Bullet Canyon to False Kiva and Jailhouse ruins.
What better way to start this blog than with a hike in one of my favorite places on Earth: southern Utah. I have always wanted to visit the Grand Gulch area, but this was my first time backpacking through this beautiful wilderness. In case you didn’t know, the Grand Gulch area is FULL of wonderful Ancestral Puebloan (a.k.a. Anasazi) sites. There is a wide array of cliff dwellings, petroglyphs, pictographs, granaries, and more (e.g. kivas!). Here you will find an almost unbelievable stillness and the feeling of true wilderness, especially if you go off-season.
Bullet Canyon is one of many side canyons of Grand Gulch, and it is amazing! Aside from the wonderful canyon wilderness, you will find two very noteworthy Ancestral Puebloan ruins: Jailhouse and Perfect Kiva ruins.
Here’s the scoop: the trailhead is relatively straightforward: from the small parking lot that is well marked off Utah highway, follow the well-trodden trail down into the canyon. After about four miles, on the right side, you will see the Perfect Kiva ruin up on the cliff wall. Pictures are below. Skirt the canyon walls downcanyon, from the level of Perfect Kiva, to get to Jailhouse ruin.
