Hidden Lake Trail

There is much more to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary than one might suppose. Encompassing 3,700 owned acres and another 33,000 acres leased from the Bureau of Land Management, the sanctuary is historically sacred ground to the original inhabitants of the area and today is home to over 1,600 rescued animals. There are several hiking trails on the property, and one of the most interesting is the hike up to Hidden (also called Underground) Lake. From the parking area along the wash, the hike starts up a jeep road which is open to ATVs, but they are rarely seen other than the occassional guided tour. The area is rich with rock formations that resemble those seen on the east side of Zion National Park. A short way up the trail there is a fork with the trail up to the rock art cave going to the left. This small cave has some examples of handprints and other pictographs along with some pottery remnants on informal display. Returning to the main trail it is another half mile or so to the end, where a rock wall houses a small pool of clear water. The sandstone is quite beautiful. Entrance to the sanctuary is free, and they also offer free tours of many parts of the facility. It could easily fill a half or whole day for animal lovers to visit the dogs, cats, parrots, horses and other abandoned animals (including many of Michael Vick's fighting dogs). There are also cabins and a campground on the property, which are booked months in advance by some of the hundreds of volunteers who come from around the world to work with the animals.