Color Canyon refers to the unusual rainbow of colors and shades of rock that radiate from the Chinle Formation in the center portion of the canyon. The hike is worthwhile if only to go that far and return. The full loop adds more interesting traveling, views, and another great trip through a Navajo Sandstone canyon. A great hike with room to explore on your own.
| TIME: | 8-10 hours. |
| ELEVATION GAIN: | 2100 feet. |
| DIFFICULTY: | Moderate route finding. Difficult scrambling. |
| MAPS: | Deer Point |
| GEOLOGY: | Fantastic! |
| PLANTS: | Many different kinds. |
| CIRCLE TRIP: | Yes. |
| 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 (S). |
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 (PN) 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 bushes on the right (north) side of the wash.
Go up the wash through the Navajo sandstone, through the Kayenta formation, past Saddler Arch on the left (south), past (over) some blockages in the wash and beyond to where the canyon narrows and there is a twelve foot high chockstone blocking the way. At that point back up a short distance and climb out on the north side up a beautifully sculpted natural stairway. Scramble up and to the left (west), aiming for the area below the bottom of the cliff wall and huge boulders, but above the rock wall of the canyon you are climbing out of. An intermittent game trail goes upstream well above the wash until you can drop back into it. As you continue up the wash you enter the Chinle formation and the colors of the rock (Shale) are at first interesting and then become amazing. Continue up canyon until you can look back at the colored rock covering the right (north) slope.
Digression: This could be the end of a nice intermediate trip.
Walk through the varied colors of the Chinle and through the next red-brown layer of the Moenkopi. As the canyon narrows, and just before it becomes boulder filled, there is a nice looking tan ramp (B) of limey shale going up to the right (north). You can climb 600 vertical feet on ramps like that. When that first ramp pinches out, move up and to the right (north) to the next ramp east. It will take you almost to the ridge of the next major canyon north. When that second ramp ends head up and northwest, angeling to the right across the tan ridges, and around the head of a wash.
Once on the ridge (C) where there is a view into the next major canyon north, walk northeast along the ridge to the base of the slope coming down from the Wingate ridge on the skyline. From there turn left (north) and work your way into the drainage that is down and to your left. Follow that wash/canyon as winds and drops into the major canyon below (D).
Once in that canyon, just walk down stream checking as many side canyons as you like until you get to Halls Creek valley. Turn right (south) and return to the Halls Creek Overlook trail.
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23June2017
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