Doggin' Fisher Towers: Hike With Your Dog In The Footsteps Of John Wayne

Director John Ford was the first to begin shooting Hollywood westerns on location in Utah, making memorable movie scenes among the buttes in Monument Valley. In 1949 he went searching for a new desert location for his upcoming Wagon Master to star Ben Johnson and Ward Bond. He arrived in Moab along the Colorado River where he was shown the Professor Valley and the Fisher Towers. Ford was intrigued enough to make Wagon Master here and more than 50 feature films would be shot on location around Moab in the next 50 years. To John Wayne, this area always defined the West.

Your dog won't be able to draw a full conclusion to agree or disagree with the Duke - the canine hike at Fisher Towers ends when a ladder climb scales an awkward rock before the end of the trail. This is a problem canine hikers come across occasionally since trail descriptions rarely indicate whether a dog can complete the hike. If you see a hike description that mentions ladders, it is generally a good idea to assume ther will not be an alternative way up for your dog and that is the case here.

Still the hike around the hardened mud Fisher Towers - the tallest is about 900 feet - is worth taking with your dog. The trail is mostly nondescript traveling along slickrock and there is absolutely no water so take plenty for your dog on hot days.

The road to Fisher Towers begins near highway mile marker 21 along Utah Scenic Byway 128.

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