Coyote Gulch - water in October?

[Janice]

My cousin has never backpacked, so I'm taking her on a 3-night trip to Coyote Gulch the first week of October. It will be mid-week, so hopefully it won't be too crowded, but solitude isn't a necessary component of this trip. Helping her have a good time is my main goal, so we're not going to go too many miles a day (maybe 5-7) and her pack can't be too heavy (she'll train ahead of time, but still...)

Questions:

1) I'm planning to go in and out of Hurricane Wash and hope to camp the first night around the confluence with Coyote Gulch. I'm trying to figure out water sources. For that time of year, do you have a guess of whether we'll be able to fill up with water there or nearby?

2) I know Hole in the Rock Road can be impassable when wet. We'll be renting a vehicle in SLC, and I'm trying to figure out what will give us the most chance of making it to and from the TH in iffy conditions. Jeep? AWD SUV? I know we need decent clearance no matter what, but I don't have a sense of whether we should bother with a Jeep. Advice?

3) Have you been in a situation where you couldn't get back to pavement at the end of a trip because the road was too wet/bad? If so, what was that like and how long did you have to wait?

 

[canadug]

If it is raining it does not matter what vehicle you are driving when it comes to the evil mud that forms when the rains fall........The non-paved roads become impassable and extremely dangerous. Always good to have a plan B!

 

[Janice]

If it is raining it does not matter what vehicle you are driving when it comes to the evil mud that forms when the rains fall........The non-paved roads become impassable and extremely dangerous. Always good to have a plan B!

Yes, I think I knew that but was hoping otherwise!

Any suggestions for Plan B with access by paved road only?

 

[Janice]

I know there's plenty of time for me to figure this out, but it's on my mind now and I have questions re Plan B if necessary.

1) Any suggestions for Plan B that's from a paved road?

2) If necessary, we can park at the Hwy 12 bridge in Escalante and go up or down the river and explore a few side canyons. I've been upstream (west of the highway) but not downstream (east of the highway). Does anyone recommend going downstream? If so, any recommendations for spots to camp or things to explore (maybe Phipps Arch, Bowington Arch)? Either way, we'd have to do an out-and-back and I'd like to get the most bang for our time & mileage buck.

 

[LarryBoy]

Coyote Gulch is a reliable water source. There are also several incredible fern-draped springs flowing out of the wall at various points in Coyote.

 

[fossana]

I went down HTTR the evening of 4/18 in my Element (AWD, 7.5+" clearance with my off-road tires). According to the NOAA precip map there had been up to 0.5" of rain earlier that day (none in the prior 3 days). My car was caked with mud. Had it rained more, it would have been impassible in some spots, and it would have been easy to get stuck if you didn't maintain speed.

As a plan B, you could do Boulder Mail Trail or the Escalante River, which are much closer to the road.

p.s. I always carry a shovel and traction devices just in case.

 

[Janice]

Good to know - thanks. Glad you were able to get out with no problem - other than a dirty car!

 

[napatony13]

Did Coyote in October a few years ago, road was dry but the longest and worst stretch of washboarding I've ever experienced. Went in on the Sneaker Route and Gulch had water flowing there, but can't help you with water sources above that.

 

[RyanP]

I went down HTTR the evening of 4/18 in my Element (AWD, 7.5+" clearance with my off-road tires). According to the NOAA precip map there had been up to 0.5" of rain earlier that day (none in the prior 3 days). My car was caked with mud. Had it rained more, it would have been impassible in some spots, and it would have been easy to get stuck if you didn't maintain speed.

As a plan B, you could do Boulder Mail Trail or the Escalante River, which are much closer to the road.

p.s. I always carry a shovel and traction devices just in case.

As someone who has no idea how to translate "X inches of rain" to real-life experience (road conditions and such), this is a helpful data point! And I agree it's wise to bring a shovel and traction boards

 

[Janice]

Advice needed:

We’ll have to decide by Tuesday morning at the latest if we do Plan B (Escalante River out and back from Hwy 12 bridge) instead of our preferred trip to Coyote Gulch. The forecast keeps changing but currently shows chance of rain Thurs night and Fri morning, which is when we’d finish and need to drive back on HITR Rd. We’ll have a rental, and I don’t envision buying a shovel and traction boards.

Do we cross our fingers and do plan A in hopes that conditions will be ok? Or play it safe and do Plan B?

During the trip, I can check weather using Garmin, and if necessary we can do Plan A and exit midday Thursday, but that’s a shorter trip with less great scenery than I was hoping for - and then maybe Plan B would end up being the more satisfying choice?

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

 

[Philos71]

My opinion, and that's what it is, is that hope is not a good basis for a plan. Just go to plan B and let go the worrying, or find another place you've not visited in the area to explore, a Plan C if you will. Since your friend has never backpacked, perhaps choose some place you know, that is beautiful, that has the greatest chance of being a guided fun exploration for her, rather than an adventure for you.

 

[SteveR]

I too have been looking at several different forecasts in advance of our upcoming Utah trip, and it doesn't look overly wet to me. But of course, that can change! I'd wait and see....
The only data point that I have for HITRR in wet weather is from many years ago, car camping with our CRV at Harris Wash trailhead when it began to rain a half day earlier than forecast, as we were packing up in the morning. It rained moderately all the way back to Hwy 12, but we had no issues other than a very dirty car, but of course it hadn't been raining for long, and the drive out was much shorter.

 

[Janice]

My opinion, and that's what it is, is that hope is not a good basis for a plan. Just go to plan B and let go the worrying, or find another place you've not visited in the area to explore, a Plan C if you will. Since your friend has never backpacked, perhaps choose some place you know, that is beautiful, that has the greatest chance of being a guided fun exploration for her, rather than an adventure for you.

Thanks so much. I agree that hope doesn’t make for a good plan. I’ve been mulling over this and think that we’ll probably do plan B unless things change.

Any suggestions for Plan C that are easy access trailheads and not too challenging for a newbie?

 

[Janice]

I too have been looking at several different forecasts in advance of our upcoming Utah trip, and it doesn't look overly wet to me. But of course, that can change! I'd wait and see....
The only data point that I have for HITRR in wet weather is from many years ago, car camping with our CRV at Harris Wash trailhead when it began to rain a half day earlier than forecast, as we were packing up in the morning. It rained moderately all the way back to Hwy 12, but we had no issues other than a very dirty car, but of course it hadn't been raining for long, and the drive out was much shorter.

Thanks for your info!

 

[Philos71]

Thanks so much. I agree that hope doesn’t make for a good plan. I’ve been mulling over this and think that we’ll probably do plan B unless things change.

Any suggestions for Plan C that are easy access trailheads and not too challenging for a newbie?

Some beautiful loop that you are familiar with. I know from experience it's really easy to overestimate what someone is capable of when everything, and I mean everything, is brand new. Camp centered rather than trail centered hiking eases someone into the experience. 5-7 miles a day is perfect.

 

[Janice]

To those who gave info and advice - thanks again. We ended up going to Coyote Gulch but only for 2 nights (Tues & Wed). It became clear that no matter where we went, the 3rd night and 4th day would be problematic, so we might as well do a short trip in CG. Indeed there was a LOT of rain late on Thurs and more on Friday. We got out very early on Thurs morning and had no trouble whatsoever. Even though we didn't get as far down CG as I had hoped, the scenery was still terrific!