John Haynes Ridge is a good one in my book and it also happens to be the highest point in the park so you just know I had to trot my ridiculous peak-bagging ass up its slopes. You’ll find some lovely views if you can tough out the brutal ascent. Definitely a trail worth hiking if you’re at Caprock Canyon State Park.

Hiking John Haynes Ridge Trail: 5-7 Miles Round Trip

The actual John Haynes Ridge trail is 2.29 miles one way but it cannot be directly accessed. You’re looking at something like 7 miles round trip to actually get to do it.

Accessing John Haynes Ridge

To reach the trail, I parked at the North Prong Spur Trailhead and trotted half a mile to where John Haynes Ridge branches off to the left. Fair warning if you’re in less than peak fitness or have little ones: Starting this hike is an ass-kicker.

Look at that climb!

This fucking trail starts with immediate elevation gain of about 500 feet over the course of .25 mile. It had my legs screaming bloody fucking murder and my lungs burning. 

But as soon as I reached the top the rest of the trail was pretty flat, so there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Looping John Haynes Ridge with North Prong

For anyone wondering, I looped John Haynes Ridge to the Upper North Prong Trail, then back down to the regular North Prong Trail before returning to  my car. This made a round trip hike of 7.08 miles that took 3 hours to complete with a total elevation gain of 1,600 feet.

There are lots of easy loops you can make if you want to tour around Caprock Canyon State Park, and I’d include this trail any chance I got.

The Initial Ascent

As I mentioned above, you’re going to do a lot of climbing in that first quarter mile.

When I needed a break I’d pause and turn around to survey the canyon floor sweeping out behind me. On a clear day you can see most of the park from along this ridge. 

The view after the ascent – worth it!

Once I got up the initial ascent, the single track trail wound along peacefully. The dirt on the ridge was sandy colored but down in the canyon it appeared red. I passed two people coming down the climb as I was ascending but after that I did not see a soul on this fucking trail – bonus points, baby!

Hiking the Ridge

The trail is narrow but easy to follow. At no point was I, a person whose compass skills are shaky at best, unsure of which way to go. The ridge is scrubby enough that the cut-out trail was always easy to follow. 

Of note, the trail is fairly exposed – very little protection from the sun. This is not the trail (or park, really) to be doing at midday in summer. 

If I’m honest, the quality of the views declined dramatically after the first mile, but hikers should still keep their eyes peeled. Apparently Aoudad Sheep (an invasive but still cool to see species) call this area home, and in the winter golden eagles nest in the canyons. 

Fern Cave

After 2.29 miles, John Haynes Ridge Trail dead ends into the Upper South Prong Trail. Since I loathe and detest out-and-back hikes with all my soul, I planned to take the Upper South Prong Trail to Fern Cave and then to the Upper North Prong Trail and its corresponding spur back to my car. 

I turned right onto the Upper South Prong Trail and began an immediate descent into the canyon floor that ended at Fern Cave. Fern Cave was neat, fed by natural springs that dripped quickly in the shadow of the canyon. 

The ferns – not the emerald green I’d anticipated.

Unfortunately, the ferns were not the luscious green I’d rather imagined but a rather tired-looking brown. I had a lark wandering around and staring at the canyon walls and the plants, but if you want the truth it wasn’t quite as grand as some pictures on the internet would have you believe. 

Maybe I visited at the wrong time? Or maybe people need to stop putting filters on their nature shots. Nature should be #nofilter please and thanks.

Looping John Haynes Ridge to North Prong Trail

From Fern Cave, I took the Upper North Prong Trail. After ascending from Fern Cave, the trail was mostly flat. Unlike John Haynes ridge trail, this trail was in the canyon, burnt red dirt and rock underfoot and all around. You can read more about my experience on the Upper North Prong Trail here.

From Upper North Prong I turned right to get back onto North Prong Spur, and cruised down that fucker all the way back to my car. 

Too Long: Didn’t Read;

All in all, after the first ¼ of a mile, this was a relatively easy hike with nice (not stunning) views. It provides a good loop with the abovementioned trails and I didn’t regret my hiking choices, which is always a good sign.

• A challenging initial ascent, but easy hiking thereafter
• Views of the whole park on a clear day
• Fern Cave was neat, but a bit underwhelming compared to photos online
• A good trail to combine with others for a longer hike

Would recommend.