Good hiking trails close to Cedar City to explore the canyons. It was fun imagining that we would find Thor in his hideout.
Distance: 2.72 miles round (We had one person get the car and pick us up at the new destination)
Time: 1-2 hours
Start: Option 1: Thunderbird Gardens Trailhead (off 900 N.) or Highway 14 (about .5 mile into canyon)
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: 467
Fee: N/A
We started at the Thunderbird Gardens Trailhead (just outside Cedar Ridge Golf Course). The road is a dirt road but fairly well maintained so we didn’t have any issues in our van. Park at the large parking lot with white gravel (normally white gravel wouldn’t stand out, but in this area with all the red rocks, it actually does). Stay on the main path until you see a sign for Thor’s Hideout and then follow the sign. There are actually several different paths that all seem to reach the same destination (unless your sense of direction is bad and then you may end up walking in circles). The reason for this, I believe, is because motorcycles, bicycles, horses, and people all share these paths, so its nice to have a few different options.
Although the view isn’t all that much better than other places, you might as well take the extended portion of the trail out to Thor’s Lookout. There is a pretty cool throne made out of stone.
Because I love to explore new places and my wife was hiking with us, she volunteered to go and get the car and meet us at the end of the Red Hollow Trail which leads down to highway 14. The view was a bit different from this side of the mountain and also very beautiful. I’m glad I got to see both sides. Our trail was a bit faster, so we made it to the end before my wife and then just hiked down the road until she picked us up.
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