Red Hollow

Red Hollow, located just 30 minutes east of Zion National Park, near Orderville, is an easy hike. The trails takes you up a sandy wash through majestic red and white canyon walls, that gradually narrow and lead to a short, colorful, slot canyon for about 100 yards before a dry fall stops progress.

Red Hollow Hike Details

Distance – 1.2 miles roundtrip
Approximate hiking time – 1 to 2 hours
Elevation at Trailhead – 5593 feet
Elevation in Red Hollow – 5718 feet
Difficulty – Easy
Trail – sand, some rock
Amount of water recommended – 2 liters
Bathrooms – None
Season to hike – Year around
Prone to flash floods? – Yes, can be prone to flash floods. Luckily, Red Hollow isn’t very long, and it is very easy to get to get out of the wash.
Permits – N/A
Pets: Permitted, preferably on a leash

How to get there:

If coming from Zion National Park, continue east on UT-9 past the east entrance of the Park for 13.0 miles to the Mt. Carmel Junction. Turn left (north) on US-89 for 4.6 miles, where you’ll arrive in Orderville, UT. You’ll cross over the Virgin River in town and turn right (south) onto 100 East, which is the first street past the small Virgin River bridge. After 0.2 miles, turn left (east) onto Red Shadow Drive. After 0.3 miles a dirt road continues straight, while the paved road curves to the right. Go straight onto the sandy dirt road. After 50 feet of being on the dirt road, you’ll cross a small wash, which is usually fine for passenger cars. Continue on the dirt road for about 0.4 miles until it ends at a fenced in city water facility. There is room for two or three cars to park.

If coming from the north, take Interstate 15 to Exit 95 which is for UT-20, and turn left. (east) Follow UT-20 for 20.5 miles where it runs into US-89. Turn right (south) onto US-89 and stay on US-89 for 55 miles until you arrive in Orderville, UT. Right before US-89 goes over the small Virgin River bridge, take the last left before you cross over it. This is 100 East. Turn here. After 0.2 miles, turn left (east) onto Red Shadow Drive. After 0.3 miles the a dirt road continues straight, while the paved road curves to the right. After 50 feet of being on the sandy dirt road, you’ll cross a small wash, which is usually fine for passenger cars. Continue on the dirt road for about 0.4 miles until it ends at a fenced in city water building. There is room for two or three cars to park. (See the Google map for this hike at the end of this post)

Hitting the Trail!

As you leave your car, you may see several different paths leading south. Don’t panic, because all of these paths will converge into a wash, which happens to be the same wash that you crossed through soon after getting on the sandy dirt road. The various trails will lead you to the wash. On the other side of the wash, you’ll see some tall white sandstone. Turn left and head up the wash toward the colorful Elkhart Cliffs.

The walk through the wash is rather sandy at the start, especially if the area hasn’t seen much rain. At the beginning of the hike, all the sand is white, and you’ll slowly see it transition to a light pink as you approach Red Hollow.

There is a good chance that you won’t encounter a lot of other hikers along the trail, as this is a short canyon, and popular mainly with the locals. The views are great along the way, as you tread up through the wash. We found the sand to be deep, which made the going a little slow.

As you make your way farther down the wash, brilliant reds will appear at the bottom half of the canyon walls, which contrast nicely with the white above.  After you’ve been hiking up the wash for about half of a mile, a small, hiking trail/wash comes in from the left. Don’t take this left wash , as it will dead-end in a few minutes of walking. Continue straight up the main wash. About 50 feet along the main wash a smaller wash comes in from the right. Avoid this one too, and stay on the main wash trail. This will lead you to Red Hollow. If you want to explore these other smaller washes it will only take 15 or 20 minutes, before it gets too steep to continue. There is nothing impressive along these other washes.

Once past these smaller washes, it doesn’t  take long for the red canyon walls to tighten up, and before you know it, you are in a short, colorful slot. While the actual narrows of Red Hollow span for only 100 yards before it ends at a 10 foot dryfall, it still makes for a worthwhile destination. The rest of Red Hollow above the dryfall can be accessed with the use of technical gear, and typically has to be attempted from above the canyon, which involves a long drive on dirt roads followed by a long hike.

Red Hollow is a great hike for small children, as they will enjoy playing along the wash during the hike up and back. There are a couple of small chockstones, in the narrows section, but they normally are not a problem to get around. As with all slot canyons, be aware of the weather,  that this slot does flash flood, and obstacles can be completely washed out, or new obstacles can appear. Luckily, it is a such a short slot, that once out of the narrows, it quickly widens. When done exploring Red Hollow, just return down the wash the way you came in.

Even with children, this is a hike that can be completed just a couple of hours. Since Red Hollow is located near Zion National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Coral Pink Sand Dunes State, it is a great hike to do in conjunction with others in the area!

What to Bring:

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