Brownstone Canyon & Lower Dam - 12/23/24

Climbing up toward the yellow sandstone Plateau - Between Gateway and Brownstone Canyons

On top of the yellow sandstone Plateau - Turtlehead Peak in Background

View back to Gateway Canyon

Kraft Saddle

There were seven of us that took on Brownstone Canyon. This fantastic hike is colorful, full of scrambles, historic and challenging. We began from the Kraft Mountain Trailhead on Sandstone Drive in the Calico Basin community of Red Rock Canyon NCA. We were up and over the Kraft Saddle quickly and settled into a long hike that begins with a trudge up the gravel of Gateway Canyon wash. After passing Rattlesnake Trail, we came to Upper Gateway Canyon's parade of dryfall scrambles. Just to change it up, a few of us sidled over to the trail that runs just above the wash on the right side. This was my first experience with taking the trail on the ascent.

Heading down to Gateway Canyon

This dryfall is getting more slippery.

Starting up Upper Gateway Canyon

First dryfall Scramble

I was surprised to find that the trail almost continued all the way up, bypassing some of the largest dryfall scrambles. I and many others rather enjoyed the large scrambles in the past and have the choreography down from repetitions over the years. However, it's never too late to find new ways of doing things. So, we travelled the sometimes precarious trail while we watched the others climb the limestone below. The trail began at the right end of one of the cliff-type dryfalls and dipped back down into the wash just a couple of times. It finally ended just before a large flat black boulder that hikers walk on to get to the top of Upper Gateway just before the colorful sandstone wall.

Highest dryfall Scramble

Watching the dryfall scramble from trail Above

View back to Upper Gateway Canyon from Top

Waterslide Mark

After a pause for breathing, we turned to the left and climbed up a waterslide area using another side trail, on the left. Reaching the small canyon that cuts off to the right, we climbed up the rocks and came to a high waterslide on our left. Again, we split up. Most of us did the zigzag route up the waterslide, turned right and climbed up to the plateau in a crack. Two others continued up the small canyon and turned to the left to meet us at the plateau. Our route crossed the plateau on its east side watching for the deep tank landmark of round rising rock face. We passed the deep tank and continued out a sandstone "fin" down to the top of our large descent crack. There, we negotiated the crack down to the Brownstone Canyon wash.

Waterslide Mark

Small canyon climb up to dryfall Zigzag

Chuck makes the Climb

Crossing the yellow sandstone Plateau

We inspected the pictographs and continued down the wide wash to view the petroglpyhs and, further, to visit the old lower dam that was once used when cowboys ran cattle through this area. The large area behind the dam was bone dry, but rest assured, the pond fills up at times and the mirror effect reflecting the colorful surroundings is really something to behold. We sat for our break and talked about someday finally trying the exit up the hill in front of us. Someday. Soon, we were trudging up the gravel wash in Brownstone Canyon as we returned to the "descent" crack which would become our "ascent" crack. We tackled the scramble like pros! However, at the top of the following fin, I missed a turn!

The deep tinaja Landmark

Descent to top of Crack

Brownstone Pictographs

Deb hanging out at the dry dam Pond

No worries. We just pointed our nose in the right direction and found our way over to the high point of the hike to descend to the top of Upper Gateway Canyon. I attempted to find that side trail we used coming up and failed. Instead, we ended up too high and had to slide on the scree back down to the wash. Anywho, by the time we returned to the cars, we were pretty much done. Another adventure by Kay!

Stats: 7 miles; 2000' gain; 6 hours

View from dam to upper Brownstone Canyon

A view across yellow sandstone plateau to Red Cap and on to Wilson Peak of the Sandstone Bluffs

Reaching Kraft Saddle after a long scramble Down