Grand Staircase-Escalante
National Monument
Personal Notes:
Cottonwood Road and Skutumpah Road Tour
This page contains our personal notes on our drive along the Cottonwood Road, Johnson Canyon Road, and Skutumpah Road, and our hikes down the Cottonwood Narrows and Willis Creek slot canyons in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Kodachrome Basin State Park
On this trip to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument we camped in Kodachrome Basin State Park and used that location as a base camp to explore the Monument. The Park is essentially surrounded by the Monument, so offers easy access to the main features in the western end of the Monument.
9:18 a.m.
I learned something about digital cameras in the wilds. Most of the time I've had to shield my Canon Elf from the heat. I'd forgotten that cold temperatures can also affect electronic performance.
On this cold, 45 degree, morning we started out twice. The first time we had loaded up and were ready to head out for a day of sightseeing and adventure. We drove to the entrance to the park and there I had Anne stop so that I could take a photo of the morning sun illuminating the brilliant reds and oranges of Bryce Canyon National Park, rising above us to the west. But as I tried to take the photo my camera refused to work. The little monitor showed that the battery needed to be charged. Of course I had accidentally left my other battery back home in the wall charger. Cursing my bad luck, we drove back to the campsite to pick up the charger that will works out of a lighter connection in the truck.
I swore that I'd charged this second battery before our recent trip to Zion National Park, and I hadn't used it, so it should have been good for the entire day. Anyway, I hooked up the equipment and off we went again, charging the battery along the way, and hoping that it would be charged enough by the time we go to Grosvenor Arch so that I could get some images.
And it was ready, and that makes me think that the battery didn't need to be charged at all. I suspect that the camera had issues with the 30-40 degree temps. Because once the camera and the battery had warmed up in the truck they both seemed to work just fine. Lesson learned.
Just outside of the park we stopped at the Cottonwood Canyon informational kiosk, which is on the west side of the road, near where the pavement ends and Cottonwood Road becomes gravel. We picked up another copy of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument guide because it has a very good map inside. Our intention was to head to Grosvenor Arch first, then to drive down Cottonwood Canyon Road (Monument Road 400).
Grosvenor Arch
The junction with Cottonwood Canyon Road and the turnoff to Grosvenor Arch is at map coordinates 37 27.168N; 111 50.966W.
9:58 a.m.
Grosvenor Arch is one of the big attractions for tourists within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This was our second visit to the site. On this day there was one other family exploring the location. We had encountered them a bit earlier as they blasted by us out on the dirt road, kicking up all sorts of dust. That must have been a bumpy ride for those kids.
There is a gravel parking area with a pit toilet restroom near the arch. A paved sidewalk leads from the parking area to the arch, which is the prominent feature in the area and hard to miss. The walkway is probably about .25 miles long.
On our first visit we were able to drive right up beneath the arch, but that was before it was a Monument. The BLM has obviously spent a little money to make the site a bit more visitor friendly, and the walk is flat and easy and gets you out of your vehicle and into the sunshine and fresh air. We walked up to beneath the arch, took a few photos, looked around at the surrounding scenery, and headed back to the truck.
10:11 a.m.
It had warmed up to 59 degrees as we heading back to Cottonwood Canyon Road. From there we drove south. Along the way we encountered a small group of cattle on the road. They didn’t want to move over, enjoying the clear path to wherever they were going. But eventually they moved to the side and we were able to slip by them. There were some young ones in the group, and we didn't want to traumatize them or spook them into our path.
Cottonwood Narrows Trailheads
10:28 a.m.
We stopped at the north entrance to the Cottonwood Narrows. There is a small parking area on the east side of the road that could hold maybe six vehicles, if people park with others in mind. The GPS Coordinates are 37 24.119N; 111 50.838W; at an elevation of 5,649 feet.
From there we continued on down the road. There are some interesting, colorful, geological features which are part of The Cockscomb, which is along the east side of the road. There are lots of colors and erosional features that add to the sometimes apparent jumble of geology.
We spotted the southern entrance to the Cottonwood Narrows about a mile farther down the road. It is on the west side of the road, and has a small parking area and a registration box. It is at map coordinates 37 23.364N; 111 50.973W.
