Cottonwood Wash

Last Saturday we hiked into Yant Flat with the plan of ending up at the Cottonwood Trailhead. It became apparent that we had to change our plans, there was no safe way down to Cottonwood or Heath Wash. So today Kent and I hiked 8.07 miles in the Cottonwood Wash area of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve to get a view of Yant Flat from the bottom. We now know that there really is no way to hike from Yant Flat down to either wash. We did get some nice views and it was a great day for a hike.

Who put all these tumbleweeds here?

Starting out on the Cottonwood Wash Trail

It looks like Spring!

This little arch is visible along the trail

Globe Mallow in bloom

If water were flowing it sure would be neat

We walked through the sandy, rocky stream bed

Cool rock

Looks like chicken pox

Stream beds make your feet tired

We passed through a little canyon

Cottonwood Wash on the left and Heath Wash on the right

Interesting colors in the sandstone cliffs

Ah, we're starting to see some interesting cliffs

Kent took the high road and I met him on the other side

We took a snack break here

Closeup of the textures

Looking towards Yant Flat

The large gray rock looks out of place

Where did these lava boulders come from?

Back through the canyon

We stopped a few times to empty the sand out of our shoes

Yant Flat

When we first discovered Yant Flat we knew our friend Bruce Pitts from Canada would like it, so the three of us set off on a Saturday morning. The area is so close to home, yet most people have never heard of it before. The hike begins on a sandy trail in the forest and out of nowhere the sandstone formations appear, it is an amazing place.

Starting out on the trail

The sandstone swirls in every direction