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Mossy Cave is located on Highway 12, approximately 4 miles east of the intersection of Highways 12 and 63. Look for a small parking area on the right-hand side immediately after driving across a little bridge. The Mossy Cave itself is at the end of a short trail. Here you can see hoodoos and windows without having to hike up a steep trail.
At first, this canyon (known as Water Canyon) might look like any ordinary Bryce Canyon kind of canyon. It is not. From 1890-1892 Mormon pioneers labored with picks and shovels to carve an irrigation ditch from the East Fork of the Sevier River, through the Paunsaugunt Plateau, into this canyon. Every year since its completion in 1892 (except during the drought of 2002), this canal known as the Tropic Ditch has supplied the communities of Tropic and Cannonville with irrigation water, but it changed the geology of the canyon by washing away many hoodoos. The result is a nice wide path to walk and magnificent hoodoo's high up on the canyon walls. The stream of water flowing through the canyon makes this a unique hike among Bryce Canyon's vast desert hoodoo landscape.
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A peek at the hoodoos and the Tropic Ditch Canal from the very beginning of the trail and looking up towards the towering hoodoos that line the short, easy Mossy Cave trail (only 0.4 miles in length). Historically a dry wash, it now flows for much of the year as part of the Tropic Ditch, a canal carrying water from the East Fork of the Sevier River to the arid valley below. |
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The two RV Gypsies paused at the beginning of the trail for photos, then continued on the trail - which does not involve crossing the creek nor going up the hill towards the hoodoos. |
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Karen Duquette stopped to feel the cold water in a stream by the trail. Lee Duquette approached a small bridge on the Mossy Cave trail. |
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A panorama and a regular view of The Tropic Ditch Canal from each side of the above bridge |
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More views of the canal at the Mossy Cave trail |
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After taking a short walk, the two RV Gypsies enjoyed the view of the small waterfall.
Here, the rapid trenching of this stream has been delayed by a layer of Dolomite. Dolomite is a special form of limestone that is fortified by magnesium. Dolomite is not only harder than regular limestone, it also can't be dissolved by slightly acidic rainwater. Dolomite is what has created this waterfall and it is also the cap rock for the more famous and durable oodoos. |
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After crossing the bridge, the trail went gently uphill for a wonderful view of the waterfall |
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Below: Karen Duquette photographed the very steep hill and the amazing wall of hoodoos. |
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 Oh, Look! Two youngsters are jumping over the flowing water just above the waterfall area. The two RV Gypsies learned that their names are Randi and Justice. Later, Randi and Justice visited this website and signed our guestbook, then the two RV Gypsies e-mailed them these photos in a higher resolution.
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Looking upwards and across from the canal at a wall of hoodoos atop a very steep hill. Randi and Justice took several breaks on their way up the steep hill. The two RV Gypsies knew that if Randi and Justice were having a hard time making it up that hill, there is NO WAY that the two RV Gypsies would even attempt it. |
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Randi and Justice made it to the hoodoos. In the photo below on the left, notice the smaller window to the left of Justice. Then in the below photo on the right, the black spot seen in that window is actually Justice. |
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The two RV Gypsies took a short walk further on to see Mossy Cave, which isn't a cavern but just a shelter cave which was created by an underground spring. The sign indicated that icicles form on the cave in the winter and can sometimes last until June. |
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