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June Wash and Hapaha Flat saddle Messages in this topic - RSS

Brian
Brian
Posts: 215


1/31/2020
Brian
Brian
Posts: 215
Hello, I'm new here. I've enjoyed reading trip reports and finally have something to contribute of my own.

I used to do a lot of trips to June Wash. It was a way for me to get to Sandstone Canyon back when I didn't have a car that could get there from the other side. At one point I was looking online for info about June Wash and found an article that Frank Colver wrote on DesertUSA (it looks like it's since been removed). He talked about hiking up to the head of June Wash and how there was a saddle between that and Hapaha flat that had a sheep guzzler. He also mentioned that it would be a challenge to get to the saddle from the June side because of a dry fall. I hiked to that point one day and found the fall. I think I could have climbed it, but I didn't want to take the risk since I was alone.

Now it's 4 years later and I finally hiked to the guzzler from the other side. It's a 17.5 mile drive from the pavement of Split Mountain Road to the area of Hapaha Flat where a wash heads SW toward the saddle (the guzzler can be seen on Google Earth). It was only a 2 mile hike and was a nice change of pace from hikes I've done that had a lot of obstacles. On this one, every time it looked like the canyon was about to become choked with brush, it would suddenly clear out to an easy path. The one dry fall had an easy and obvious bypass on the right side. It ended up with great views for minimal effort.


edited by Brian on 1/31/2020
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Brian
Brian
Posts: 215


1/31/2020
Brian
Brian
Posts: 215
More pics of the guzzler.


edited by Brian on 1/31/2020
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Brian
Brian
Posts: 215


1/31/2020
Brian
Brian
Posts: 215
Looking down toward the upper reaches of June Wash, with Agua Caliente in the distance





View toward Hapaha Flat and Fish Creek drainage from the hill just S of the saddle

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Brian
Brian
Posts: 215


2/3/2020
Brian
Brian
Posts: 215
Rocko1, yes I think so. Even without the short/technical final climb to the guzzler (which I haven't done from that side) it's worth seeing the upper part of June wash where the walls pinch in, almost like a slot canyon.
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