The Clam Shell
The Clam Shell, Fredonia’s Treasure
By Kelly Hilding
Fredonia, Arizona is located just a few miles south of Kanab. Fredonia is part of the Arizona Strip, holding vast opportunities for photography, recreation and exploration.
The Clam Shell is one of Fredonia’s treasures. Photo by Kelly Hilding.
It was first inhabited by the Anasazi or Basket Makers; their marks left on the rocks of favorite recreation spots for locals and visitors. The Clam Shell is one of those locations.
On the north side of town is Joy Jordan Woodhill Trail Road, which loops around the beautiful red landscape of the Arizona Strip.After traveling on the loop road for just a few miles, you’ll come to a concrete picnic table. You’re very close now, keep going until you reach the second picnic table and you have arrived! You may hear the sounds of a quad or motorcycle in the distance, but chances are you will enjoy the peaceful silence of the high desert. To the right is a dreamland for rock hounds; dried-up beds filled with petrified wood of every size.
Look up to the left, a clam shaped rock formation looms above, the perfect location for native inhabitants to escape inclement weather or enemy trespassers. It is well worth negotiating the terrain to reach the overhang filled with petroglyphs depicting life of the Anasazi.
The Clam Shell is one of Fredonia’s treasures; a peaceful place to ride horses, quads, mountain bikes or just take a hike; a mecca for historians and rock hounds; a must see for visitors to the area.
