Continued from the previous page.

BRAYTON POINT

Some of the best views along the Cassidy Trail are from Brayton Point, a high mesa overlooking Losee Canyon.

Like Ledge Point, you can walk very close to the edge of the cliff on the west, north, and east sides of the wide point and see for miles in all three directions. The elevation here is about 7,830 feet.

I showed one photo from this viewpoint at the beginning of this entry (first page). Here are some other photos I took from Brayton Point on both of my hikes:

View west toward lower end of Losee Canyon and the Sevier River Valley (US 89)

Above and below:  views to the north

 

Above and below:  looking more down into Losee Canyon

 

Looking NE to colorful mountains where the Cassidy Trail intersects 
with the high ends of Losee and Casto Canyons

From Brayton Point it's a half mile down to the next intersection with the Rich Trail. Here are the USAF trail map section and my GPS track again so you can see where I'm talking about:

 

1= out and back section to first trail intersection; 2 = Ledge Point
on first loop; 3 = Brayton Point on third loop; 4 = turnaround

The next three views are from the northeast side of Brayton Point as I was hiking clockwise around this loop:

 

 

The trail descends steeply past this colorful rock wall to another intersection with the Rich Trail:

At that intersection I'd gone 3.9 miles.

When Jim and Casey hiked with me we turned right on the Cassidy Trail and stayed on the east side of the loops back to the parking area for a total of 6.3 miles.

On my first hike (solo) I continued another half mile north and east on the Rich Trail around the left side of the fourth and final loop. This part of the trail goes back up to 7,800+ feet and has excellent panoramic views:

 

 

View west to Brayton Point (L) and Losee Canyon

Not much is holding up this huge boulder!

 

At 4.4 miles I was at the north end of the Rich Trail where it intersects again with the Cassidy Trail.

The Cassidy Trail continues north for another five or six miles past the eastern trailheads for Losee and Casto Canyons. I followed it for another 1.7 miles before turning around. The trail remained between 7,800 and 7,900 feet until I returned to this intersection.

The next photos are from the Cassidy Trail out and back from this trail juncture:

 

The trail itself wasn't all that interesting so I walked closer to the edge of the cliff when I began seeing these colorful rocks in the distance to the north:

 

 

 

View west through Losee Canyon

From this point I had hiked 7.8 miles and had 2.6 more to get back to my car at Red Canyon. I stayed on the east side of all the loops, hiking trail sections that were new to me until I got to the last loop going south. The trail made a net descent but there were still some small uphill sections.

I enjoyed the east sides of the northern loops because the trail was still high enough to have good views into the distance and there were some interesting rock formations nearby:

 

 

Below those rock formations the trail descends the last two miles south to Hwy. 12:

 

Looking back up the trail

The last part through the canyon next to the wash has more trees but feels hotter because you can't feel breezes as much. It's also less scenic with more limited views.

At least the trail is fairly smooth:

 

 

On this longer hike I had a total of 10.5 miles. Because of all the photos I took and stops I made, it took nearly five hours.

FINAL COMMENTS & WARNINGS

I enjoyed all the colorful rocks on these trails and the gnarly, twisted trees. Very few flowers were in bloom -- yellow rabbit brush is about all that is left in September and October -- and not many leaves have turned red, orange, or yellow yet.

Although all three of these trails have some trees, most of the time you're exposed to the sun and I didn't see water in any of the washes. As on any of the longer trails in Red Canyon, carry plenty of fluids for yourself and any dogs/horses.

I don't consider these three trails to be very dog-friendly. In addition to the lack of water and heat in the canyons, most of the rock fragments on the trails and in the washes in Red Canyon are sharp, not smooth and rounded like river rocks. This could be a problem if your dog isn't used to walking on really rough surfaces. Check your dog's paws after hiking and attend to any scrapes or cuts.

If you aren't able to hike, run, or ride these trails consider a guided ATV or horseback ride so you can see these trails close up. There are businesses in the area that provide these services.

Next entry:  I saved our favorite Red Canyon trail for last in these entries -- Thunder Mountain!

Happy trails,

Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil, Cody the ultra Lab, and Casey-pup

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© 2015 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil