Rich's grandfather, Mayo Rich, actually created the trails that help riders canvass the backcountry. One of the trails is named for Rich and another for infamous outlaw Butch Cassidy, who had a still-difficult-to-find hideout in Red Canyon. Rich is the third generation to take visitors through the trails his grandfather blazed in the 1950s and '60s.

"Most of our riders have never been on a horse before," he said. "My grandfather was a science teacher, so we talk a lot of geology and history of the area."

Having help navigating the area isn't necessary, but it is helpful — especially for those new to the area and horseback riding.

"Red Canyon is rough," he said of how Cassidy could elude law enforcement by riding into the area. "It's very historical and one of the best-kept secrets in the area. We do a lot of private rides and a lot of trail rides up to the hideout."

We rode with Rusty and Joe Rechsteiner, the recreations manager for the Powell Ranger District of the Dixie National Forest. He oversees the recreation programs, including horseback riding and camping in the forest. About 15 years ago, officials set up a trailer in Red Canyon to assist visitors in navigating the area.

In 2004, the Park Service opened a new visitor center that has become a very popular draw for tourists looking for something a little different and even a little less crowded than Bryce.

The area has 37 campgrounds, including four set up specifically for campers with horses. In the regular campgrounds, there are showers, flushing toilets and grills. Hitching posts at the horse campsites allow campers to tie up horses at night, or they can do as Tom did and set up a temporary, very cool corral with a portable electric fence. Outhouses make the trails very hospitable, along with a plethora of maps that will assist explorers in finding exactly what they're looking for in the craggy canyons.

After setting up camp, which was more secluded and spacious than a regular campsite, we saddled up and went out for a ride in Losee Canyon. It was the perfect start to what would turn out to be an incredible three days of camping and riding.

I had two favorite scenes on the rides.

The first was riding across a ridge on the Thunder Mountain Trail that was bordered by a Hoodoo. The wind-carved red rock stood like a statute on the side of the trail with the valley on the other side of riders. As we rode across, the sky was dark, threatening to rain, and there was a cool, intermittent wind. No one talked as we crossed the trail next to the Hoodoo the first time. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced.