41) Brimhall Bridge Back Door (map disabled)

Please read the Introduction

A great hike with valley, slope, canyon, and ridge walking through numerous plant communities. Permanent water is available in the canyon at the base of the bridge for those who have filters or pills. From Halls Creek overlook Brimhall Bridge is a beckoning feature for hikers, and one many attempt to get to. The canyon, however, is surprisingly difficult to traverse and there is often water in a large water hole about half way up the canyon. The hole can be ten feet deep and is sixty feet long with a chockstone at the upper end; a recipe for disappointment. The back door hike is more strenuous, longer, and takes more time, but is a great hike and allows access to the Bridge almost anytime. (Snow could make this a bad trip.)

TIME:3-4 hours to the base of the Bridge.
ELEVATION GAIN:1100 feet to the base of the Bridge but that becomes 3000 feet round trip from the overlook.
DIFFICULTY:Moderate route finding. Moderate scrambling.
MAPS: Deer Point
GEOLOGY:Interesting. Lots of rock walking (that's good).
PLANTS:Many different communities.
CIRCLE TRIP:Yes. No. Maybe.
Yes - If the pool is empty or the hiker willing to cross it in any condition this is a fine circle trip.
No - If the pool is wet you may choose to do an out and back the same way.
Maybe - If you follow this description in and try to come out through the water hole maybe you will change your mind.
ACCESS:

From the visitor Center drive 9.2 miles east on Utah Highway 24 to the signed Notom Road. Turn right (south) and drive 13.6 miles to the Sandy Ranch Junction. Bear right (south) and drive 19 miles to the Burr Trail Junction. Go straight (south) and drive 11 miles toward Bullfrog to a signed junction. Turn right (west) on pavement and drive 0.8 miles to a signed junction. Turn right (west) toward Halls Creek Overlook.

CAUTION If this road is wet do not attempt it even with 4-wheel drive.

The road is a bit rocky in places and has lots of clay on hills. Park near the pavement if the ground is wet, else drive 2.6 miles to another signed junction. Turn right (west) and drive 0.3 miles (of bad, high clearance road) to Halls Creek Overlook (H).

Walk one mile down the Halls Creek Overlook Trail to the wash at the bottom. Turn right and walk north on the right (east) bench beside the wash. The main valley trail will show up toward the north end of the first rock hill on the right. Follow it north for a total of one mile.

After the first open area the trail enters a grove of Cottonwood trees. Between the first two big Cottonwood trees, the common five foot high plant is Rubber Rabbitbrush. After passing all the Cottonwoods the trail goes through an area inhabited by Sandsage plants which grow to six feet high but have thin branches and look somewhat fragile. A few of the plants hang out over the trail so hikers brush by the green or gray brown foliage. After a few minutes, cross the main wash. Ten steps or so beyond the wash the large ten foot high bushes are Tamarisk.

When the trail gets to the main wash again it may end in a vertical wall. If so, walk left along the side of the wash to the first place the wall is broken, then cross the wash. On the other side, the trail should be easy to find since it goes up stream parallel to the wash for a while. After you have gone a mile up the main valley the trail will descend to a large wash. Turn left (west) up the wash (A), headed into Color Canyon. Wind up through the Entrada and Carmel Formations to where the rock color changes to the tan of the Navajo Sandstone. At the far end of the first short narrow section in the Navajo there are some Apache Plume.

Above those narrows a ways the stream turns right and goes to the north wall of the canyon. Next, it bends left and goes to the south wall. The next major bend again sends it north but the bank on the left (west) is a stream deposit composed of rocks and sand, not a solid wall of sandstone. The next bend is to the left and it sweeps in a broad loop turning about 180 degrees around that deposit. A short straight (sort of) stretch lies beyond the next bend to the right (west) and, for the first time, red brown rocks can be seen below or beyond the tan Navajo Sandstone. At the end of the straight stretch the main wash makes a hard turn to the right (north) and at the bend a minor wash comes in from the left (south). The route leaves the main wash here (D) and goes up the steep hill between the two washes.

After climbing about forty vertical feet the slope lessens and it becomes apparent that the ridge you are on heads up and toward a slope at the base of the Navajo wall. On the right (west) side of the slope is the red brown Kayenta Formation and on the left the tan Navajo Sandstone and wall.

FOR THE REST OF THIS HIKE, WALK WITHIN 100 FEET, (RARELY FARTHER), OF THE CONTACT (JUNCTION) BETWEEN THE TAN AND RED BROWN ROCKS.

Walk up slope until the Kayenta slickrock is walkable right along the top of the cliff on the right (north) side of the slope. Except for short sections of debris the Kayenta rock can be walked all the way to the top of the pass. Just do not get too far from the Navajo. About three fourths of the way up there is a wonderful view of the colored rock in Color Canyon to the left (north). The yellows, blues, greens and purples are in the Chinle Formation, the red brown is the Moenkopi and the tan in the back is the Sinbad Limestone.

Digression.

At the top of the pass, (C) on the left (east) side, there is a little pile of Navajo boulders and a picturesque, twisted Juniper tree. To the east there is a drainage going down to an open rolling area a quarter mile east. That open area is interesting to explore if for no other reason than that it is a remnant stream bed or outwash area and the surface is very old.

To the southwest is a big slickrock slope that is mostly Wingate Sandstone but some of the surface is Kayenta. It, too, is worth exploring.

From the pass, follow the Navajo - Kayenta contact all the way down. Again, most of the best walking is on the Kayenta slickrock. Five to eight minutes down from the top there is a low point in the Navajo wall on the left (east). Near the base of the cliff below that low point there is a small natural bridge. From a point due west of the bridge on down the slope there will be numerous "different" looking rounded rocks. These are quatrz, quartzite and other types of stream pebbles and cobbles from the tens of thousands of years old surface that happens to drain down through the low point in the wall.

The slope goes down more than half way at a relatively constant grade, then steepens. Where the slope steepens look to the right (west). There is some slightly more orange colored rock and a small canyon on the near side of it. Walk down the steeper slope to where that small canyon drainage can be crossed on a nice little ridge of solid bedrock. There are water holes a short distance off each side of the ridge.

Just after crossing the ridge there is a good view ahead. Walk the sloping slickrock, angling down to the wash then, when possible, cross the wash and walk on the slickrock on that side of the wash. Stay on the left (east) side and soon the wall on the left will end offering a view of a narrow canyon to the east. Continue along the slickrock, and about half way across a level stretch of ridge, Brimhall Bridge will be visible on the right (west). At the end of the level ridge stop and look around.

1. To get to Brimhall Bridge, continue in the same direction (south along the ridge) to the wash below then up the wash to the base of the Bridge (B). From there a trip of two hundred yards on up the main canyon is brushy but worthwhile. 2. The front door route to Brimhall Bridge comes up to this ridge out of that canyon to the northeast. 3. The best route to the top of Brimhall Bridge is up the south side along the Wingate - Kayenta contact.

Enjoy


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