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BRIMHALL BRIDGE HIKE
 GENERAL
DESCRIPTION
A day hike from Halls Overlook to Brimhall Bridge that requires
moderately difficult scambling and, at times, deep wading.
LOCATION OF TRAILHEAD
Halls Overlook, located on a spur road about 3 miles west of the
Notom-Bullfrog Road. The Notom-Bullfrog
Road is hard-packed dirt, generally passable to passenger
cars. The spur road to Halls Overlook is rough but usually passable
to high clearance two-wheel drive vehicles. Total distance from
Utah Highway 24 is 57.6 miles.
MAPS
USGS 7.5 Minute Series: Deer Point or Earth Walk Press, Capitol
Reef National Park. Available from the CRNHA
at the park Visitor Center
BEST SEASON TO HIKE
Spring and Fall.
NOTE
Before starting this hike, be aware that the route to Brimhall
Bridge is mostly unmarked. Carry plenty of water; waterpockets
along the route cannot be relied upon.
DESCRIPTION
Halls Overlook provides an outstanding view of the lower Waterpocket
Fold and Grand Gulch. Brimhall Bridge can be seen from this
point in a narrow canyon that cuts into the Fold just across Halls
Creek from the overlook.
The steep, switchbacking trail that descends from Halls Overlook
to Halls Creek was originally constructed by stockmen to provide
access between the mesa top and canyon bottom. Today, it is
used mostly by hikers and backpackers. This part of the route
is steep and rough but fairly well marked. Keep in mind that
you must climb this steep trail to return to the top of Thompson
Mesa. In warm weather this west-facing slope can be very hot,
so it is a good idea to time your hike so that you can ascend
this trail during the cooler morning or evening hours.
The marked trail ends at Halls Creek; from this point on you
will need to do your own route finding. The following information
should help.
After crossing Halls Creek, which is normally dry at this
point in its course, walk south along the sandy bench until
you reach the first major side canyon on your right. This is
Brimhall Canyon. Notice how the vegetation changes as you make
the transition from the wide, dry benches of Halls Creek to
the narrow, shady confines of Brimhall Canyon. Rabbit brush,
sage, grasses, and cottonwoods predominate in Halls Creek, while
Brimhall Canyon, with its cooler, moister micro-climate, supports
a more diverse mix of oaks, single leaf ash, pinyon, juniper,
and a variety of shrubs, including squawbush, buffaloberry,
buckthorn, bricklebush, and serviceberry.
Looking up the canyon from near its mouth you can clearly
see three of the major rock layers that make up the Waterpocket
Fold. The high, sheer walls of the lower canyon are carved in
the Navajo Sandstone, which is the predominantly exposed white
rock of the Waterpocket Fold. Here, within the canyon, weathering
has stained this sandstone with reddish and brown tones. The
view up-canyon through the "V" of Navajo Sandstone reveals the
ledgy Kayenta formation, dotted with pinyon and juniper trees,
and the smooth, upper surface of the Wingate Sandstone, reddish-orange
in color. These rock layers were originally deposited as flat-lying
sedimentary strata about 190 million years ago, but the upthrust
in the earth's crust that formed the Waterpocket Fold has tilted
these strata at a steep angle and created the topsy-turvy situation
in which the older layers lie at the higher elevation.
The first quarter mile of Brimhall Canyon is an easy hike
up the wash bottom. The canyon walls deepen quickly as you walk
toward the heart of the Fold, and you soon come to a point where
the canyon appears to end in a steep, talus-filled crack straight
ahead of you. The main canyon actually makes a 90-degree bend
to the right, and you must get around a steeply sloping dry
fall to continue. A short, steep friction climb of the slickrock
slope just downstream of the dry fall will get you into the
upper canyon.
A short distance beyond the top of the fall the canyon makes
another right angle turn, this time to the left, or west. Here
the canyon narrows dramatically for a short stretch and can
sometimes hold a pool of water that may require a deep wade
or a short swim. The upper end of this narrow stretch is choked
with many large boulders that require use of both hands and
feet to negotiate. As you work your way through the rocks, stay
to the left and follow along the high, curving wall of Navajo
Sandstone - this will keep you in the main wash.
Another hundred yards of scrambling will bring you to an impassable
dry fall in the main wash. Climbing the steep slope to your
right will bring you to the edge of a cliff and an excellent
view of Brimhall Double Bridge. If you want to get closer you
have two choices:
1) Work along the ridge to your right and then down the sloping
ledges visible below and in front of you, or
2) walk south along the ridge you are on toward the point of
the large meander in Brimhall Creek - you can descend this ridge
to the creek bottom.
MILEAGES (approximate):
- Trailhead parking to Halls Creek 1.2
- Halls Creek to mouth of Brimhall Canyon 0.2
- Mouth of Brimhall Canyon to Brimhall Bridge 0.9
- Total roundtrip mileage 4.6
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