Pritchett Canyon Trail
Some believe that this trail is one of the toughest because its difficult obstacles have no bypasses.
Some believe that this trail is one of the toughest because its difficult obstacles have no bypasses. Pritchett Canyon is a gem - deep, steep-walled, often wet, simply beautiful. The trail climbs the lower part of the canyon and exits via a side canyon over a divide into the Hunter Canyon system. As the trail grows tougher vehicles should have at least one locking differential, and drivers should be mentally prepared for the possibility of vehicle damage.
Scenery
While in the canyon, the views are of the steep canyon walls, large side-canyon pour-offs, and a pool-speckled creek bottom. Pritchett Arch, Window Arch, and some smaller spans are visible from the trail. The canyon is within the rock fin country of Behind the Rocks, and is the boundary of the Behind the Rocks WSA.
Road Surface
The trail follows the bouldery creek bottom at first but then climbs onto ledge routes on a mixture of rock layers and dirt. The major obstacles are several forms of bedrock now exposed after erosion of the early roadway.
Obstacles
Upon entering the canyon there is a ledgy descent that will be tough if you have to return that way. The first real test is a couple of miles up the canyon at the nastily angled ledges of the Rocker Knocker. A little farther, a rock fall into the trail requires a bypass and a once-minor ledge has become a major hazard. Just above that is The Rock Pile, a several-foot ledge that requires a pile of rocks just to get wheels on the slope. Next is Yellow Hill, where the road reaches for the canyon top on a very uneven ledge of multicolored rock.
Pritchett Canyon Trailhead
(38.53523, -109.59979)