Anxious About Escalante

[radioradio]

I find myself with 12-14 or so days for a solo backpacking trip in early april. After a lot of research, I'm extremely intrigued by the escalante area. I've immersed myself in trip reports (thx Jamal Green, Amy & James, etc.) and I have copies of Canyoneering 3 and Rudi Lambrechtse's book.

This will be my first time hiking in this type of environment. I am from the northeast and have mostly done on trail travel for a few nights at a time. I have a limited amount of experience with bushwhacking and route finding using the caltopo app as well as map and compass. I also know myself to be on the sweatier side and I tend to require as much as a liter of water per hour with high exertion in the summer.

When hiking I tend to value the sense of accomplishment of doing something difficult, but enjoy the balance of easy miles here and there to restore confidence.

With that context, I'm trying to plan a trip that gives me options to push hard with enough bail out points (and food caches) so that I don't over-commit.

Initially, I was extremely intrigued by travel down the escalante river as it helped with my routefinding and water anxiety. However, reading through trip reports and talking to the rangers about the misery of bushwhacking, I'm having second thoughts.

The other option is to do a loop/figure 8 of some of the side canyons. (something like this Click here to view on CalTopo combining @Joey and @Bob's route with Amy & James from doingmiles.com's route).

I wonder if you guys have thoughts on this. Is it worth it to minimize the river travel at the risk of increasing water + route finding difficulty? If so, is the figure 8 I laid out the right choice? Are there other modifications you'd make or things to consider?

 

[regehr]

well, early April is usually just about the ideal time to be backpacking in this area imo.

might the Escalante be running uncomfortably high at that time of year if our big snow year continues? I don't know...

doesn't the lower Gulch have some fairly difficult scrambling? I thought so, but haven't been there

Little Death Hollow is really excellent, I'd do the whole thing instead of Wolverine. LDH sometimes has decent obstacles, I don't know the current status.

anyhow I'd personally not jump into such an ambitious loop. as you've noticed, there's good road access to most of these areas, so the long Allen-style routes aren't done by all that many people, I'd instead just do a few trips that are short enough that caching isn't needed.

 

[Bob]

You dont say how you are breaking this up into multiple hikes? If you havent done Desert hiking id start with something shorter than a expediton trip...
Silver crk / Choprock isnt bad, just dont be in Choprock in a storm.
I never count on pothole water, they are a plus when you find on filled ......unless early spring. Last i was at the volcano in May, there was no water....
May check out Joeys vid from a few years ago

 

[futurafree]

If it's your first time in this type of environment, I'd suggest breaking up the 13 days into multiple shorter trips of increasing difficulty/water management/exposure so that you can get a lay of the land and enjoy yourself. Early April won't have problems with excessive heat, and the water situation will probably be decent. With these trips, you're guaranteed to see at least some people at different points and you can't get lost with GPS satellite mapping apps. Here are a few of increasing difficulty, but all are great trips without crazy exposure or water carries.
1. Boulder Mail Trail/Death Hollow (not LDH) 2-3 nights. A classic, fun trip with tons of beauty. Come from Boulder airstrip and hitchhike back from Hwy 12 or just make a loop from Escalante town. Intro to Poison Ivy 101.
2. Silver Falls/Choprock loop 3 nights from parking at the top of Silver Falls, with a side-trip to Neon Canyon/Golden Cathedral. Nice narrows/pictographs and Intro to Bushwhacking 101 along the river connecting the two canyons.
3. Coyote Gulch 4-5 nights. Start from Red Well trailhead (Intro to Washboard Roads 101). Go down Coyote, then up the Escalante past Steven's Arch, walk in the river and bushwhack north to a cattle trail exit across King's Bench and drop back into Coyote not far from Red Well. Intro To Slickrock Walking 101 and a potential dry camp. This could get a tiny bit spicy and adventurous without the Type 2 Fun of full Steve Allen or Kelsey routes. You might not see anyone from Steven's Arch until back at the trailhead. River might be too high, in which case you could just retrace your steps through Coyote if necessary.

 

[priz1234]

I wonder if you guys have thoughts on this. Is it worth it to minimize the river travel at the risk of increasing water + route finding difficulty?