Road Conditions
Cottonwood Canyon Road is in pretty good shape, with washboarding only in a few short areas. It didn’t seem that it had been graded yet this year, but there was not a lot of rutting from idiots driving down the road when it is wet. Ruts were at a minimum. But you do have to be cautious in many areas where the road narrows to one lane, especially on hills. We encountered some who thought it was just fine to cruise along the road at high speeds. That wasn’t too bad as long as you could see them and their dust coming, but we just didn’t want to meet them while coming over the top of a blind hill. We did encounter many courteous people who waited at wide spots in the road so that others coming toward them could pass safely. I think most people along the road were that way.
Cottonwood Creek runs along the west side of the road in many places. And at most places at this time of the year is was only a trickle. And we were surprised at that a little, thinking it might be higher with the spring runoff. We noticed that there was still snow in places up in Bryce Canyon National Park, which is where most of this drainage comes from.
11:19 a.m.
Just after we drove passed the trailhead for the Lower Huckleberry Wash Trail and The Box we spotted a large male turkey dash across the road and off into the sage. He was very dark, with a bright red head. A nice looking bird.
After that the road curved off toward the southeast and crossed open country. Some of the guides describe this as the boring part of the drive, but even though the area is more rolling hills and gullies surrounded by sage, there are still exciting cliffs and plateaus visible off to the north. The entire drive has something to offer.
Eventually we reached Highway 89, which runs east and west from Page, Arizona (and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area) to Kanab, Utah, then north to other parts. We took the highway west.
Catstair Canyon Rock Art
12:17 p.m.
On a previous drive through this area we had stopped at the Paria Contact Station for the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area. The volunteer there had given us printed instructions on how to find a rock art panel in the area. We had scouted it at that time, but were not able to stop. So, we decided to make the short hike this time around.
There is a two-rut dirt road to the south, just west of Highway Marker 24, just before the road makes a steep climb (about 18 miles west of Big Water). The GPS Coordinates are 37 07.626N; 111 57.207W; at an elevation of 4,509 feet. There is a metal gate that can be opened and we discovered that we could have driven in about a quarter of a mile further, to where there is a small turnaround area. We could have parked there and shortened our walking distance.
If you drive or walk through the gate, just be sure to close it behind you. There are cattle in the area and you don’t want to be responsible for them getting out and maybe getting hit along the highway.
We walked from the road along a pair of ruts and then a foot path to the entrance of a small, narrow canyon just below the highway. You can easily see the opening to the gorge from the road above. All of the rock art that we found, both petroglyphs and pictographs, are along the south side of the canyon, just inside the entrance. There is a large, prominent cliff there, with a small cave or alcove below it, with a pile of large boulders that obviously fell a long time ago.
There are several different styles of rock art here (see Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Rock Art). The pictographs seem to have been painted first, because it seems that some of the petroglyphs are on top of them, and have removed some of the color. But some of the petroglyphs are hard to see at first, until you see what you need to look for. They have been covered by later material washing over them, and seem faded. You have to look at just the right angle to get a good look at them. There are mostly Desert bighorn sheep, but some of the pictographs are quite interesting and different. There is a red human figure with outstretched arms and legs and four prominent fingers and toes on each hand and foot. Quite different. And there is one tan image that looks like a large tick.
There are also some strange horseshoe type petroglyphs on one of the fallen rocks, and many Desert bighorn sheep on another, as well as what looks like the Roman numeral II. They are also becoming more difficult to see because of the return of the desert varnish.
12:51 p.m.
After we looked at the rock art we explored a short ways up the canyon and realized that it might go on for some distance. When we come back to explore the Kanab area we’ll do a day hike up the canyon just to see what’s there, and if there is more rock art along the way. We stopped exploring about 100 feet beyond GPS Coordinates 37 07.608N; 111 57.634W; at an elevation of 4,514 feet.
1:02 p.m.
On our way into the mouth of Catstair Canyon we encountered a pair of bulls. They seemed interested in watching our approach, and didn't seem to want to move out of our way. One in particular seemed annoyed by our presence, so we worked our way through the sage, getting ourselves close to the barbed wire fence so that we could climb it quickly if the big guy charged. But after we moved away they both lost interest and we were able to move on without a problem. By the time we returned the two big guys had moved off and were no longer a problem.
OUr GPS showed that we had walked about 1 mile round trip. That would indicate that the rock art is about .4 miles from where we parked the truck. An easy walk.
Paria Movie Set
From Catstair Canyon we continued on up the highway to its junction with Monument Road 585 (map coordinates 37 11.115N; 111 59.748W; at an elevation of 5,341 feet). There is a large parking area here, with a tall stone monument and some informational plaques. From there we headed north to the Paria Movie Set. This is a pretty good road most of the way, with some spectacular scenery on both sides. The road has a couple of steep places, especially close to the old movie set, but a street vehicle can make it okay.
