Has anybody chosen the northern route to the cosmic ashtray?
I plan a 2 day backpacking trip in the next year.
TH is on Spencer Flat Rd near Big Horn Cyn.
Thx for your recommendations.
the main issue with that route is that the end section of Old Sheffield/Spencer Flats road is extremely sandy once past where the southern right turn to the Red Breaks Drill Pad road heads off, as is a lot of the hike around that north end of Red Breaks.
bonus: not many people head through that pass & the area just north of Red Breaks towards the river is amazing.
it would be worth adding in an exploration of the parallel fracture canyons just north along the river which are locally referred to as First & Main. If I remember correctly, Kelsey refers to them in the non-technical guide to the CO Plateau as Spencer Canyon. It would be easy to hike over to the rim of the Escalante Canyon directly across from the confluence with The Gulch from that trailhead as well.
from what I have read (i have not done this route yet, but it is on my list) the best thing to do is park when you reach a slickrock pad along the road and walk from there instead of risking sand traps toward the end of the road.
Also, the main TH for Bighorn Canyon is nearly 4 miles west of the junction of the drill pad road & old sheffield road, so don't park there unless you really feel like walking an extra 8 miles down the road. there is a corral & slickrock area about halfway out the flats & just north of the 'Pyramid" dome that makes a good parking area if the road is too sandy beyond.
i terms of making sure you are headed in the right direction once you turn the corner of Red Breaks, the old Harris Wash/V road passes almost right underneath the 'cosmic ashtray', so as long as you skirt the edge of the mesa until you run into the road, you should have no route finding problems.
I was seriously thinking of doing a route at some point that would leave from the trailhead you are thinking of, head over to the sandslide where the old Harris Wash road descends to the river, head downstream to Harris Wash & then head up Harris Wash & around Red Breaks via a narrows/slot canyon that is just east of Tunnel Slot & then walking the old road back to the trailhead. it would be a seriously sandy slog for the last day though and came out at mileage of around 3o miles total - meaning more than just 2 days to be enjoyable.
if you remember to, message me close to the time when you plan to go and i can try to give you better road condition info, etc.
I spend a lot of my time in early spring out in that area & also know the ranchers who run cattle out there pretty well.
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