Hike Red Reef Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, UT

Jan 23, 2021 — The Red Reef Trail is known moreso for the popular canyon leading to a pothole, and does not lead to the summit of Red Reef, our obective for the day. The route to reach the peak only follows the official trail for a short time, but required us to turn left left at the prominent first drainage, leaving the trail and heading toward some narrows. There were many footprints, so clearly we weren't the first to explore this side-canyon. Some Class 2/3 obstacles led up the pretty canyon and ended in a short slot canyon. Most people likely turn around here, but just to the right of the mouth of the slot is a social trail leading to higher ground (Class 2). Some more wash walking brought us into another narrow section, where a series of ledges leads to a Class 3 move that took us over the canyon's south rim. There was a bolt at the top, but none in our group needed it on the descent.

Once out of the canyon, we followed a social trail as well as we could as we headed up the slope. I recommend keeping to the left as much as possible, despite how tempting Red Reef's ridgeline looks on the right. The terrain is riddled with mini cliffs on the right, and it's much easier to access the top of the slope by keeping left. Don't head straight for the rocky ridgeline initially since the route instead wraps around to the southeast side of the ridge. Once here, a grassy and pleasant route-finding endeavor ensues. We didn't gain much elevation for a good quarter mile as we skirted the southeast side of Red Reef's ridge, keeping along a bench below the cliffy terrain above and below us. A social trail exists, but it's not obvious most of the time. If you're doing anything more than easy Class 2, there's an easier route.

Soon the cliffs on the right turned into a Class 2 slope with lots of loose boulders and we could leave the bench and ascend steeply to the ridgeline. There were some cairns along this slope, but there are many options for ascending. We followed the beautiful ridgeline to the summit, barely Class 2.