Instead of one big TR dump, I'm just going to do these as micro reports. First up is Padre Canyon
The trail up Padre Canyon begins adjacent to the parking lot at the Tuachan Center for the Arts in Ivins. Approximate coordinates are 37.19031,-113.65738. The trail initially dips into the wash and then skirts Tuachan to the east before entering Padre Canyon. The lower sections of the canyon are relatively flat and shaded (depending upon the time of day) by the 1000 ft. sandstone cliffs on each side of the trail. Then the trail steepens and the climbing begins. Nothing outrageous, but the path is quite rocky in places. As you approach the saddle to the north, the trail becomes quite steep and loose, but its relatively short. At the saddle, you're looking north into Snow Canyon. The view south is toward Ivins and Santa Clara.
Continuing past the saddle, the trail descends among junipers and pinyons and then weaves through a neat red rock area with a seasonal pond. Good options for off trail exploration here. Eventually, the the Padre Canyon trail intersects the Red Sands Trail leading west to the "Three Ponds" which are really just a series of sandstone potholes that collect and retain rain water. As the name suggests, the Red Sands Trail is, well, sandy, and its a big of a slog to walk on. Still, Three Ponds is kind of cool and the scenery is remarkable. If you go east at on the Red Sands Trail you enter Snow Canyon State Park. So this is a back-door way into the park without having to pay the silly entrance fee. Ha, ha. Here's a couple of pics.
