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Little
Hole National Recreation Trail
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The
Little Hole trail is an exceedingly scenic walk that winds through the
bottom of Red Canyon on the north shore of the Green River. The canyon’s
brilliant colors so impressed John Wesley Powell on his expedition down
the Green River in 1869 that he named it the Flaming Gorge. A century
later, in 1964, the Flaming Gorge Dam submerged most of Powell’s
spectacular canyon with water, but a small section of it, Red Canyon,
still remains below the dam to remind us of how the Flaming Gorge got its
name.
In
the past thirty years, since the creation of the Flaming Gorge National
Recreation Area, the Forest Service has developed Red Canyon as a premier
sport fishing area, and you are likely to encounter dozens of fishermen
along the Little Hole trail. If you crave solitude this is the wrong hike,
but, for me, watching the fly fishermen ply their skill is an added bonus.
Few rivers offer a more perfect setting for fishing than the Green, and
Red Canyon is kept abundantly stocked with rainbow and brown trout. Trout
as large as 22 pounds have been caught here.
This hike can be done in either direction.
The west-to-east route described here is best if you are hiking in the
afternoon, as the sun will then be at your back. If, however, you are
planning a morning hike, you can avoid having the sun in your face by
starting at Little Hole rather than the dam.
From
the boat ramp parking lot below Flaming Gorge Dam a sign will direct you
to a small footpath, about 0.2 miles long, that descends to the boat ramp.
You will find the Little Hole trailhead just beyond the boat ramp on the
downstream side. The scenery starts almost immediately, as the red shale
and sandstone cliffs of the Mancos Formation soar on either side of the
river to a height of about 600 feet. For the next four miles the elevation
of the canyon rim steadily increases, finally reaching a height of 1000
feet above the water.
A series of small rapids breaks the monotony
of the clear water, with whimsical names like Rollercoaster, Skinny Dip,
and Mother-in-Law. The rapids are usually not particularly hazardous, but
it is fun to watch the boaters negotiate them. After the first two miles
there is a noticeable decline in the number of fishermen, but their
numbers begin to pick up again along the last two miles of the trail.
Finally, after six miles, the river emerges from Red Canyon and widens
somewhat as it approaches Little Hole.
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