The Grotto in Hornet Canyon

it's a really great hike mostly because of the grotto at the end! it was a pretty hard trail and extremely narrow. we had a couple of scares near the top but the rest was fine. we went at about 7:30-8 in the morning and didn't see any hornets.

The hornets on this trail are no joke. It's not worth it. There are two other trailheads within a half mile. I brought my dogs and I felt terrible, because they got stung multiple times when we hit the nest (as did I). If you choose to go, please leave pups and kids at home.

Andrea Lecannon's review is excellent for finding the way. I'll echo what others have said about the last little bit being more challenging, with steeper and some slippery portions of trail, culminating in a little rock scrambling to get to the petroglyphs. Although I didn't get stung, there are, indeed, a lot of the canyon's namesake around--hornets. Yellow jackets too. Mostly they were around creek crossings and seemed more interested in the mud than me. A little surprise: as you near the end of the trail to the petroglyph, there's an offshoot trail going up and to the right. It lends a more fulsome view of Hornet canyon as you ascend, and it goes over to a point where Tyler Smally has placed a wonderful bench as an Eagle Scout project, which gives a grand vista of Steed creek. Actually I liked the bench and expansive view better than the somewhat faded and nondescript petroglyphs!

I got a little lost on this hike, it is not that well marked and are a few forks and wasn't sure which way to go. After I found my way I was eventually stung in my calf by a hornet. Needless to say I did not make it all the way to the Grotto and will attempt again at a later date.

There is a reason this is called "Hornet Canyon". Not good for late summer hiking when wasps/hornets are most aggressive. Got swarmed today just as we were coming up to the Grotto area! Ouch! My son & I had wasps sting us on the ankles, back, and legs. They were completely on the offense and though warned by a cool guy before heading up to watch for "the bees" didn't realize how bad it was! Bees & wasps are very different & what's up there right now is a world of hurt! I'll try again during late spring/early summer. The trail was interesting & with wildflowers in bloom & abundant water for the wasps it would probably be a totally different experience;).

This trail has a huge hornets nest on the ground towards the end. We didn't finish because we were stung multiple times and chased down the trail. Will try again once the weather cools off

Kind of confusing where to start. Probably would have gotten lost if this badass mom (leading her family while carrying a baby) wasn't on the trail at the same time. When the path splits where the branch has fallen over, go to the right.

Make sure you know where the turn off is for the trail. You can walk past it easily if you're not looking. The last part of the trail is steep in some areas so make sure you have good footing coming back down so that you don't slip. Not a good trail for kids. The grotto is beautiful. My dog loved cooling off in the water. I started hiking around 8 a.m. on a Saturday and only passed two people on my way back. It was a breath of fresh air because most trails are getting so over-populated.