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Directions: |
Car Spot:
From Highway 89 between Page, AZ and Kanab,
UT drive to between mileposts 17-18 and turn
north on the well graded, dirt Cottonwood Road.
Drive 14.4 miles to just past a cattle guard and
right branching Brigham Plains Road to a short
pull off on the left (west) that is the
trailhead for Hackberry Canyon. The gps point
for the car park is: UTM 419359mE, 4123741mN
Trailhead:
The road to Round Valley Draw branches off of
Cottonwood Road (note: Cottonwood Road is the 46
mile long dirt road that connects Highway 89
with Highway 12 at Cannonville, UT) about half
way between Kodachrome Basin State Park and
Grosvenor Arch. Look for the sign for
Round Valley Draw on the south side of Cottonwood Road. Head south
on this road (Rushbed Road, also called Forest
Road #422). Drive ~2 miles to a parking spot and
trail register. |
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Hike Description: |
From the car park, begin walking down the wide
rocky wash. After about a mile, a sandstone shelf
appears under foot and soon you reach the
beginning of the slot canyon. You will be faced
with a bit of a down climb to work your way into
this narrow and twisty slot. Once in the bottom,
simply head down canyon. There are a few boulder
problems as you proceed, but be aware that the
watercourse can change with every flood. The canyon
is deep, narrow and sculpted, but the
yellow/gray walls and dim lighting make getting
good photographs difficult. As you near the
junction with Hackberry Canyon (which enters
from the right), the canyon begins to widen.
The hiking in Hackberry is flat
and easy, however occasional sections of deep
sand will bog you down a little. Though not a
slot, Hackberry provides some very nice desert
scenery featuring tall yellow Navajo sandstone
walls dotted with juniper. About 2 miles below
the junction with Hackberry, Death Valley Draw
enters from the right, and another mile below
that, Booker Canyon enters from the left. A
detour up Booker Canyon about a mile will bring
you to a few dryfalls and a short section of
narrows before you are stopped by a sheer
pour-off.
Below Booker Canyon, it's more of
the same in Hackberry. At about the 9.5 mile
point, the sand becomes damp and soon forms a
trickling stream that becomes larger the
further down canyon you proceed. You'll be able
to jump over the stream for a while, keeping
your feet dry, but eventually this game becomes
more effort than it's worth and the best route
is often to splash through the creek. Not far
below where water first appears there is a
prominent bench on the right that makes a decent
camp site (as long as you can find a spot not
covered in horse poop). Just behind this camp an
old stock trail leads up and out to the rim.
Once on the rim you'll have views east back down
into Hackberry Canyon and west of Cottonwood Butte, though the sandy track isn't terribly
interesting otherwise.
Proceeding down Hackberry Canyon
for about another 1.5 miles
Stone Donkey Canyon
enters from the right (UTM
418626mE,
4131999mN). A short detour
up this canyon will bring you to a spring, pool
and small arch. Further up, the canyon forms a
tight and scenic slot canyon that is well worth
a visit. Those without technical gear can hike
up from the bottom. A technical descent of the
canyon will require 2x200' foot ropes, and is
described in the link above.
Continuing down Hackberry another
1.5 miles will bring you to another prominent
side canyon that enters from the right (UTM
417342mE,
4128172mN). Those with a
little time on their hands might consider
completing a 3 mile (total out-and-back
distance) detour to Sam Pollock arch. To get
there, walk up this side canyon until you
encounter a pour off at the top of the Kayenta
formation. Look for a trail on the right (facing
up canyon) that leads up and around this
obstacle. Continue up canyon to locate Sam
Pollock arch looming above the streambed on the
right. When ready, return the way you came.
Just below the drainage leading
to Sam Pollock arch, Hackberry becomes very wide
as it heads through the Moenave and Chinle
formations
- look for hikers trail on one side of the bank
or the other which make for easier walking.
After taking an abrupt bend to
the left (east) the canyon narrows suddenly,
becoming quite scenic as it breaks through the
Cockscomb. Just beyond, you'll arrive at
Cottonwood Wash. Cross the wash to arrive at the
Hackberry Canyon Trailhead and the car you
spotted earlier.. |
