Cedar Breaks National Monument may not be very big but it is dramatic. It also gets a 3-paw rating for having two dog friendly trails. The five mile scenic drive along Highways 148/143 between Cedar City and Brian Head has four overlook stops. Each stop offering a different perspective of the massive rock amphitheater filled with hoodoos, fins and arches. The over 2000 foot deep canyon is situated next to the 10,000 foot high Markagunt plateau and is greater than 3 miles in diameter.
What's for dogs
Along the scenic drive there are four overlooks which are dog friendly. The monument only has four trails and dogs are allowed on two of them, the Sunset and Campground trails. Both are 2 mile round trips. The Ramparts and Alpine Pond trails are not open to dogs. If you are looking for a longer hike with your fur-kid, then head north to the Ashdown Gorge Wilderness. The Rattlesnake trail off Highway 143 travels along the northern edge of the monument for over 11 miles and is dog friendly. I found a helpful article about Rattlesnake trail on the website Girl on a Hike.
Squirrel!!!
Varel decided to test my heart at one of the overlooks. Just as I unleashed her after getting her back in the truck, she saw a squirrel. She jumped over my head, because Danes can do that, and took off on chase. The squirrel, being a local, dove over the side of the canyon to some squirrel sized refuge. I’m sure whatever refuge the squirrel could fit on a Great Dane was not going to fit on. A terrifying image of our Dane diving over the edge and down the 2000 foot cliff flashed before my eyes. I can’t say if it was her good sense or my attempt at a calm recall command that stopped her short of the edge. With the squirrel out of reach she calmly came back to the truck and got in and my heart re-started.
The official pet policy page for Cedar Breaks National Monument can be found here.
