Watch the weather in Horseshoe Canyon now -- cheer for heavy rains and flash floods in March or sometimes later. That's what you need to clear out the loose sand on the canyon floor as well as from the Eastern approach. Last year, no flash flood, loose sand on the bottom and the Rangers had to do 2 "carry-outs" -- that means they have to come all the way from Hans Flat and put people like me on a stretcher and carry them out. And last year, after 24 driving hours from San Francisco and then talking to the Rangers at Hans Flat, I decided not to go down Horseshoe Canyon -- after all the Canyonlands west of the Green River have thousands of square miles of canyons and open red rock country with hundreds of ancient rock carvings (pictographs) and rock paintings (petroglyphs) -- or is it the other way around? You might plan to go down Horseshoe Canyon in late April or early May -- but you will encounter other people on the trail in April and no-see-ums (bothersome gnats) in early May. I like to go in late May after the rising heat has driven off the people and gnats. It's the best place for pictures outside of Marin. . read more