37) Landing Strip Route into Halls Creek (map disabled)

Please read the Introduction

WARNING! Difficult route for backpacking

This is a quick and dirty route from the top of Big Thompson Mesa down to Halls Creek. For people headed south it saves four miles (each way) over the Halls Creek Overlook trail. The mileage saved is great but there is definitely a price. The traveling, route finding and footing are much more difficult here. For anyone, particularly backpackers, this could end a trip, with a twisted ankle, or worse, before it really begins.

TIME:30 minutes to Halls Creek.
ELEVATION GAIN:720 feet (loss)
DIFFICULTY:Difficult.
MAPS: Deer Point
CIRCLE TRIP:No.
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 Sandy Ranch Junction. Bear right (south) and drive 19 miles to the signed Burr Trail Junction. Go straight (south) toward Bullfrog 11 miles to a signed junction. Turn right (south) and drive on pavement 0.8 miles to a signed junction to Halls Creek Overlook. Turn right (west) and, drive 2.6 miles to the second Halls Creek Overlook sign but do not turn. Continue straight (south) for 2.4 miles then turn right at an unsigned two-track. (There are two close two-tracks. Take the second one which should be at 2.4) The route will go west for a short distance then turn south on a straight path for quite a way. (On the old landing strip.) At the end of the strip the route turns west again and as you drive the main plants in the mesa are Blackbrush and Mormon Tea. Approaching the rim of the canyon the track splits. Turn right, and park after a short distance. The beginning of the route down is at the end of the track (S).

Walk west to the rim. The first goal is to get down through the basin ahead to the pour-over at the low point of the basin. Go down through the eight feet thick cap rock then go a bit left (south) and follow the little ridge down. The dirt is nice and soft and makes for interesting walking. If it is wet, good luck. At the pour-over walk fifteen yards left (south) along the rim to where there is a break then turn back right 150 degrees or so and go down. The route is usually cairned. DO NOT BUILD MORE CAIRNS. The route stays left (south) of the water course or in it with one exception where it goes only about ten feet north.

About 200 vertical feet below the pour-over, the route leaves the water course for good by going left (south) along a rough bench beside a wall. Walk out about 200 feet from the water course then start a down and south pattern. Because there is a cliff below, the route goes a long way south to a ridge south of that unseen cliff.

The last 100 vertical feet is on a down and north ramp. From the bottom of the ramp walk down the wash, onto the left (south) bank, and west about one third of the way across the main valley to the trail (E).


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