Fossil Canyon is located in the "fingers" area of RRCNCA. which receives its name from the shapes of the canyons and cliffs. When standing at the trailhead looking southward, the ends of the pointed cliffs resemble the finger tips of a hand and the canyons look like the space between the fingers. Fossil Canyon is the western most "space" between the two western "fingers." The canyon receives its name from the large number of sponges, gastropods, corals, and scallop-like shell fossils that cover the canyon walls and rocks.
From the trailhead, the bottom of the canyon ascends rather rapidly with several dry pour-overs that can be negotiated without too much difficulty. The trail is not well maintained, so many hikers (along with all bikers and horses) use the well-maintained trail that stays high on the western edge of the canyon.
Once at the top of the canyon, the return trip can be made by any of the trails that descend between the "fingers," or by way of Rock Garden Trail that swings out to the west and then arrives back at the trailhead. The Rock Garden Trail is popular because there are a large variety of cacti along the trail.
No trip to the "fingers" would be complete without stopping to see "Jackson, the Red Rock Canyon Burro." Jackson is from a wild nuisance burro gather that descended from pack animals released by miners over a century ago. Jackson was adopted by the Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association in 2012 and now lives in a fenced area near the trailhead.
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