From: CNILSSON@novell.com (Cory Nilsson)
Subject: Trip Report: Little Wild Horse/Bell Canyon
Date: 29 Mar 1996 14:32:50 -0700

	Last Friday my friend Greg and I headed out with several scouts
to hike what is known as Little Wild Horse Canyon and Bell Canyon which
are located just a couple of miles west of Goblin Valley and are part of
the San Rafael Swell. We left amid the approacing storm for what we
were hoping would be better weather. After having taken a couple of
wrong turns and exits we eventually arrived at the mouth of LWH
sometime around midnight and the weather wasn't all that good. We had
to setup camp in a very strong and cold wind. The wind didn't let up once
during the night but most of the scouts slept quite soundly through the
whole thing. Oh how I yearn for those days!  
	We started our hike the next morning after breakfast. Much to our
surprise there were several other groups that had gathered at the
trailhead. According to our guidebook this hike has really gained a lot of
popularity as of late. I believe most hikers would take Bell Canyon first
and then loop around into LWH or just hike LWH alone. We decided to go
up LWH first in order to hit the best narrows first before the storm hit. We
then looped around and came down Bell. The hike was beautiful. In some
ways it reminded us of some of our trips to Zion National Park and in
other ways it was reminiscent of the Moab/Arches area. The narrows
were great, sometimes narrowing to no more than 2-3 feet. There were
several places to branch off and explore. We were able to climb a bit and
discover some really nice views of the area. Bell canyon was nice also
but not quite as spectacular as LWH. 
	We did this hike in 4-5 hours but I believe it could've been done
faster. We stopped several times to explore and let others rest. Although
there can be water in the narrows we encountered only one spot and it
was only a few inches deep. We easily bridged it. Keep in mind though
that the canyon is prone to flash floods. The guidebook indicates that this
is a family hike that would be enjoyed by all and I have to agree with that.
It may be a bit hard on the younger children but most should be able to
finish it. We had one of the leader's sons with us and he couldn't have
been older the eight. He made it. All in all this was a great hike despite the
strong winds and the 15 minutes of snowfall that we encountered.