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Hiking Forum
The Ultimate Southwest Vacation includes Cedar Breaks National
Monument!
Experience the Spectacular Canyon Country Tour
Stay in Mt. Carmel Jct., the heart of the parks, and visit
the treasures of the Southwest.
Mileage: Mount Carmel Jct.
Cedar Breaks 45 miles
Dixie Forest 22 miles
Zion National Park 12 miles
Bryce Canyon 60 miles
Grand Staircase 9 miles
Red Canyon 47 miles
Sand Dunes 11 miles
North Rim 85 miles
Toroweap 90 miles
South Canyon 75 miles
Plan your Cedar Breaks Vacation with our Utah
Maps and Information
In these pages you will find insiders information on Cedar
Breaks National Monument. This detailed guide includes road maps, park maps,
pictures, trail beta, backpacking, history, fees, geology, flora, fauna, campgrounds
and things for kids to do.
Making summer memories in the Utah national parks and Utah
national monuments.
Utah!
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Cedar
Breaks Road Map
Cedar Mountain Map
Directions to Cedar Breaks
U-143 Closure
Dates. U-143 to Cedar Breaks closes at times in the winter, due to snow depth.
From Las Vegas: Take I-15 north to Cedar City. Take U-14 east
from Cedar City to U-148 and turn left to Cedar Breaks.
From Arizona: Take US-89 north through Mount Carmel Junction and turn west on
U-14. Turn right at U-148 to Cedar Breaks.
From Salt Lake City: Take I-15 south, exit at Parowan. Take U-143 to Cedar Breaks.
From Mount Carmel Junction: Take US-89 north to U-14. Follow U-14 to U-143 and
Cedar Breaks.
Cedar Breaks bottoms is a great hike leading to a close up view of the elusive Cedar Breaks hoodoos.
GPS Coordinates
WGS84 Datum
Crystal Springs Trailhead
37°35.620 N
112°53.629 W
Elevation 8800'
Ashdown Gorge Wilderness
Boundary at Crystal Springs
37°36.543 N
112°53.788 W
Elevation 8900'
Trail Intersection with Road
at Ashdown Creek
37°38.062 N
112°54.364 W
Elevation 7809'
Bunkhouse at Sawmill
37°38.080 N
112°53.733 W
Elevation 7709'
Sawmill Structures
at Spring Creek
37°38.100 N
112°53.127 W
Elevation 7844'
Arch Creek intersects
Ashdown Creek
37°37.617 N
112°51.267 W
Elevation 8498'
End of hike up
Chessman Canyon
37°37.875 N
112°50.548 W
Elevation 9100'
Ashdown Creek and
Rattlesnake Creek Trail
Intersection
37°38.165 N
112°54.190 W
Elevation 7626'
Toms Head
37°38.186 N
112°54.984 W
Elevation 7431'
Flanagan's Arch
Viewpoint
37°37.977 N
112°55.622 W
Elevation 7303'
Trailend on Highway 14
and Ashdown Creek
37°38.048 N
112°56.593 W
Elevation 7000'
GPS coordinates are only references and may or may not be accurate. Do not rely on GPS coordinates as the sole method of navigation. Always have an accurate, detailed map at hand and have the proper map reading and navigation skills before setting out on any hike. Many of the hikes listed in this guide travel into canyons where a GPS has limited capabilities. Always check your position with a detailed map before dropping into a canyon.
Beta: Coordinates and other trail and canyoneering information by Zion Park search and rescue veteran team member Bo Beck and www.zionnational-park.com author Tanya Milligan.
To post trip reports, offer corrections, updates, or for more information please visit the Zion National Park Forum
Suggested Gear : A sturdy pair of shoes are recommend to hike the trails in Zion National Park. Many quality shoes will help grip the rocks and prevent injury. Experienced Zion hikers and canyoneers like the La Sportiva Exum Ridge. This shoe is great for hiking, bouldering and canyoneering.
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Cedar Breaks Bottoms
For those wanting to work hard on a full day excursion, the Crystal Spring to Cedar Breaks Bottom Trail offers many rewards and the enjoyment of a remote wilderness setting. Meander up an old forest road through a coniferous forest, aspen groves, to open wildflower meadows where rugged yet gentle flowing mountain streams keep hikers cool. Gorgeous limestone slot canyons, breathtaking waterfalls, famous Cedar Breaks "hoodoos", and remote towering arches all await along the path. This hike can be done by setting up a car shuttle and for the most part it is a downhill hike. Don't be fooled though, once in Ashdown Creek, travel is sometimes tediously slow and requires hikers attention to prevent slipping and injury. The best time of the year to embark on this adventure would be in summertime when snow pack has melted and water levels are lowest, but be sure to plan the trip around possible monsoon afternoon cloudbursts, as flash flooding can be and often times is a real hazard.
Cedar Breaks Bottoms at a Glance
Photo Album: Cedar Breaks Bottoms Photos
Trail Maps: Cedar Breaks Bottoms Map
Day Hike: Yes, but often done as a backpack.
Distance: 14-18 miles depending on side trips
Average Hiking Time: 10 hours
Equipment: Water shoes are a must. Be sure to take at least 2-3 quarts of water for each person or equipment for filtering water and plenty of energy snacks for the trip. The best map to purchase for this hike is the "Cedar Mountain/ Pine Valley Mountain" National Geographic-Trails Illustrated.
Difficulty: Moderate hiking plus river hiking.
Trailhead: Crystal Springs Trailhead.