The escalante river has some pretty cool sections but travel along the river is pretty slow and tedious with all of the bushwacking and crossings you have to do. Based on your loop, I don't think route finding should be too difficult. Water could potentially be a problem in some areas on that map. One area I see is from the escalante river to phipps wash. After leaving the escalante when heading up towards the spencer flat area there are some really big potholes in the area between peak 5981 and 5932. But it is risky to rely on pothole water and I don't think you would see any other water on that stretch. Just saying, you may need to be willing to carry a lot of water through some sections.

I do agree with others that it could be wise to still spend the 12-14 days out there but maybe split them up into smaller hikes. Looking at your map, there are already a few loops right there. The lower gulch, horse canyon, wolverine and Little Death Hollow loop. The silver creek falls and choprock area. Etc.

doesn't the lower Gulch have some fairly difficult scrambling? I thought so, but haven't been there

The lower gulch has one narrows section where you have to climb out of the canyon and back down in to get around. The climb out really isn't that difficult. If I remember right, it's like 15 feet with decent hand holds but me and my wife climbed up it without taking our packs off and were able to carry/push our 50lb dog up it. The climb back down into the canyon is easy though.

 

[regehr]

The lower gulch has one narrows section where you have to climb out of the canyon and back down in to get around. The climb out really isn't that difficult. If I remember right, it's like 15 feet with decent hand holds but me and my wife climbed up it without taking our packs off and were able to carry/push our 50lb dog up it. The climb back down into the canyon is easy though.

good to hear. I don't recall what Allen says (but I do trust his ratings for climbs!) but road trip ryan says "Finally, about 1/2 way through The Gulch, a short section of slot provides the biggest challenge of the trip. Most will want to bypass it, which requires a little bit of 4th class/easy 5th class climbing (10 m ( 33 ft. )) to bypass. Dogs and beginners will need a rope." I sure don't like this "beginners will need a rope" language, it's very Kelsey, ugh.

 

[Bob]

I always pack a 40 ft piece of webbing for just in case in canyon country ......... and Ive had to use it occasionally

Guide books are guide books, Kelsey or ALlen or whoever...... you have to know your ability, research and be prepared.

 

[utahastro]

1. Boulder Mail Trail/Death Hollow (not LDH) 2-3 nights. A classic, fun trip with tons of beauty. Come from Boulder airstrip and hitchhike back from Hwy 12 or just make a loop from Escalante town. Intro to Poison Ivy 101.

I agree with futurafree. If you haven't previously hiked in the Escalante area (or anywhere else in southern Utah), it's prudent to start out with shorter routes to build up cross-country hiking experience. The BMT would be my top recommendation in the Escalante area: it is easy to access, uncrowded, and immensely rewarding, and it provides many opportunities for off-trail exploration. You'll also get a sense of your typical pace across different types of terrain, the difficulties of route-finding in the area, and the amount of water you'll need in the dry air of the high desert.

There are many different possible variations of the BMT, and if you take side trips along the way, you could easily get in 40+ miles on a multi-night backpack if you were so inclined. And from a safety perspective, you could bail out in Escalante town if necessary.

Returning to the proposed route in your map, it's rather ambitious for a first hike in the area. I think it takes a lot of experience to get comfortable with cross-country hiking in southern Utah's canyon country, and I would recommend your route only to hikers with lots of experience with off-trail desert hiking. For example, it can be challenging to find safe access points through cliffs or into/out of canyons, even if you have them marked on a map or GPS. (Years ago, I visited Coyote Gulch with the intention of exiting near Jacob Hamblin Arch, and although I had seen pictures of the exit point and marked its position in my GPS, I still managed to walk past it---twice!) And even if you're able to follow a planned cross-country route, there will often be major scrambling/climbing obstacles, some of which might be outside your comfort zone. I've studied some of Jamal Greene's routes, and he makes those long-distance cross-country hikes look way easier than they actually are.

 

[LarryBoy]

[Warning - philosophical waxing forthcoming]

Individually, most segments of your proposed route look great. Many of them are actually perfect intros to the area. The LDH/Wolverine loop, for example, is a classic. I gotta agree with the consensus though, that this is overly ambitious. As you describe it, you're adding at least three new-to-you elements at once:

• Off-trail navigation
• Length of trip
• Landscape/environment

Just like you wouldn't change three variables simultaneously in a scientific experiment (you'd get only confounding variables and muddled results), it's probably not wise when it comes to your skills development either. I'd pick one of these to hone at a time. So if you wanted to focus on increasing your trip length, you could hike the AT through Maine. Or if you wanted an intro to the desert environment, a string of shorter southern Utah classics, like the standalone trips that others have mentioned in this thread.

