Doll House / Spanish Bottom Access Hike

The trail from Spanish Bottoms to the Doll House is one of the finest half-day hikes accessible from any river camp in the American Southwest. The route climbs 1,200 feet from the river bench at Spanish Bottoms — elevation 3,750 feet — to the Doll House formation on the Maze District plateau at approximately 5,000 feet. The trail gains the canyon wall through a series of switchbacks on a boot-worn but cairned route, ascending through Cedar Mesa Sandstone and emerging onto the slickrock plateau above. The Doll House is a field of standing Cedar Mesa fins — eroded towers in red and orange sandstone that give the formation its name. From the top, views extend back down to the Spanish Bottoms camp and the river corridor, and ahead to the Maze District interior. The trip is typically done as an evening scout-and-hike after arriving at Spanish Bottoms: walk down to the Big Drops to read the rapid lines, then climb to the Doll House while the light lasts. Come down in the last of the evening. Run the drops at first light the next morning.