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Escalante River > Red Breaks
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Harris Wash is a major Escalante tributary and offers an easy route to the
river - one of the more popular hikes in the region, this 10 mile trip passes much fine red rock scenery without any
obstructions, through a canyon that becomes deep but is never very narrow. Side canyons offer more of a challenge;
the longest is Red Breaks which joins the wash close to its main trailhead and heads due north, cutting through various
rock layers with colorful formations, a variety of erosional and water-carved features and with one extended narrows section
that is quite testing to explore. This is a journey deep into the wilderness; the canyon is remote, colorful and offers total
solitude. |
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Location: The signposted side track to the Harris Wash trailhead joins the
Hole-in-the-Rock road from the east
at mile 11. It passes a small reservoir on the right then heads across a flat, open area towards a small mesa where
the route divides. The left fork is required here; this becomes quite bumpy, descending steeply along a ridge and
into a small ravine with two dry streambed crossings that may prove difficult for 2WD vehicles. The final section
is along flat land beside the wash, past a corral beneath a sandstone cliff with a series of Moqui steps cut into the
rock. Most camp/park here though the road does continue half a mile more, through a soft sandy area prone to flooding
and ending at the banks of the wash, which is wide, stony and usually dry; at this point the waters flow only after
recent rainfall. The Harris Wash hike involves simply walking downstream towards the Escalante River, while Red Breaks
is reached by crossing the wash and walking along the course of an old track at the far side, which soon descends into
the dry streambed at the lower end of the target canyon.
Photographs: 5 views of Red Breaks.
Description: After a short distance the streambed becomes enclosed by reddish cliffs a
few meters high but remains fairly wide and open, with a lot of boulders, reeds, trees and bushes and occasional small
dryfalls. The first major obstacle is encountered after 30 minutes walking - a vertical step of 20 feet, by-passed by
climbing the walls on the east side. Several minor side canyons join the main ravine which cuts through various colorful
layers of the Carmel formation, and has flat sections alternating with short eroded channels and pools as it erodes
into the different strata.
The main narrows start after 1 hour where the wash enters the Navajo sandstone layer. The passageways are never very
deep but are enclosed and quite interesting. The canyon here has frequent pools - usually just 1-2 feet deep - and several
chokestones beyond which the canyon continues up to 10 feet higher up and so need careful climbing; in several places
use of the 'chimneying' technique is necessary. After the last such blockage, Red Breaks opens out and next are several
shorter, less deep narrow channels separated by wider, sandy stretches. Travel through the narrows section can be avoided
by scrambling up to a bench on the east side and walking along above the canyon.
Almost four miles from Harris Wash and after about 2 hours walking, the canyon divides - to the right, above a dryfall,
is a narrowish passage that doesn't extend too far and is replaced by a shallow streambed that heads towards a butte on
the horizon, across a wonderland of eroded rock domes and hoodoos. The main (left) fork soon ends in a pool and a 10
foot drop below a narrow passage; it is not possible to climb up here but beyond the canyon becomes deep and narrow once
more, as can be seen by scrambling up the ridge between the two branches and traversing the slopes above.
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