Here's a sampling of issues that you could face:

• Your shoes fill with sand on day 2, and your feet resemble hamburger thereafter
• Your system responds poorly to the often-alkaline water and you end up pooping your brains out and getting dehydrated
• You drink a crap-ton of water but don't have enough salt/electrolytes and can't retain it.
• Your phone battery drains quicker than expected, and even with a battery bank, you run out of juice lose the capacity to navigate by GPS.
• Oops this isn't the northeast, and you really do need sun protection and/or sunscreen. You get absolutely toasted and spend the rest of the trip hiding from the sun.
• The amount of food you brought was fine on days 1-5 but by day 9 you're running a severe calorie deficit

Individually, you can plan ahead for all of these and potentially avoid most of them. But there are 80 more risks just like this that you haven't anticipated, and until you gain a little more experience there's no way to know which ones are going to be relevant considerations for you. It's possible that those unanticipated difficulties will be minor inconveniences, not trip-enders. But when you stack enough of them together, the numbers don't favor a successful completion of your trip.

I would instead encourage you to string several shorter trips together. Do the classic LDH-Wolverine loop. Change out your socks, swap out the gear that doesn't work for gear that does. Relax at your car, cook yourself a nice meal, enjoy a couple hours of air conditioning as you drive to your next location. Rinse and repeat. And if you really like the area and complete all your short trips sucessfully, then you can try a longer, more ambitious trip next year now that you've got the experience.

 

[Kmatjhwy]

Now personally your plan sounds ambitious for the first time being in ythe area. I have hiked all over this area multiple times and it is such a great area. But will add just a few things here on top of what others have said. The side canyons can be Great in the spring while the main canyon is filled with water and runoff. Many a time would get into a side canyon like Choprock with hiking all over that one area and just enjoying it all. Lots of big canyon trips were actually more done in the fall when the water levels were better and lower

First it will be in the springtime and the water levels can be atrocious in some years. Some years in the spring the water levels are great. But in other years just outrageous. And with such a wet and snowy winter, it could be a huge runoff next spring. The Boulder Mountain Plateau most likely has tons of snow on it this year which means lots of runoff.

Choprock Canyon is absolutely Great! I have spent many a spring in this lovely canyon. Now up the left Fork of Choprock is some pools one will have to wade thru. Undoubtedly it will be this way this year. And up the right Fork is several very lovely spots and the lower part ending in a nice huge pouroff pool. Personally I love Choprock! I would in the past go to lower Choprock and spend several weeks just camping and lingering here with hiking all over the area.

Harris, Silver Falls Canyon, and Horse Canyon should be fine. Just remember to have some water. One can spend days in each of these canyons. Also there is Neon Canyon below and further down the Moodys and all are Great where one can just hang out with Enjoying spring in the Redrock country.

The Escalante Drainage between the bridge / highway and the Gulch can be really brushy at times and with a rocky bottom so one has to watch their steps. At least the last time I hiked this section.

Wolverine and Little Death Hallow should be fine but with such a wet winter, it could be interesting. In my opinion.

There is the campground and trail in Lower Calf Creek also which is Great in the spring also.

Just my opinion, but with such a wet winter the main canyon could be interesting this next spring. There have been springs when the water in the Escalante Drainage went over the banks and went from one canyon wall to the other. But the side drainages will be Great, greening up, and nice. And again lots of these side canyons one could spend days in each one just enjoying oneself and everything

Just my thoughts. Enjoy Life and Go For It! Wishing You the Best!

 

[balzaccom]

I hope you are noticing a consensus of opinion here. I am not an expert on the Southwest--most of my hiking is done in the Sierra Nevada, but I had the same response to your plans. In fact, I would respond the same if you had suggested a similar itinerary in the Sierra. Don't tackle an epic adventure when you've never done more than three nights, never hiked in the area before, and never done any off-trail navigation.

Break it into smaller segments, and build up your experience and skill level. No wilderness environment is endlessly forgiving, and most will repay ignorance with suffering, at the very least, and serious injury of even death at worst. This is true of the Southwest in spades.

 

[MikeP]

My two cents. First, this is a kick-ass route you've come up with. I've done nearly everything here at one time or another but never all at once. I'm getting excited all over again just looking at your map. Second, you mentioned Jamal Green - if he's advising you, then don't waste any time listening to me, he's the best!

I'm a bit more optimistic than some here, but take seriously the advice you're getting - this is an ambitious route. As a first timer you may or may not enjoy the mud (there will be mud), the sand (it gets into everything no matter how careful you are), and the sun (it can be relentless, - hiking in the desert is NOT like hiking on a sunny day elsewhere. I don't know why it's not, but it's not.) So I'm glad you mentioned "bail out points", you may well need them.

I second what others have said about the escalante - I have a love/hate relationship with that river. You have yourself going along it for a very long time. It will be much slower than you think. I literally lost count of the river crossings, and that's just from Choprock to Harris Wash. So don't bother changing into water shoes or anything for each crossing, that would truly be miserable. Not trying to discourage you, but the last time I was there my shuttle guy was on his way to a rescue, after he dropped me off, of some guy further down river who had become so exhausted from hiking through mud and quicksand that he didn't think he could make it out. Fear not, I followed up on that later and it turns out the guy was a first class idiot who went in completely unprepared - I'm assuming that won't be you.

By the way, you're going to love Choprock - one of the last, best kept secrets in that area, and a side trip to Neon (more river crossings!) is worth it.

The hike along Phipps-Spencer Flats-Big Horn is, as has been mentioned, very dry, so expect to carry a lot of water there. I really enjoyed hiking there by the way. I had to do a dry camp in Big Horn and it was actually glorious (so completely quite when there is no water source - no insects, frogs, anything.) Be prepared for some bushwhacking in the wetter parts of Phipps Wash, but not as bad as the escalante. Also, there are more obstacles than I expected in Big Horn, including one particularly nasty one that almost ended my hike. Take this one seriously, getting it wrong could be catastrophic. I have some good intel on this if you decide to go that way, but I'd need to search my archives for the pictures.

No matter what you decide you're going to love this area. My favorite place in the U.S. to hike.

 

[regehr]

yeah it's a great area and that'll be a great time of year to be there. have fun and be safe!

 

[fossana]

Second what everyone else has said about starting off with shorter, more manageable trips first. Even with Allen's and everyone else's detailed descriptions, you can expect to be routefinding for cryptic exit routes, etc. Combined with bushwhacking, quicksand, wading, and overland water carries. it's far more mentally and physically draining than on-trail travel.

 

[Janice]

I'm an Easterner who absolutely loves this region - and I'm sure you'll love it, too. Others have much more experience here than I do, but if you decide to do several shorter trips, you might want to consider the routes we used for these two trips, both at that time of year:

1) We loved our 3-night Boulder Mail Trail-Escalante trip in early April which was somewhat different from how a lot of people do it. (You could extend this a day or two if you want to do more exploring.) We started at the airstrip and went down Death Hollow (FYI, going down is not a big deal for some people, but it was scary for us). Instead of walking/swimming all the way down chilly Death Hollow to the Escalante, we only went through the water a little bit and then went back up the BMT and continued on that. We did the Mamie Creek out-and-back, which we loved. At the bottom of Pine Creek, instead of heading west to the town to end the trip, we headed east on the Escalante and went all the way to the Hwy 12 bridge where our car was parked (we used a shuttle to get to the airstrip). The variety on this trip was outstanding: along the BMT you've got big views, slickrock expanses, and canyons to descend & ascend; along the river you're surrounded by big walls and get to see Native American remains. When we were there, the water on that part of the river was pretty shallow (here's gauge info - and it's lower there than downstream after more water flows into it), so it wasn't very cold when we needed to walk through it. We loved seeing spring unfold as the cottonwoods and other vegetation along the river woke up. Days were comfortable, nights were cold. The DRY air took some getting used to - I needed lotion not only for sun protection but also because my skin and lips were missing the eastern humidity!

2) We also loved our 4-night loop of Little Death Hollow and Wolverine in mid-April which included two nights base camping near the Escalante. LDH is so much fun! We went all the way to the river on Day 1. On Day 2, we went down the river, exited at the Sand Slide to go up and explore the other side, went all the way to the Volcano/Cosmic Ashtray, then made it back to base camp before dark. On Day 3, we went upstream, exited at the ladder and explored on the other side. Because of rain in the forecast, we didn't spend as long up there as we'd have liked. We went back to camp, then headed up Horse and camped in Wolverine just before it got narrow. On Day 4, we walked up Wolverine and enjoyed the fabulous petrified wood near the end despite the rain. Again, this trip had great variety, and because we base camped near the river, water wasn't an issue.