1:32 p.m.
The Paria Movie Set is at map coordinates 37 14.218N; 111 57.492W; at an elevation of 4,774 feet. The original movie set was washed away in a flood a few years back, so locals rebuilt the it in a slightly different location as an historical marker. There were a good number of the old westerns that were shot at this locality. There are four or five buildings in the area, all open for the public to walk through, free of charge.
There are also a couple of shaded picnic tables and a pit toilet. It was 71 degrees and hazy while we were there. For me the most amazing part of the area is the spectacular scenery. It is very colorful, with purples and grays and pastels banded across the faces of the eroded slopes. It seems they are in every direction. It struck me that this would be the area that I would call “Kodachrome Basin” because of the full range of colors visible from any vantage point.
2:25 p.m.
We ate our picnic lunch, enjoying the shade of a tall tree, and then took a stroll through the reconstructed buildings. There are informational plaques at several places inside that explain the local history, what movies were made here, and they include photos of what the area used to look like. It's all pretty impressive.
2:31 p.m.
From there we drove down to the cemetery, at map coordinates 37 14.579N; 111 57.440W; at an elevation of 4,750 feet. None of the identical sandstone headstones have names. There is just one large memorial with all the names of the buried listed on it. Apparently they know who is buried in the fenced in grave yard, but they don't know exactly who occupies each grave.
From there we drove down the road a short ways until it became too narrow and the brush was scraping up the sides of the truck pretty bad. We were looking for the original town site, but once we got to the Paria River we decided to turn around and head back.
Johnson Canyon Road
From there we drove back on Monument Road 585 to Highway 89, where we continued west toward Kanab until we came to the junction with the paved Johnson Canyon Road, at map coordinates 37 2.223N; 112 21.999W; at an elevation of 5,102 feet. This road passes through farm and ranch land, with some interesting scenery on both sides. Eventually the road enters the National Monument and becomes Monument Road 501.
Skutumpah Road
After a few miles we came to the junction with Monument Road 500, which is locally known as the Skutumpah Road. The junction is at map coordinates 37 15.572N; 112 22.726W; at an elevation of 5,945 feet. This is a gravel and dirt road, but it seems that it has been graded recently. It was in good shape.
There are working ranches and dude ranches and individual cabins along this road. There is also a small airport, with a dirt runway. Along much of this road the Rainbow Point section of Bryce Canyon National Park looms just off in the distance. It's a nice backdrop for most of the drive.
Eventually the road passed down into a wash (possibly Lick Wash) where there appears to have been some recent flood damage, and after that the road becomes a bit more rutted and bumpy.
Bull Valley Gorge
4:48 p.m.
The Skutumpah Road goes down a steep slope and unexpectedly crosses Bull Valley Gorge, at map coordinates 37 28.309N; 112 6.601W; at an elevation of 6,042 feet. It’s quite impressive. We stopped at a wide spot in the road, as it climbs back up the east side, and walked back down to a small parking area (maybe big enough for two or three vehicles) where there is a registration box set back in the trees, along a trail. We looked into the deep slot canyon that the road passes over. There seemed to be a trail heading south along the top of the slot, and I know from reading that there is a way down into the slot where hikers can continue on down stream to Sheep Creek. There are steep hills on both sides of the gorge, and there is additional parking up near the top of the hill on the east side.
Willis Creek and Sheep Creek Trailheads
We also drove past the large parking area for the Willis Creek slot canyon trail, at map coordinates 37 28.987N; 112 5.803W; at an elevation of 5,983 feet, and a bit later the parking area for the Sheep Creek Trail, at map coordinates 37 29.482W; 112 3.921W; at an elevation of 5,874 feet. There were two or three cars at the Willis Creek Trailhead.
From there the road opens to spectacular views of Bryce Canyon and Powell Point and the other surrounding features of the Monument. Eventually the road winds down a steep set of switchbacks down to the Cottonwood Creek flood plain. The road crosses the river at a ford and meets up with the paved portion of Cottonwood Road, west of Kodachrome Basin State Park, at map coordinates 37 31.851N; 112 2.985W; at an elevation of 5,734 feet. From there it was an easy drive back into Kodachrome Basin State Park.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Cottonwood Narrows Hike
9:19 a.m.