Trailend: Cedar Canyon
Trail Access: Highway 14 is open year-round
Elevation at Trailhead: 8800'
Elevation at Trailend: 7000'
Highest Elevation: 9100'
Off the Beaten Path: Yes
Best Season: June - October (Dependant on snow pack)
Cedar Breaks Bottoms
Car Shuttle
Begin by setting up the car shuttle. One vehicle is stationed at the bottom of Ashdown Gorge. The trailend is located in Cedar Canyon. Your vehicle will be parked off the highway, 10.2 miles west on Highway 14 from the intersection of Highway 14 and Highway 148. Look for the concrete spillways on the north side of Highway 14 just after exiting from the narrowest part of Cedar Canyon. There is an east-west running dirt road that doubles back (to the east) just below the highway and ends at Ashdown Creek.
After stationing one vehicle at the trailend, drive east approximately 6 miles on Highway 14 through Cedar Canyon. Bypass the campground, through the tight "S" curves and just a couple hundred yards past these curves locate the dirt road on the north side of the highway identifiable by a gate closure. This is FR361 and the trailhead. There is enough room at the turnoff to park one vehicle without blocking the gate.
Crystal Springs Trailhead
Begin the hike by walking to the right side of the closed gate and continuing up the road for a half-mile through the spruce and fir forest. The road now begins a gradual descent, bypassing the junction of Blowhard Trail at .7 mile, continuing north through a meadow, passing Crystal Spring, finally arriving at the boundary of Ashdown Gorge Wilderness at .9 mile. The road ends here and travel begins on a footpath alongside the light flow of water from Crystal Spring. Soon the trail veers easterly and ascends for a short time before beginning the mostly downhill hike to Ashdown Creek. At the end of a small meadow be sure to pay attention and notice the cairns uphill and to hikers right as the trail begins a quarter mile and 200' vertical ascent to the top of a ridge, overlooking Ashdown Creek to the north and Cedar Breaks to the east. From the top of this ridge the trail now is downhill until arriving at Ashdown Creek.
Potato Hollow
Upon arriving in the large meadow of Potato Hollow the trail becomes quite faint, but by skirting to the left side at the head of the wash notice the trail becomes apparent and soon after crosses to the to the right side of the wash. For the next .75 mile wildflowers are abundant and aspens shimmer their leaves in the gentle mountain breeze.
The Old Road
Soon the trail spits out onto an old road just above Ashdown Creek. Turn right and follow the road to its end. If not planning to hike to Cedar Breaks Bottom, a small footpath just 150 yards past the curve in the road descends to Ashdown Creek and Ashdown Gorge. This road ends just across the creek from an old bunkhouse used by people who once worked the sawmill. Cross over to the bunkhouse and follow the road east through the forest and toward Cedar Breaks.
Ashdown Creek and Arch Creek
Now travel will be done on the creek banks, in the limestone boulder wash and crisscrossing the Ashdown Creek for the next 3 miles until arriving at Arch Creek entering from the north. While hiking up Ashdown Creek be sure to look for the dilapidated sawmill structures on the north side of the creek just .75 mile from the first bunkhouse and at the confluence of Spring Creek with Ashdown Creek. At 1.6 miles the normally dry Adams Canyon wash also enters from the north. Continuing upstream, passing Meadow Hill on its southern flank, soon Arch Creek appears entering from the left.
Chessman Wash and Chessman Ridge
Steer left, where just a short distance later encountering the half mile scramble up Chessman Wash to the base of Chessman Ridge in Cedar Breaks. The erosion of the limestone rock presents many photo options usually only viewed from above by those visiting Cedar Breaks National Monument. If time and energy allows, head back to the confluence of Chessman Canyon and Arch Creek and take a meander up Arch Creek for more spectacular views of "Cedar Breaks Bottom".
Exit through Ashdown Gorge
Now it is time to hike back down Ashdown Creek and spectacular Ashdown Gorge. Retrace the 3 mile (from Chessman Canyon confluence) trek back to the "bunkhouse". Once arriving and at this point if the weather looks threatening, the option of hiking back out to Crystal Springs Trailhead might be wise. If the weather is nice, then by all means continue down Ashdown Creek to the gorge. Walk for a half-mile from the "bunkhouse," traveling in the creek bed, a trail enters from the right. This is the trail that descends from the Rattlesnake Creek - Ashdown Gorge Trail. Just a couple hundred yards further and the gorge begins to close in and become a true slot canyon. The next 3 miles will be in the creekbed with numerous stream crossings on sometimes slippery river boulders. The further west traveled, the deeper and more beautiful the slot canyon becomes. .75 mile down the creek, Toms Head towers on the right, becoming apparent and indicating the confluence of Rattlesnake Creek - Lake Creek entering also from the right.
Rattlesnake and Lake Creek Waterfalls
Don't miss the opportunity to make the relatively easy jaunt up the creek (.6 mile) to the intersection of these two creeks. The creek entering from the left is Lake Creek and the one from the right is Rattlesnake Creek. Just a short 100-200 yards walking up either of these slots will end at wonderful waterfalls,
Flanagan's Arch
Once again hike back to Ashdown Creek and continue downstream. After about a mile start looking at the skyline to the north as the cliffs on the right begin to elevate. By staying on the left (south) bank whenever possible and coming up to a house sized, black boulder, also on the left side of the creek it will be possible to view
Flanagan's Arch. The arch can only be seen from the left large plateau that the boulder sits atop. This flat area is expansive (maybe 2 acres) but could change with future floods.
Coal Creek
From the arch it is now about 1.3 miles down Ashdown Gorge to the awaiting shuttle vehicle. Notice further downstream on the banks, (particularly right, up high) old 1940's vehicles that were used in construction and mining. Coal Creek enters from the left and the walls soon open up. Now it will be a short distance to the parked shuttle vehicle.
Trail History
Ashdown Creek makes its way through Ashdown Gorge, originating in Cedar Breaks National Monument and it empties into the head of Coal Creek. The gorge is named after George Ashdown and family. In 1898 this family owned a ranch and two sawmills on the creek.
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