Jones Hole

From Utah's Favorite Hiking Trails by David Day:

     Jones Hole is the name given to a 2,000-foot-deep gorge that runs along the border between Utah and Colorado in Dinosaur National Monument. Jones Hole Creek, in the bottom of the gorge, is fed from a number of small springs at the head of the canyon and along its sides. The trail begins just below the first spring, at the Jones Hole Fish Hatchery, and winds pleasantly along the creek for about four miles to join the Green River in Whirlpool Canyon. The creek bed is a lush green oasis surrounded by the semiarid land of Dinosaur National Monument. At times the trail climbs away from the water into the sagebrush and pinion-juniper forest that surrounds it, but mostly it stays very close to the canyon floor where boxelders, cottonwoods, and other water-hungry trees prevail. The creek is also an important source of water for the monument’s wildlife, and it is not uncommon to see deer-especially in the early hours of the day.

This is one of my favorite trails, especially this time of year.  In the summer it gets too hot to enjoy.  There are also Big Horn sheep that have been re-introduced to the area but I don't have any pictures of them from this trip which was taken in 2007.  I need to get back down there! 

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