Moonlight Canyon is the next major canyon north of Red Wall Canyon in the Grapevine Mountains. The starting point for the hike used to be where the old water tank was placed on Scotty's Castle Road. However, that water tank is now gone. But current maps (such as the National Geographic Trails Illustrated map) still mark the spot with the words "Radiator Water". If you need more details on how to reach the canyon, simply ask a ranger at the Visitor Center or check out my Google Earth map below. Moonlight Canyon is a long, rough hike that will really test your endurance. But if you can handle it, the payoff is huge. It's 7 miles from Scotty's Castle Road to the base of the 1st dry fall in the narrows. Many of those miles are spent hiking through an uncomfortable wash with troublesome gravel and rocks. It's 4 miles from the road to the beginning of the actual canyon, although the wash walls on each side of you rise up much earlier than that. Then it's another 2 miles into the canyon before you reach the narrower gorge area. The final mile is the payoff... a walk through a pristine narrow canyon with towering peaks above you and unique rock designs all around. The true narrows don't begin until you get very close to the 1st dry fall. And in order to maintain safety, keep in mind that the 1st dry fall is the best place to end the hike. (As a side note, the 1st dry fall is the one seen in the article on Moonlight Canyon in Backpacker Magazine).
SAFETY ALERT-- This hike contains sections of climbing, exposed bypasses and/or high dry falls and requires safety ropes & equipment in order to complete the entire hike. Those without the proper training, experience, and safety gear should stop at the bottom of the 1st major dry fall and not try to get past it.
The pictures in this Trip Report are also available for viewing in a slideshow format. Click the button on the left to watch the slideshow. This allows for viewing larger images with an autoplay option and a full screen option. The pictures may also be viewed in the standard Trip Report format by scrolling down below.
Parking on Scotty's Castle Road and then heading southeast to get into the main wash cutting through these small hills:
Daria and Tiffany heading up at the beginning of the hike. A fierce cold wind was blowing which gave us a rough start to the hike:
This will give you an idea of some of the rugged terrain at the start of the hike:
Looking across to the Cottonwoods and Grave Canyon. Patrick and I had conquered the South Fork of Grave this past Spring:
Finally getting into the Moonlight wash:
While technically not yet in the canyon, the cliffs and hillsides provided for some nice scenery:
Tiffany keeping warm by pushing hard up the canyon. This was the most difficult hike she has been involved with to date:
These are the Moonlight springs. We found lightly flowing and dripping water at several spots along here:
Continuing to head up the wash with the canyon and Grapevine Mountains in the distance in the next two pictures:
The next four pictures show you the hillsides and mountainsides as the terrain changed from canyon wash to actual canyon:
This was a pretty dry fall off in a side canyon which we didn't have time to check out:
The next three pictures show even more unique and interesting terrain during the transition phase:
To give you an idea of the size of the early canyon, notice Tiffany and Daria hiking near the bottom middle of the picture:
Steve entering Moonlight Canyon after several years of hearing about the hike and researching it:
Tiffany and Daria with a view looking back down the canyon towards the mouth:
In the next three pictures you can see how the canyon began approaching an obvious narrower gorge area:
Looking up at majestic cliffs in the canyon in the next two pictures:
Passing through a narrow section where the walls came very close together:
Admiring the different layers of rock way up on the mountainside:
Daria passing through the gorge with trees now growing and visible in the background:
Fantastic rock spirals and jagged edged cliffs:
These two boulders appeared to have been carved out of the mountain in the distance (notice the square cave on the upper right) through natural forces and then rolled down into the wash:
Looking back down the pretty gorge which we just passed through:
Lots of trees now growing all over the mountain:
More spectacular cliffs to look up at. The last mile before the 1st dry fall truly was a very scenic area:
Daria heading up the final stretch of canyon which she would hike:
Steve and Daria posing as they prepared to climb a small dry fall:
Ahead Steve is taking a picture of the narrows and 1st dry fall:
View of the true narrows and 1st dry fall as we approached it:
Looking up the hillside to the right we could see a long landslide of boulders:
Daria and Tiffany hiking up the narrows. Right around here we stopped to enjoy our lunch:
The next seven pictures show various views of the 1st dry fall taken from in front of it and looking up from below it:
In order to maintain safety, this is the best place to stop and turn around to hike back down the canyon: