River Mile: 125.0 - left
Time: If starting from the camp below Fossil Rapid on the left, it is 1.5 hours round-trip to the Muav pool, 4 hours round-trip to the “red slide,” and 5.5 hours round-trip to the Redwall narrows.
Difficulty: Moderate
Wet or Dry?: Dry. The only water in this canyon is a trickle in the Muav and sometimes a muddy pool in the Redwall
Ideal Weather: Cool or Moderate.
A hike up Fossil Canyon has basically three highlights: pools in Muav Limestone, a unique slope, and Redwall narrows. The Muav pool is about 1 mile up from the river, while the erosional slope and Redwall narrows are 2 and 3 miles up, respectively. As you can see, there are destinations here to suit all energy levels.
The best place to start a hike up Fossil is right above the rapid at the canyon mouth. However, most of you will only be hiking Fossil if you are camped nearby, and the best nearby camp is 0.5 miles downstream from the canyon mouth. If you are camped below Fossil, your hike starts with a sandy 0.5 mile march upstream along the river.
About a mile past Fossil’s red slide, the Redwall pinches down on the creek forming a neat narrows. Hiking musicians take note- these Redwall narrows make for incredible acoustics. A pool backed by a smooth slide stopped me, although Harvey Butchart and a few others have slithered up this fall and made it out Fossil Canyon.