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Toadstool Hoodoos in Utah, an Easy Yet Beautiful Hike

Toadstool Hoodoos, an Easy Yet Beautiful Hike in Utah

Located along US-89 between Page, AZ, and Kanab, UT, Toadstool Hoodoos is an unassuming place. It doesn’t look like much at the start of the hike, however, this short and easy trail will take adventurers to one of the unique landscapes of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This place is home to otherworldly views and super cool balanced rock formations that resemble the toadstool mushrooms.

Note: Please make sure to respect this beautiful place and the surround areas. PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB OR TOUCH THESE FRAGILE HOODOOS. Always practice LEAVE NO TRACE. This means no loud music, no graffiti, no carving in sandstone walls and pack out what you pack in! Please help us protect this place for generations to come!

Stats

Where

Toadstool Hoodoos Trailhead
37°06’04.6″N 111°52’23.6″W

Parking

Decent size dirt parking lot, right in front of the trailhead.

Restroom

There is a porta-potty there

Fee

Free

Weather

Distance

About 1.6 miles R.T. (can be longer if you want to explore more of the area)

Elevation Gain

About 141 ft

Level

Easy. This is a kid-friendly trail.

Time:

1-2 hours

Pet-friendly

You can bring your dogs but they have to be on a leash.

Ideal Weather

Cooler days since there is no shade. Falls and Springs are the best seasons to go.

Ideal Time

Early mornings or evenings for cooler weather. Sunset here is also amazing!

Video

The Adventure

Getting to Toadstool Hoodoos Trailhead

Toadstool Hoodoos is pretty easy to find. It is located right off Highway 89 between Kanab, UT. and Page, AZ. It is about 45 miles east of Kanab, and 29 miles west of Page. There is a sign along US-89 marking the exit to the parking lot of Toadstool Hoodoos Trail.

Before you start your adventure, PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB ON OR TOUCH THE ROCK FORMATIONS. THEY ARE VERY FRAGILE AND CAN BE ERODED AND BROKEN IN AN INSTANT. Also, you’ll notice the bumpy crusts on the sand and on the rock formations. These bumpy crusts are cryptobiotic or biological soil crusts. They are a living web of organisms such as fungi, lichen, and mosses. These crusts take years to build and help stabilize and add nutrients to the soil. Please DON’T DAMAGE THESE LIVING SOIL!

From the Trailhead to the Bypass

We pulled into the parking lot of Toadstool Hoodoos trail later in the afternoon, after spending our day at the super neat Nautilus rock formation and the breathtaking colorful Paria Townsite. There were only a few cars at the trailhead. After crossing the cattle gate, we proceed down the sandy wash. Immediately, you can see beautiful tall red Chinles lining the wash. Feel free to take some time to admire these colorful walls. We did! As the trail curves back and forth, you’ll wind through more colorful and stripy Chinles.

After following the wash for about 0.4 miles, we followed the sign on the trail to climb out of the wash. The trail curves around a slope, cross over a narrow land bridge, and then drop back down the sandy bottom. This part of the trail is a bit narrow so if you are bringing small children, just make sure to keep an eye on them.

Getting to the First Hoodoos

Once you get to the bottom of this bypass, there is another sign there pointing the way. We followed the well-defined trail towards the Entrada Sandstone hills. At this point, if you look carefully, you can see one of the famous Toadstool Hoodoos in the distance. Excitedly, we walked faster toward the hoodoos, not quite sure what to expect. The sandy wash ends at the bottom of a big balanced rock formation. 

From here, we saw a few trails climbing up to where the balanced rock formation is. Eagerly, we both quickly ran up to the top. Be careful when climbing up or down, this little section here can get a bit slippery. The view next to the balanced rock toadstool hoodoo formation is beautiful! It’s amazing to see how this formation is still intact, considering how thin it is near the top.

Exploring Toadstool Hoodoos

It was interesting to learn that toadstool is a spire-like rock formation with a boulder sat atop, resembling a mushroom, hence the name. Toadstool hoodoos forms when the softer sandstone eroded, leaving the harder rock atop to form a cap. This cap shelters the rock column below from water and wind.

Up here, there are a few other toadstool hoodoos, varying in different sizes and shapes. As we wandered about, it was hard not to marvel at this unworldly landscape. There are also a few neat caves to check out as well. If you walk toward to left-hand side (facing the cliff walls), you can walk toward the valley where you can see the toadstool hoodoos in different stages of their life span. It was quite interesting to see the beginning stages of how these hoodoos are formed. 

Once you’re done exploring the area, you can go back the way you came. We highly recommend visiting these Toadstool Hoodoos. For an easy hike, it is a beautiful one, worth every minute. It is also kid-friendly and a great beginner hike.

These are the gear that we personally use and find them helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well. 

adventure gear

Good hiking shoes are recommended on these adventures. Vy uses the Merrell Women’s Moab 2 hiking boots

Dustin’s shoes are Targhee III Waterproof

Make sure to use lots of sunscreens! We use eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen, Stream2Sea SPF 30.

Face sunscreen is also important. We love these tinted, organic All Good Organic Sunscreen Butter.

You should always bring plenty of water. Vy loves the Camelback L.U.X.E.

For shorter hikes, the Patagonia Women’s Nine Trails Pack 18L is perfect to hold water and your essentials. 

Depends on when you go, it can get a bit cold. We love our packable Patagonia Puff Jackets! You can get Vy’s version here, and Dustin’s version here.

If you want something lighter, we love the packable Patagonia Women’s Houdini® Jacket and Patagonia Men’s Houdini® Jacket

other things to bring

Always good to bring some snacks with you. For healthy and easy snacks, check out some of our recipes.

camera gear

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