After completing the hike to Corona Arch and Pinto Arch (and having our roadside PB&J lunch along picturesque Potash Road), we headed southeast towards Spanish Valley to get to Ken’s Lake for our next hike on our Moab trip: Faux Falls.

Faux Falls Hike

To get to Ken’s Lake, we had to drive about 40 minutes from Moab, UT, on somewhat rural roads that led to Ken’s Lake Campground. The lake, part of the Mill Creek Project to mitigate drought issues in dry Moab, is a 2,610-acre-foot capacity reservoir impounded by a 96-foot-high earthen dam. (We learned that Moab receives less than 1 inch of rain per year!) The Mill Creek Project construction began in 1979 and was officially dedicated in 1981, naming the reservoir after a former mayor of Moab, Ken McDougald.

The water that cascades down rock ledges and fills this reservoir, Faux Falls, is diverted from Mill Creek. The project facilitated not only a reservoir, but also a pressurized irrigation water delivery system, a one-million-gallon drinking water storage tank, and a well for drinking water production for the region. Approximately 900 acres of land are under cultivation and over 1,000 homes around Moab receive drinking water as a result of the Mill Creek Project.

Despite this attraction being a man-made falls to sustain actual, critical water needs of the Moab region, the hike was beautiful, the falls were awesome, and we thoroughly enjoyed the area, which was formerly under a shallow sea approximately 320 million years ago and was shaped by massive geologic forces, like the Uncompahgre Uplift and the regional Colorado Plateau Uplift.

Lower Mill Creek along the trail to Faux Falls
Lower Mill Creek along the trail to Faux Falls.
Mill Creek on the way to Faux Falls
Mill Creek on the way to Faux Falls.
Trail sign for Faux Falls
Trail sign.
Faux Falls from a distance on the trail
Faux Falls from a distance on the trail.
Indian paintbrush along the trail to Faux Falls
Indian paintbrush along the trail to Faux Falls.
Rock formations above Mill Creek
Rock formations above Mill Creek.
The bottom of Faux Falls
The bottom of Faux Falls.
Bottom of Faux Falls
At the bottom of Faux Falls.

Looking out over the top of the falls.

Looking out at Spanish Valley from the top of Faux Falls
Looking out at Spanish Valley from the top of Faux Falls.
Looking up Faux Falls from the top
Looking up Faux Falls from the top.
Faux Falls above Spanish Valley
Faux Falls above Spanish Valley.

These little guys are sharp. I found this out the hard way on this trip.

A mountain view on our way back to the parking lot.

La Salle mountains
La Salle mountains.

Bull Canyon Overlook & Dinosaur Tracks

After this short hike to Faux Falls, we decided to go even more rural, and we drove a forest road to Bull Canyon Overlook to seek out… more dinosaur tracks.

Dinosaur track at Bull Canyon Overlook
Dinosaur track at Bull Canyon Overlook.
Overlook of Bull Canyon
Overlook of Bull Canyon.
View of Castleton Tower from Castleton Cemetery
View of Castleton Tower from Castleton Cemetery.
Castleton Tower from Castleton Road
Castleton Tower from Castleton Road.
La Sal Mountains
La Sal Mountains – “La Sal” means “the salt.”
Castleton Tower
Castleton Tower
Parriott Mesa
Parriott Mesa

Such unique and beautiful landscape in southeast Utah. And tomorrow, we’ll be heading to Arches National Park for more hikes and beautiful landscapes.

Faux Falls hike stats
Faux Falls Hike
Total Distance2.19 mi
Total Time1:06:10
Total Ascent282 ft
Max Elevation5,268 ft
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