 foot long rock overhang. The water flow is heaviest in the spring; if you go later in the fall as we did, you can expect the waterfalls to be more like small trickles of water. The area is still pleasant to visit though either way.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

This trail starts at a large gate. This is the same starting point as the Triumph Trail, which turns off soon after the gate (as marked by the hiker symbol in the topographical map above). However, for this trail, hikers continue to follow the dirt road/Bonneville Shoreline Trail for about 0.6 mile to the Steed Creek Trail.

Trailhead

Dirt Road/Bonneville Shoreline Trail

Turn off for Steed Creek

At this point the trail elevation starts to climb. Continue along the trail up the canyon until you reach a sign with a trail split about 0.3 mile later (marked by a green pin on the topographical map above). Notice that both directions will take you to the grotto. However, going right along the Steed Creek path will offer more shade and an easier trail. This is the way we went.

Shortly after that the trail goes across a small plank bridge and past a campsite/campfire spot (marked by a blue flag in the topographical map above). Watch out for poison ivy in this area. And brilliantly colored foliage if you go during the autumn.

 

 
It will not be long before the trail splits again. This time it should be obvious that you should stay left to reach the grotto.

As the trail continues, it slants in places and becomes narrow. While we were there, we found someone had placed some ropes along the steeper spots. As always, use caution with ropes placed by others on trails as they can vary greatly in condition and strength.

A rope along the trail

Notice the slant of the trail

Soon the trail reaches the grotto. The water flow during the fall is minimal, but it is still a pretty spot with mossy rocks, a little pool, and lots of fallen leaves during the autumn.

"Weeping" Rocks

The pool and waterfalls...which are no more than a trickle during the fall

Directions
This trail is located in Davis County, Utah in Farmington. To get there from north of Farmington, take exit 325 off of I-15 and turn left onto Park Lane. Next, turn right onto Main Street and continue on this road as it curves around. When you reach State Street, turn left and follow this road as it curves around a bend. Keep going until you reach Woodland Dr., then turn left. At the end of Woodland Dr. you will come to a dirt road called Little Valley Road. Drive up to the reservoir and you will find a dirt parking area. Start at the gate across from the dirt parking area with the sign for the Triumph Trail.

If you are coming from the south, take exit 222 off of I-15 and continue along 200 West to 200 South. Turn right onto 200 South, and next turn right onto 200 East. From there, turn left onto Woodland Dr. and continue as outlined above. GPS Coordinates: N40° 58.025' W111° 52.380'

Maunawili Falls Trails

The Trail
This popular moderate trail is 1.4 miles long (one-way) with about a 360 foot elevation change. Overall, it is a very wet muddy trail, so make sure you wear appropriate footwear for the hike. Wearing some sort of shoe that you can go in and out of the water with is good, but it should also be sturdy enough and provide support for hiking. During wet periods, plan to wade through deep mud. During dry periods the hike is easier and less messy, but the trail still has many muddy areas, slippery roots that stick far up with muddy pockets between them, and river crossings. Flash flooding is possible here, so check weather conditions before heading out and don't go on a rainy day.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

The trail starts at a road with a gate. Head past the gate and turn when you get to the large waterfall sign. Notice the warning sign about the water being infected with Leptospirosis. You should not expose any open wounds to the water or drink it in order to avoid a bacterial infection.

A few signs contain some interesting information about the historical aspects of this trail where it turns to the right here; please be respectful of these as you hike.

When we did this, we soon found that the trail lead into a tangled mess, but there was a go around trail heading down to the dirt road below and then back up again.

Around a third of a mile into the trail, the trail starts to follow the Maunawili Stream. It crosses the stream about 0.7 mile in from the trailhead. You will also see old ranching walls and stone roads through this section.

Maunawili Stream

The trail has a number of areas that are made rough and uneven by windy roots. And sometimes you may have to duck under tree branches.

As you continue there will be more and more of a climb with some stairs built in along the trail. Make sure you stay on the stairs and on the trail to help prevent further erosion and destruction of the area. After the final set of stairs you will reach a section of the trail with some nice views of the Koolau mountain range. After going up this hill, the trail soon descends back down to stream and the waterfall. Especially since we went during a dry spell, found that the trail seems to get more significantly more muddy and worn as we approached the falls. We decided this was due to people leaving the falls and the stream after getting very wet and then dripping water all over the trail.

 Again, there are some very rough sections with windy roots protruding up above mud puddles.

You will have to cross the stream once again at the bottom of the hill to continue to the falls.

Hikers will continue to go in and out of the stream some to get to the falls. If you are still enough, little fish in the area will come nibble at your toes. Once at the falls, many people swim across the deep pool below the falls, climb up the side of the falls and jump. The water is pretty chilly, but it is a good jumping spot. There are some higher ones too, but use caution so that you don't get hurt hitting the bottom of the pool. Jump at your own risk and don't dive from the high jumps. There have been lots of injuries from people's attempts to jump into this pool.

If you opt to swim across the pool, you can also continue a little ways up past this first waterfall and find a smaller but very scenic second falls behind it. Because we had to swim to get up there, we opted to not take the GPS with us, but it isn't far.

Second little waterfall past the first one

There are no restrooms at the trailhead for this trail or along the way. It is also advisable to wear bug repellent while doing this trail.

Directions
This trail is located on Oahu, HI. To get there, take Pali Highway/Hwy 61 to Auloa Road. If you are coming from Honolulu, this will be after the tunnel. Continue straight and this road will become Maunawili Rd. Continue to stay on this road to its end where it intersects with Kelewina St. This is where the hike starts. You can park in the neighborhood here; just remember it can get crowded at times. GPS Coordinates: N21 21.547 W157 45.814