Escalante River Backpacking

Wandermom

New Member
Joined
May 2, 2019
Messages
2
Hi! I have a group of college students who have planned a 7 day backpacking trip along the Escalate River. Starting at Harris Wash and coming out at Coyote Gulch. We are watching the river levels, but are starting to make a backup plan. Any advice on the likely hood of the water not being an issue mid May OR advice on other trips of similar length that we should check out. Thanks!
 
By "water as an issue," do you mean the flow of the Escalante River being too high or do you mean the availability of water along the route?

Edit: read your post poorly and didn't notice your specific mention of flows. Whoops.
 
Last edited:
I think the waher will still be up. Lots of snow on Boulder Mountain. Keep an eye in the gaging station and check with the BLM visitor center in Escalante.
 
I've been watching the Escalante flow rate, and it's back down to normal for the moment with the cooler temps, granted this is measured near town. For reference 50 cfs is the min discharge rate recommendation for packrafting. As others have said keep an eye on it and call the ranger station before you go.

Screen Shot 2019-05-03 at 12.37.47 PM.png
 
As fossana suggested, that gauge is a horrible representation of what to expect between Harris and Coyote. Death Hollow, Calf Creek, Boulder Creek, Deer Creek, etc. all come in upstream and will be adding a lot of flow. Good advice to call the visitor center in Escalante, but your chances are still crap for mid-May this year. Even in drier times, that section can have enough water to make travel quite challenging, especially downstream from Ringtail where social trails are fewer and harder to find. Just fighting your way in and out of the river through the willows can take it out of you fast. That section is much better done in a packraft, or at least not in the spring of a record-setting water year. Also, the section from Harris/Fence down is frequently packrafted at much lower than 5cfs on the town gauge.
 
And there's still plenty of snow that needs to come out of Boulder Mountain. This was about a week ago, no clear skies when the image was taken since then.

1556911141364.png

As of today. Still at 156% of average.
1556911265416.png
 
That would keep the bug count down. I hear the no see ums and mosquitoes have been out of late.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all the info! We'll keep an eye on it! Guess we shouldn't be too mad about record snow levels!
 
To be blunt, that trip sounds somewhere between a sufferfest and dangerous, given both the river level and the horrendous bushwhacking through there. If you're looking for something of similar length (and given that you're clearly already planning some sort of shuttle or self-shuttle), I'd switch gears and do, say, Grand Gulch from Kane Gulch to Collins Spring or something. Still a challenging trip with off-trail and some schwacking, but less flat-out awful than the Escalante would be.

Or head south and do something in the GC, say down Grandview and up Hermit or Spith Bass.
 
You guys seem keen to current conditions. Next weekend I am planning to access the Escalante via Ladder Canyon. And base camp a few bends down the river. I know the river levels can drastically fluctuate day to day. Anyone know if the river is higher than the normal bank channel? There is a crack spring that I am hoping to draw from that is about 5 feet higher than normal river levels. Thanks in advance.
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
Kullaberg63 Suggestions for Escalante east of river, south of Choprock Trip Planning 4
F Upper Escalante River Backpack conditions Trip Planning 6
Janice Cosmic Ashtray via Wolverine/Little Death Hollow & Escalante River? Trip Planning 16
Muddy Waters Stevens, Fold, Escalante River, Fools, Kings Mesa Trip Reports 3
R Escalante River / Calf Creek Falls Current Conditions Trip Planning 10
JDWalters Access to Escalante River/Lake Powell near Cathedral in the Desert Trip Planning 7
C Escalante - Access & River Flow Trip Planning 5
Eugene Escalante River Town to Hwy 12 Bridge Backpacking 7
Joey Upper Death Hollow and the Old Bowington Road, From Hell's Backbone down to the Escalante River Backpacking 24
BJett Part 2. BMT - Death Hollow - Escalante River Backpacking 14
BJett Part 1. BMT - Death Hollow - Escalante River Backpacking 9
Joey Silver Falls, Choprock Canyon, Neon Canyon, Escalante River Loop Backpacking 38
Nick Escalante River Trip Planning 0
pixie1339 Invite San Rafael River Gorge and/or Escalante River Backpack September/Early October Meet Up (Members Only) 0
intuitive cat Escalante River (High) Usage 2012 General Discussion 9
Waynee-ack Upper Escalante River Backpacking 7
intuitive cat Escalante River System Springs & Surface Water Map Trip Planning 6
Nick Willow Gulch & Escalante River Gorge Backpacking 0
Nick The Escalante River Gorge & Death Hollow Backpacking 10
Nick Death Hollow and The Escalante River Gorge Backpacking 2
B Is there water at Colt Mesa tank - Escalante Trip Planning 6
desertvic The Grand Staircase Escalante NM needs you! Meet Up (Members Only) 1
TrailScot Hole-in-the-Rock Road - Escalante General Discussion 11
G Escalante area 4-5 night backpack trip suggestions in late September. Loop if possible. Limit technical sections if any. Thanks! Backpacking 6
canadug Escalante area exploring Trip Planning 0
TrailScot Escalante Loop via Dry Hollow and Boulder Mail Trail - September 2023 Backpacking 8
fossana A challenging week on the Escalante Overland Route Backpacking 21
fossana Public comment for revised Grand Staircase Escalante NM management plan (comments open 11 Aug - 9 Nov) General Discussion 11
BJett Part 3 - Tour de Canyon Country. Lower Escalante Loop Hiking & Camping 0
radioradio Sad Cowboy Traverse - A Week in Escalante Backpacking 12
radioradio Anxious About Escalante Trip Planning 64
regehr Escalante dumpsters Trip Planning 9
regehr potable water in Escalante town? Trip Planning 6
D Fox Canyon Escalante? General Discussion 7
Janice Water questions - Escalante area Trip Planning 38
Duketogo13 BMT- Death Hollow-Escalante Triangle loop Trip Planning 20
Duketogo13 Questions about packrafting the Escalante/Lake Powell in September. Need help! Trip Planning 5
priz1234 The Gulch Escalante 4/17-4/18 Backpacking 2
RyanP Conditions (water/bugs) for Escalante/Death Hollow Trip Planning 27
J Escalante Natl. Mon. to Bryce N.P. the (unknown) Final Dayhikes April 15-16, 2021 Hiking & Camping 9
Bob Lost in the Escalante .......... Blast from the Past Backpacking 6
Bob A short Escalante trip end of April Backpacking 5
swmalone Restaurant Suggestions for Escalante or Boulder General Discussion 11
S Packrafting Escalante - FiftyMile Creek and low water level Lake Powell Trip Planning 8
swmalone Camping suggestions for Escalante in May Trip Planning 2
W 9 Days Solo Escalante Loop in October (water advice) - Stevens Canyon, Baker Route over Waterpocket fold, Halls Narrows to Moody Canyons Trip Planning 11
T Status of Traffic - Hole in the rock road - Escalante - September? Trip Planning 2
ramblinman Boulder Creek Day Hike, Escalante National Monument Hiking & Camping 5
M Ideas for 4 nights in Escalante Trip Planning 30
M Non-technical 1-2 night backpacking w dogs and kids - Escalante-ish area in April? Trip Planning 14

Similar threads

Back
Top