If you decide to do either of these and want more details, let me know.

Another benefit to a few shorter trips is that you can make adjustments if necessary based on the weather forecast. If there's a big chance of rain, you would wait before doing one of your slot canyon parts.

Btw, based on other things I've seen and descriptions earlier in this thread, I am really eager to explore Choprock etc. That sounds fabulous!

 

[Bob]

Besides the fact that canyon country changes from year to year in the canyons, info in guidebooks and videos can outdate very quickly. Best to research current info from people like on this site.

 

[Janice]

@Bob - Thanks for providing Joey's Choprock etc. video. Just watched it (my kind of evening entertainment) and loved seeing and hearing info about the route. Fun to see you in the starring role!

We've got a different plan for this April's trip, but I just moved Choprock higher on our list for future SW trips. I'm curious about a few things:

1) Based on the cottonwoods, I'm guessing you were there late May or early June. Correct? Or maybe the timing of their bloom is different from where I live? What do you think this trip would be like in April? I fully understand that every year is different and dependent on snowpack, but I'm wondering if the amount of river walking would make water level and temp too challenging earlier in the spring. What about October? Your thoughts about the timing would be helpful.

2) We'd probably have 5-6 nights (spring break). I know you didn't camp near Neon, but do you think that would work if we wanted to (perhaps west of the river heading up Fence)? Have you found other interesting things to explore in that area that would merit a night there before heading back up to Choprock?

3) Am I correct in thinking there were no water sources for the the last 10 (or more?) miles? I realize conditions vary from year to year, but do you remember where your last fill up was?

4) It doesn't seem like there's anything too technical or sketchy that must be done (other than if someone wants to do extra). Correct?

Thanks in advance - I'd love to learn more about this route.

 

[regehr]

2) We'd probably have 5-6 nights (spring break). I know you didn't camp near Neon, but do you think that would work if we wanted to (perhaps west of the river heading up Fence)? Have you found other interesting things to explore in that area that would merit a night there before heading back up to Choprock?

not sure what you consider interesting but while poking around this route in google earth it's easy to spot a constructed trail escaping Choprock to the south just a little bit above where it runs into the Escalante, this would be a nice way to get some view, get out of the cold air pool, etc.

 

[Janice]

not sure what you consider interesting but while poking around this route in google earth it's easy to spot a constructed trail escaping Choprock to the south just a little bit above where it runs into the Escalante, this would be a nice way to get some view, get out of the cold air pool, etc.

Thanks so much @regehr - I'll look into it.
So many things in that area are interesting! I guess what I meant was would it make sense to camp near Neon (rather than dayhike from Choprock) and explore other small canyons nearby (I saw Ringtail but get the impression it's too technical for us) or be able to exit the river canyon and explore rock formations up above - and then head back up to Choprock a day later. Just curious!

 

[TrailScot]

Well, @radioradio, for your very first post on BackcountryPost, you've generated quite a reaction ... the great and the good of the hiking community, who are normally hibernating at this time of year, have peeked out of their respective 4-season sleeping bags to provide you with some amazing advice for your trip ... it looks like a fantastic adventure.

Can I throw a spanner in the works ?

I'm not sure if this is literally your first trip to the South-West. If so, can I suggest that you use your 14 days to visit the National Parks and assorted highlights of the area; doing big day-hikes and perhaps a couple of short overnight backpacks. I realize that the potential crowds put people off, who are looking for a more wilderness experience, but for anyone willing to hike more than a couple of miles from an established trailhead, you're very likely to have the place to yourself for most of the time. It goes without saying that the scenery and hiking possibilities in Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce, and Zion are quite stupendous.

p.s. one area that I don't think anyone has mentioned that would be ideal for first-time desert hiking experience is Dark Canyon. The popular loop via Woodenshoe and Peavine is one possibility, but water availability can be an issue here, and accessing the trailheads can be difficult if the dirt roads are wet or snowy. My suggestion would be to drive to the Sundance Trailhead, close to Hite, and descend into Dark Canyon. From there, you could backpack a little further east, or do some day-hikes east along Dark Canyon, west to the Colorado River, Lean-To Canyon, or Lost Canyon. It is a beautiful area at the bottom with flowing water all the way east to at least Youngs Canyon.