Bell trail, the busy hiking trail next to the Wet Beaver River, is a trail that we passed a few times and intended to return and hike on it. Today is the day and as we get to the trailhead we are happy that it is relatively empty. This is because the trail is mostly used by people trying to get to the riverside and swim in the river and today it is cold even though it is sunny. The trailhead and the trail are well marked and soon we are on our way. The well maintained trail passes initially near private land that is signposted with “No Tresspassing” but soon enough it get closer to the river and we enter public lands.
The river is in a canyon which has lots of evidence of human occupation from the ancient times, like petroglyphs, to current times, like mines and farms. It is quite picturesque with nice views of the river and the vegetation that surrounds it and the canyon sides.
After about two miles we try a side trail, Apache Maid Trail, that goes up the canyon rim to a mesa. The views are great but the climb is difficult due to the steep and not well maintained trail.
As we arrive on top the wind starts to blow and it is getting chilly so we hurry downhill to the Bell trail and the parking lot. On the way we notice that parts of the canyon have become intensily red in the sunset light so we take quite a few pictures before continuing our retreat to the car which is showing 35 degrees F outside. Overall it is a nice and easy trail especially if you stay near the water and do not try any side trails.