We were the first to park at the northern trailhead to Cottonwood Narrows. It was 60 degrees outside. We weren't sure if there would be water in the gorge, so we took a quick hike to a point where I could see into the tight canyon. The wash seemed dry. So we decided to wear our regular Vasque Clarion hiking boots. Because of the short distance and expected easy walking conditions I decided not to taking my walking stick.
9:33 a.m.
The one way distance, from the northern trailhead to the southern trailhead, is supposedly 1.9 miles. The guides talk about this as good for a family hike, so we weren't expecting anything too strenuous. Just a pleasant walk on a cool spring morning.
The trail begins immediately across the road, to the west, from the parking area. It’s pretty easy to see. At one point the trail takes a quick dip, and you have to make a decision to continue on down, to the left, or climb back out and head off a short ways to the north. We took the more direct route to the left, because we could just see the canyon from there. Somewhere along in there I scraped my shin on a chunk of ragged rock and knocked out a pretty good sized chunk of skin. Ouch! But it didn’t bleed too much.
The route we took turned out to be the shorter of the two, but the trail ends at a ten foot drop above a rocky cliff. We were able to find foot holds and lowered ourselves over the edge and dropped down to the sandy bottom. This route may be more difficult for older folks or small children. We did see where the other route descends into the canyon, and it looks to be just a bit longer, but it enters the canyon with a more gradual descent over a sandy slope. If you were to return up the canyon, that second route would definitely be the better way out.
Once in the narrow canyon we went upstream, to the north, for a few hundred feet. That is a tight, interesting area and should be part of your hike. We could have gone on for some distance, but decided to retrace our steps and moved down stream. Along the way I stepped on what I thought was dry sand along the side of a steep sandstone slope. It turned out to be wet, and my boot slipped off. Down I went. Fortunately I landed in the sandy bottom of the wash, but I scraped my elbow on the sandstone wall on the way down, scraping off a quarter sized piece of skin just below my right elbow. Ouch! Again. But again, not much bleeding. It just took off the top layer, like a carpet burn. Ah well ... I usually don’t get injured on these trips, so I might as well get a couple of bumps at the same time.
The canyon itself varies from six to ten feet wide to over twenty feet in some areas. The walls vary in height, but in most areas are probably at least 100 to 200 feet high. Maybe more. I’m usually a poor judge of that sort of thing. But the canyon twists and winds its way gradually to the south trailhead, where the canyon widens out and makes a sharp bend to the east, then back toward the south, as it comes out along the Cottonwood Road again. Watch for the footprints heading up the east side of the wash.
We were fortunate to have the little canyon all to ourselves, and could hear the many different types of birds singing away as they went about their early morning routines. The sky above was deep blue and there didn't seem to be much of a breeze between those close walls. The trail follows the bottom of the wash, so most of the route is over sand and gravel, but the walking wasn't too difficult. The grade is gradual, with only a few places where we had to step over rock falls. As the guides say, this would be an easy, enjoyable family hike.
10:28 a.m.
As the trail approaches the road there is a registration box and a small gravel parking area. There were no vehicles there on this morning. There are also no restrooms nor drinking water at either trailhead. While there we spotted a very large spiny lizard. It let us approach to within a few feet. It was similar to others we’d seen, but it seemed to have a more rounded body, like the fuselage of a jet airliner. He was probably ten inches long, from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail. He didn't look as fragile as some of the other lizards we see around the southwest.
We decided to walk back to the truck along the road, which is about 1 mile. There is interesting scenery along the way, so the walk goes quickly, and we did not encounter a single vehicle along the way. From the southern trailhead It i’s slightly uphill, until you reach a pass, and then the road descends to the northern trailhead. By then there were several more vehicles parked next to ours.
10:55 a.m.
Back at the truck we pulled off our boots, drank some water, and headed back north along the Cottonwood Road to its junction with the Skutumpah Road. The air temperature was about 70 degrees.
We took the Skutumpah Road to the Willis Creek Trailhead. Just before we got there we had to stop on the road because of a string of mules and horses and their riders were blocking the way. Apparently there was a group of tourists that rented horses and took them down Sheep Creek, then tried to come out Willis Canyon. The wrangler told us that they had worn out the horses, so they had to bring them another group. The wrangler seem quite upset. There were a couple of those tourist guys that maybe should have been carrying the horses. They all could have used the exercise of walking.
Willis Creek Hike
12:17 p.m.
We arrived at the Willis Creek Trailhead. At that point there were six other vehicles in the large parking area. There is a registration box, but no drinking water nor restrooms.
