Suggestions for a beginner backpack

pixie1339

pixie1339

Desperately Seeking Sandstone
Joined
Jan 21, 2012
Messages
1,692
Good morning BCP people! I could use a little help. I’m in the process of getting a couple things together for my fiancée so he can go backpacking with me this year. He’s never backpacked before, and I really want to make sure he enjoys his first trip. I’m hoping we can do our first pack in late March somewhere in southern Utah. I’d like to limit the hike and out in to 4 miles or less each way, and camp somewhere that will be relatively warm at night (above freezing). The ability to have a fire would be wonderful. Any suggestions for a place we can go that would meet those criteria?
 
Willow Gulch.
No fires but its a really short hike to a great camping spot and you can day hike from there.
 
x2 on Willow, and it's warmer than a lot of other possibilities too. Only downside is the long drive down Hole in the Rock Road.

Legal fire and someplace relatively warm in March could be a tough combination. Definitely look to the lower elevations though. The canyons that run into Lake Foul are a good place to look. Chesler Park would be a killer noob trip with all the route options, but depending on the weather, could be a bit cold.

Stoked he's going to start backpacking with you!
 
Thanks for the suggestion guys! I was already planning on doing Willow Gulch this spring.:) I may wait until late April for that one though so it can green up a bit more first. I'll have to take a look at the options in the Lake Foul area. Fire isn't a necessity, but it would be a plus for him since his favorite part of camping is having a fire. I wonder if there are any places in the Swell that might work...
 
While I haven't backpacked here, there should be plenty of places to camp once you get down to the shelf above the river, which is only a couple of miles. There are some slickrock areas on the bottom that I would probably camp on. If you guys are up for it, there is camping in Robber's Roost Canyon. It's less than 4 miles to the canyon, but you do have to cross the Dirty Devil. As long as the spring run-off isn't too bad, then that shouldn't be much of a problem.

If the river is up or you don't want to cross it, though, then you should be able to find sites along the shelf above the river. It's flat desert terrain on the shelf, so I think you would be able to find campsites on the slickrock or on the desert sand.
 
Aldaron said:
While I haven't backpacked here, there should be plenty of places to camp once you get down to the shelf above the river, which is only a couple of miles. There are some slickrock areas on the bottom that I would probably camp on. If you guys are up for it, there is camping in Robber's Roost Canyon. It's less than 4 miles to the canyon, but you do have to cross the Dirty Devil. As long as the spring run-off isn't too bad, then that shouldn't be much of a problem.

If the river is up or you don't want to cross it, though, then you should be able to find sites along the shelf above the river. It's flat desert terrain on the shelf, so I think you would be able to find campsites on the slickrock or on the desert sand.
Click to expand...

Awesome! Thanks so much for the info. This could really be a good option for us.
 
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