3-Day Backpacking Trip

Brett

Brett

Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2013
Messages
29
Hey guys,

Looking to do a 3-day backpacking trip at the end of this month to start my backpacking season. My group and I are looking to do something in Southern Utah. We originally wanted to do the Zion Traverse, but have postponed that idea until May after realizing that there will probably be snow in the higher elevations of Zion. (Correct me if that's wrong--I'd love to hear that there isn't snow and we can do that!)

Any other suggestions for a weekend trip? We will be coming from Salt Lake Valley. Escalante/Capitol Reef area would be ideal. About 10ish miles a day would be great. I'm not a very experienced desert backpacker, so I would prefer a route that has opportunities to reload on H2o if possible.

Thanks for the help! I'm glad this awesome resource exists.
 
Spring Canyon (Capitol Reef)
Coyote Gulch (Escalante)
Death Hollow via the Mail Trail (Escalante)
Buckskin Gulch (Kanab)

These are the Top Four that come to mind quickly, but there are tons more options out there. There are trip reports for all of them here at backcountry post.
@Brett, you do realize that you're going to have to post your own trip report when you're done since you're asking- right?! Not that it's a requirement, just that we all like to read them!
 
uintahiker said:
@Brett, you do realize that you're going to have to post your own trip report when you're done since you're asking- right?! Not that it's a requirement, just that we all like to read them!
Click to expand...

You should have to agree to that before ever asking a trip question here! Haha!

Brett, the Zion traverse may be doable if no big storms hit. It's been a light winter down there and recent reports have said it's been mostly dry and doable. With that said, ice can hang on in the north aspects and carrying traction might be wise. The Zion Backcountry desk should be able to let you know current conditions.

Outside of Zion...

BMT to Death hollow is great but it's lots of wading so if it's not warm out, it might not be the best choice.

Anything down Hole-in-the-Rock Road would be excellent that time of year. I second @uintahiker's Coyote Gulch recommendation. That's a great primer for desert backpacking. Plenty of water along the route and epic scenery. One thing I would caution though is your mileage expectation. In the mountains, I find it easier to set targets. In the desert, it's not so much about the distance as it is the experience. For example, the Coyote Gulch loop connecting the Ridge TH to the Water Tank TH is around 22 miles, but I would never want to do it in less than 3 days. There's just too much to see and do along the way. Explore those side canyons! ;)

Away from Hole-in-the-Rock, the Circle Cliffs and into Capitol Reef offer many more destinations. Little Death Hollow - Wolverine is awesome if the canyon isn't full of water. Halls Creek Narrows is another great one.
 
@uintahiker @Nick I will definitely post a trip report! :twothumbs:

Thanks for pointing me towards those hikes. I was only searching in the 'trail guide' section so I didn't run across some of those. Thanks for the help, guys!
 
Coyote Gulch it is! Thanks for the suggestion. It really looks like it will be an awesome weekend. I'll be sure to post a trip report!
 
@uintahiker, @Nick, and anybody else who has knowledge to share:

We've settled on Coyote Gulch for our weekend trip, now we are down to planning all the details. I appreciate any help/recommendations you can offer.

We are still trying to settle on the route that will work best with our time frame. We will meet up early Friday morning so we can be hiking around 11-noon, and would like to be back to our cars on Sunday early afternoon. I like the loop that Nick posted a few weeks ago (http://backcountrypost.com/forum/threads/coyote-gulch-loop.65/). I think it would be fun to enter Hurricane Wash and come out the Crack in the Wall.

Where would you recommend parking the car and starting?

Where would recommend camping along the way? (Two nights)

Thanks again for all the help! It's stressful planning a trip for a group. :)
 
I've started at the Crack in the Wall, then come out the fin at Jacob Hamblin Arch. It's not as bad as you read about IMO. Campsites- there are plenty of them. I'd let that be one of the details that slips to "we'll see when we get there" status. I think we parked near the watertanks on 40 mile road.

Your vehicle choice/clearance impacts your choices for parking the car and starting your hike.
 
Leaving this morning. I'll be sure to post a trip report. Thanks for all the help.
 
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