Mee Canyon Camp
Sandy river-left camp near the mouth of Mee Canyon — the best side hike in the Ruby–Horsethief section, with arches and Wingate narrows.
Also known as: Mee Camp
Mee Canyon Camp sits on a sandy bench on river left in the Ruby–Horsethief section of the Colorado River, near the mouth of Mee Canyon. This is a flatwater section — Class I at most — and the camp reflects the character of the reach: open, quiet, with Wingate Sandstone walls rising on both sides and the Book Cliffs visible to the north. Mee Canyon itself is a worthwhile side hike — a narrow Wingate slot that opens into a wider valley with arches and alcoves. The camp is modest in size but well-positioned for the hike, with a sandy flat above the waterline, cottonwood shade along the bank, and a straightforward landing. Ruby–Horsethief is popular with canoeists, kayakers, and families on overnight trips, and Mee Canyon Camp is one of the most sought-after stops on the run. The desert varnish on the Wingate walls across the river catches evening light in long orange and black streaks.
What surrounds this camp
- Wingate SandstoneMassive sheer vertical cliffs — the defining cliff-former of the Colorado Plateau. Joints control vertical breakage; differential erosion of softer underlying Chinle creates the characteristic 'undercut cliff' profile.
- Kayenta FormationLedge- and bench-forming — thin-bedded, stair-stepping slabs that stand back between the Wingate cliff below and the Navajo slickrock above, often armoring the Wingate.
- Entrada SandstoneTwo facies: a well-cemented cliff-forming sandstone (the Slick Rock) that erodes into fins and arches, over/under earthy, less-cemented slope-formers that 'weather like shale' and undercut it — the recipe for arches.