Taking a break within the Doll House area of Canyonlands National Park's Maze District backcountry/Patrick Cone

Though you'll need a raft, canoe, or kayak to reach this trail, the hike up Water Canyon to the Doll House in Canyonlands National Park and back down to Spanish Bottom and the Green River is time well spent.

Our river guide said the hike up Water Canyon was a 1,200-foot climb over about a mile, and while we didn't measure it, the steepness at times was in our face. But the beauty of the canyon, which lower down had limestone ledges cupping pools of water, helped take our minds off the climb. The ultimate payoff, though, was reaching the top and gazing out across the sandstone landscape with its mounds, minarets, and arches that define the Doll House deep in the park's Maze District.

And since what goes up most go back down, we weren't surprised by the steepness of the trail back down to Spanish Bottom and our waiting rafts.