There is a large parking area at Mosaic Canyon for the loads of tourists who visit each day. This is the start of the hike into Lower Mosaic Canyon at the end of the parking lot:
The 1st Narrows start up a short distance past the parking lot. Not much walking is required in order to see magnificent scenery:
The 1st Narrows start out with long sections of uninterrupted polished walls:
The walls beckon you to reach out and rub your hand across the smooth surfaces:
There are a few early twists where you can hide out and wait for tourists to pass by while taking photos:
In order to gets photos free from tourists, I had to hike Mosaic Canyon early in the morning:
Annie standing in the early part of the 1st Narrows, at the same place as the picture taken above:
John Leidel also at this popular spot, but on a different trip:
In the middle portion of the 1st Narrows, you can imagine the water flowing over the walls and polishing the surface so nicely:
The patterns are very interesting to check out in detail close-up:
Up ahead, some unnecessary railings and iron footholds were installed to assist tourists long ago. The only problem is that with each flash flood, the bottom of the canyon changes, sometimes dramatically:
A very pretty spot in the 1st Narrows which is often photographed:
Jered getting his picture taken at this location:
Steve at basically the same spot where Jered had his picture taken, but on a different trip and showing more of an overview of the area:
The next three pictures show close-ups of the intricate designs which are part of the walls of Mosaic:
A good overview shot of the narrows through here:
My sister Annie in my favorite picture ever from Mosaic Canyon:
Jered and Annie getting a photo from a distance to show you the size of this place:
The 1st Narrows are basically mostly shallow slot narrows. As you can see, the surrounding terrain is frequently visible:
I love the mosaic patterns found throughout the canyon. Notice how you can find different colors and bands or stripes:
The heavy visitation that this place receives doesn't lessen the natural beauty in any way:
I've noticed that once you pass this short steep rock slope in the canyon, the number of tourists drops considerably:
This boulder jam is the gateway into the 2nd Narrows. It needs to be bypassed on the left side to continue:
Another breathtaking stretch of narrows:
The next two pictures show typical canyon walls in the 2nd Narrows:
A fun and easy dry fall to climb a short distance into the 2nd Narrows:
Steve enjoying the easy climb and then stopping for a picture:
Rounding a bend just before reaching a major obstacle in the 2nd Narrows:
This is the 18 foot dry fall which blocks progress heading up canyon. This is where new canyon hikers can learn an easy lesson:
New hikers can learn about bypassing dry falls. To do this, it is necessary to backtrack a short distance back down the canyon and look for this bypass trail heading up and around the dry fall:
Looking over the edge of the 18 foot dry fall at the canyon below:
This is technically the end of the 2nd Narrows, but the canyon continues on without opening up too much:
Odd shapes appearing on the canyon wall:
Another fantastic passageway to walk through in Mosaic Canyon:
Here is a minor dry fall which is beautiful but may prove to be challenging for some hikers not used to doing basic climbs:
More beautiful narrows through this area:
The latter portions of Lower Mosaic Canyon are usually free of tourists and there may be a few hiking groups here and there. Or, there may be nobody else, as seen here:
Just before you reach the 3rd Narrows, an obstacle is encountered which results in the end of the hike for nearly everybody. This 25 foot dry fall closes the lower portion of Mosaic Canyon:
Steve at the 25 foot dry fall in a March 2009 photo. Up until this trip, I had been to Mosaic Canyon five or more times, yet I had never progressed past this menacing obstacle:
But on a couple of trips, I had backtracked a short distance and climbed up this somewhat slippery and treacherous bypass route leading to the Mosaic Rim Trail:
The bypass trail is pretty easy to follow, but it's very steep and also has one or two treacherous crossings. For those who are not used to poor footing and loose gravel crossings over a steep slope, it might be better to take the main canyon back down to the parking area:
Barrel cactus framing the narrows far below:
Looking back down on the end of Lower Mosaic Canyon and the 25 foot dry fall:
John Leidel has hiked the Mosaic Rim Trail with me as a loop hike:
In this picture, the bypass trail from the bottom of the canyon reaches a junction. To the left, the trail heads down to the lower part of the canyon. To the right, the trail heads into Upper Mosaic Canyon, which is covered in a separate report here on the site:
Heading down the Mosaic Rim Trail, which provides some outstanding views of Death Valley and the Mesquite Flat area. I have been told this is an old mining trail:
Steve has hiked down the Mosaic Rim Trail on at least three different occasions:
The next two pictures give you a glimpse of the grand views before reconnecting with the canyon floor:
This final group of pictures was taken during our March 2011 hike into Lower Mosaic Canyon. Notice here the beautiful golden glow of the afternoon sun:
I ended up hiking up to a trail which I hadn't noticed before, which follows the top of the 1st Narrows. The next five pictures were all taken from this 1st Narrows overlook trail:
The 1st Narrows overlook trail really gives you a new appreciation for the beauty of this area:
You can see how the polished rock at the bottom transitions into other layers before becoming hillside up top:
A couple of our hikers down below providing scale for the 1st Narrows:
One last look down from the 1st Narrows overlook trail. Caution is definitely in order while hiking above the canyon:
