Catstair Canyon is one of those stops you could easily drive past—but shouldn’t. Set along the Cockscomb—a long, wave-like ridge of tilted rock that cuts across the landscape—two nearby pullouts lead to completely different canyon experiences: one into a narrowing slot with a strange stack of 1950s cars embedded in the rock, the other into a wider sandstone corridor where pictographs quietly line the walls. Both are quick to reach and easy to combine into a single stop.

From the western pullout along US-89, a short path drops quickly into a narrowing canyon where the walls rise around you and the terrain becomes slightly more hands-on. Within a few minutes, you’ll reach a boulder obstacle that serves as a natural turnaround for most hikers. Just beyond, set against the canyon wall beneath the highway, is one of the canyon’s most unusual features—a stack of old cars from the 1950s, wired together and filled with rock to stabilize the road above. It’s unexpected and a little surreal for such a short walk.

A short distance east along the same side of the highway, a second pullout leads into a broader wash that gradually becomes more enclosed. The canyon walls rise in smooth, pale sandstone, and not far from the entrance, pictographs appear along the rock, along with a few petroglyphs near the base. They are easy to overlook at first glance, so it’s worth slowing down and scanning carefully. Continuing farther, the canyon narrows slightly before ending at a dryfall, which marks a natural turnaround point.

Taken together, this is a playful, slightly adventurous stop that invites curiosity—especially fun if you’re exploring with kids, but just as rewarding if you’re simply in the mood to wander and notice small details.