Here we did put on our 5-10 Canyoneering water boots and neoprene socks. We could see that there was a couple inches of water flowing down the stream. This was the first time we got to use our new boots (we bought them in preparation for our September hike down The Narrows in Zion National Park).
There are two ways you can go. Right across from the entrance to the parking area is an obvious path along the top of the slot canyon, which, after a short distance, drops down into the wash. But you can also go down to the stream bed, where the road crosses, and from there you can follow a route down along the stream. You’ll come to a tight waterfall and narrow slot. There is a way down a steep slope to the west, or right, of the water fall (as you face down stream). We took the trail route in and came out the stream route.
The upper route passes along the edge of the canyon for a short ways, then drops down a crumbly slope into the stream bed. The water was only a couple of inches deep along there, and meanders back and forth, from wall to wall of the canyon. The canyon is only twenty to thirty feet deep in this area, but gets deeper as you head down stream toward the confluence with Sheep Creek.
There is only one place along the route where things could get a little hairy if one is not careful. Early on you come to a short waterfall, maybe ten to 15 feet deep, and very tight. The water really rushes through there. There are routes on either side of that will get you past it and down into the next section of the gorge. Facing down stream, the route to the left is the shortest, but may be a bit more dangerous. You have to work your way along some slippery sandstone that is right above the falls. But once across this section there is a short trail that drops quickly back into the canyon.
The other route is to the right, looking down stream. This route climbs up over some low sandstone rocks, then cuts down over a sharp edge. We came up this way and had to scramble. Going down might be a bit more difficult. Just be careful and you should have no problem.
Most of the people in the canyon had on regular hiking boots or tennis shoes. And in most areas I’m sure they were able to find dry footing to get along, although it seemed that they had to pick their way to avoid getting their boots too wet. With our water boots we were able to either walk in the stream or on the gravel, depending upon the situation.
Of course, when the really tight parts of the slot canyon came along the stream was often spread from side to side. Some areas are probably only six feet across or less. In those areas those wearing regular boots had no choice but to get them wet.
The water was cold, but not unbearable. With our neoprene socks our feet stayed warm. The boots worked well, and gave us good support. With the socks on we didn’t get any hot spots. They will work well in The Narrows of Zion National Park.
We met a few people on the way in. They were mostly on their way out by then. The farther down the canyon we went, the fewer people we encountered. Eventually we were on our own. We came to a pair of arches high up along the left or northern side of the canyon wall. They are kind of broken up, but interesting. Then we spotted the dry confluence where Averett Canyon comes into Willis Creek, at map coordinates 37 28.907N; 112 4.757W; at an elevation of 5,824 feet.
1:46 p.m.
About a quarter of a mile downstream from the Averett Canyon confluence we made it to the confluence of Willis Creek and Sheep Creek, at map coordinates 37 28.391N; 112 3.903W; at an elevation of 5,770 feet. There is a big T in the canyon, and both canyons are pretty deep, although wide, in this area. I was expecting a wide open space. This area is pretty interesting on its own. Although the area is posted as a Wilderness Area, and there are signs right along the stream sides, there was evidence of ATV activity along the stream bed. Actually for quite a ways up Willis Creek. It seems that those who explore these areas on motorized vehicles lose some sensitivity for the fragile Nature around them. So often the evidence indicates that they just don’t care, or that they think they are above the law.
It was interesting to see the clear water from Willis Creek moving into and parallel with the muddy water from Sheep Creek. There was sort of a demarcation line as they flowed together, the muddy water dancing with the clear waters as they blended together. But then the two streams hit the solid rock wall and both became muddy for their journey down stream to where they meet the Paria River.
We looked around there for a few minutes, then headed back upstream to find a shady spot to sit for a few minutes and have a snack. It is supposed to be two miles from the trailhead down to the confluence with Sheep Creek.
On the way back up stream we encountered more folks heading downstream. There were a couple of family groups, so there was more noise, as the kids giggled in the chilly waters. It seemed that most folks only wanted to go through the slot canyons and weren’t too interested in the other parts of the canyon farther down.
2:59 p.m.
On the way back to the trailhead we bypassed the route that we came in on to see where the stream crossed the road. There is a tight waterfall where the little bit of water in the stream really picks up force as it shoots through a narrow gap. From there we climbed out of the shallow canyon along a soft slope to the left (looking up stream), and then walked the short distance to the road and back to the parking area.
3:11 p.m.
We’re on our way back to camp, going up Skutumpah Road. It is 78 degrees. We had a good time, it was a nice, easy, short hike, and we're happy that our water boots worked well.
