NOVEMBER 2015
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| COSMIC ASHTRAY |
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| INSIDE THE COSMIC ASHTRAY |
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| INSIDE THE COSMIC ASHTRAY |
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| ENTRANCE/EXIT TO THE COSMIC ASHTRAY |
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| RED BREAKS |
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| RED BREAKS |
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| RED BREAKS |
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| RED BREAKS |
The Red Breaks - Cosmic Ashtray Loop is a classic Escalante hike that combines a great slot canyon with a cool geologic formation. The entire loop is approximately fifteen miles. To get to the trailhead, you will travel down Hole-in-the-Rock Road for 11 miles, then turn left at the sign for Harris Wash. From the turn-off it is about 6 miles to the trailhead. When I drove here in November of 2015, the road was a bit muddy, so I ended up parking about a half-mile or so shy of the trailhead to be safe.
From the parking area, you will cross Harris Wash and follow the dirt road on the other side. However, to get to Red Breaks, you will only follow the dirt road about a quarter mile before turning up a wash coming in on the left. This is Red Breaks. Just keep following it until it becomes interesting. There was one dry fall toward the beginning that you will need to backtrack and get out of the canyon to get around. As you continue up the canyon, it will eventually turn into a really cool slot canyon. There were a lot of chockstones in the slot that you will need to climb under and over. Towards the end I eventually came to a steep section with a large chockstone that I didn't feel comfortable climbing over. It looked like it could potentially shift, and as I was alone, I didn't want to take any risks. I also knew I had to be fairly close to the end, so I exited out of the canyon and made my way over to the Cosmic Ashtray.
Its open desert from Red Breaks to the Cosmic Ashtray, so I would recommend bringing a GPS and some coordinates. I got a little off track on the way, so I pulled out my GPS unit to help me get going in the right direction. I eventually found it. I remember there were a lot of cool volcanic rock located along the slickrock I climbed to get up to the Cosmic Ashtray. After taking a few photos from above, I decided to hike down for a closer look. As I got closer, I noticed some hand holds carved into the side of the rock wall leading into the bottom of it. These must have been made recently, as some trip reports I had read talked about there being no way in or out. So I used them to make my way down to the bottom and walk around a bit before I left. It was really cool down there. When leaving, look for a dirt road down the hill to the east, and follow it south back to your car. This is the same dirt road you walked on at the very beginning of the hike just after crossing Harris Wash.
