Rattlesnake Creek (Dixie National Forest)

verified ACA 3A Unknown flood risk

One 65 foot rappel in five to eight hours of walking, which tells you what this is: a hike into Ashdown Gorge that happens to need a rope once. The route drops 2,798 feet from the Cedar Breaks rim down to the creek.

Canyoneers come for the gorge, not for the technical line. From the trailhead the route follows the Cedar Breaks boundary fence west across alpine meadow into spruce and fir, passes a small meadow with views into both Cedar Breaks and Ashdown Gorge, drops through mixed conifers into an aspen drainage, crosses a large open west facing slope, and reaches the grassy expanse of Stud Flat before descending to Rattlesnake Creek itself, where the forest turns to ponderosa, pinyon and juniper. Call it 5.4 miles point to point, high point 10,473 feet and low point 7,683. A passenger car reaches the trailhead at 37.66273, -112.83797, and the shuttle to 37.63208, -112.94112 is optional at about 45 minutes. The lower trail runs onto private land near Ashdown, so stay on the route where it leaves Forest Service ground. The top end sits above 10,000 feet and holds snow late, and the rim is Cedar Breaks National Monument with its own rules, so check the monument and the Dixie National Forest both before counting on access.

Logistics

Manager	USDA Forest Service, Dixie National Forest
Permit	No permit required.
Technical	1 rappels, longest 65 ft
Vehicle access	Passenger
Coordinates	37.64127, -112.90824

Rattlesnake Creek (Dixie National Forest)

Logistics

Sources