Cache Valley Hiking 4—Wind Caves (blast from the past)

Behind the numbers:

• 3.6 miles out-and-back

• ~1500 feet elevation gain/loss

• 2 hour round-trip with aggressive descending

The Wind Caves, along with Naomi Peak, is the other locally famous hike that is considered a must-do. The trailhead is right on the Logan Canyon Hwy, and not too far past 3^rd dam which is less than 10 miles into the canyon from town, making it hard to miss.

The wind caves are rock features along the canyon walls where wind and water erosion have carved out holes in the rock, some resembling caves and others windows. They are visible from the road level, but better views are offered along the Crimson Trail on the other side of the canyon or by walking right up to them in this hike.

While this hike is short, it is relentless climbing for the out portion to the caves. The trail is really just a series of switchbacks climbing up the canyon. Along the way there is opportunity to take offshoot trails along the ridgelines. Accompanying the steep climbing, the trail is fully exposed to the sun, so it can be a challenging hike if done on a hot afternoon. The Wind Caves trail is also notorious for being one of the most crowded hiking trails in the area.

This hike is steep (as seen by Jeff’s trail and Susan’s expression)

Susan and my experience with the trail took place on weekday evening in the late summer. I picked Susan up from work and we went straight to the trailhead, starting around 5:30 pm or so. It was a warm climb, but not as hot as the midday sun would have been. With it being a weekday later in the summer, the trail was pretty empty as well. The switchbacks were tough, but the views up and down the canyon provide ample distraction.

All the beautiful views along the hike

Full disclosure, Susan and I actually missed the last spur of this hike so only saw some of the lower caves. We realized this was probably the case at the time, but were losing sunlight and didn’t want to deal with the descent in the dark. On the way down, we jogged some portions to beat the sunset, but also stopped for more pictures because as the sun set, the canyon seemed to look different every minute with the growing shadows and changing colors.

Looking back, I would recommend taking on this hike in exactly the way we did (or in the early morning of a weekday). We were able to limit our exposure to the crowds and the heat (it cools quickly as the sun goes down) and really enjoy the trail. Plus, the low-light periods of the day are more picturesque.