first utah backpack adventure... suggestions?

Cairn you dig it?

Cairn you dig it?

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Joined
Apr 22, 2014
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11
so,
i feel a bit overwhelmed with the possibilities in southern utah for backpacking. gonna be headed south tomorrow for a few weeks, and my girlfriend and i are wanting a few 3-4 night backpacking trips.

we got all the gear necessary and are willing and able to do some trekking!
we are open to canyons, long miles, and high country, obviously limited to proximity of good water sources.
not opposed to getting wet, but i think she would prefer staying mostly dry, and we are not outfitted for technical canyons.
solitude is not a must, but a big plus.
scenery is beautiful in almost every trip report i have seen, so not too worried about the views being the priority as much as the overall experience.
we would love to have atleast 2 nights at the same camp site for relaxing and side adventures without the heavy pack, and 2 other spots for some variety and for the sake of covering some miles. i love loops for the constant changing scenery, but not opposed to backtracking if need be.

i know that doesnt really narrow it down too much, haha, but just wanted to put out the feelers to you guys to see what you guys think, where do you think is a good place to start for a first utah backpacking adventure not soon to forget?
we are gonna throw Zion west rim trail in there somewhere, but are not limited to location for we are gonna start near moab and head west, willing and wanting to span a good chunk of southern utah in the upcoming weeks.

(not interested in coyote gulch because of the crowds)

really appreciate any time you guys take to share some ideas,
thanksP8170172.JPG
 
that was not the picture i meant to post, but i think it is a great inspiration for backpacking:
to reach the views and campsites less visited and greater appreciated. this is in the castle crags wilderness in northern california. My first "backpacking" trip ever which spawned a hopefully lifelong passion. we planed to do 30 or so miles, but hiked only about 3 miles before getting to this view and ended up staying on the shore of this lake for 4 nights.

anyways,
suggestions and recommendations for utah please!
 
I recommend combing through the trip reports section and seeing what appeals to you.
 
Last edited:
Sounds like you have a lot of good time to spend. That is awesome. Spend some time around Escalante. Hell, if I had that much time, I'd probably skip Moab altogether and head down through Capitol Reef, Escalante and then finish in Zion. Or perhaps do it the other way. Moab in spring is a zoo and the backpacking opportunities are not the best. Escalante on the other hand has dozens of great backpacking destinations with water that are nothing like Coyote Gulch on the people factor. Like Steve said, check out the trip reports. Lots of inspiration in there.
 
Nick said:
Sounds like you have a lot of good time to spend. That is awesome. Spend some time around Escalante. Hell, if I had that much time, I'd probably skip Moab altogether and head down through Capitol Reef, Escalante and then finish in Zion. Or perhaps do it the other way. Moab in spring is a zoo and the backpacking opportunities are not the best. Escalante on the other hand has dozens of great backpacking destinations with water that are nothing like Coyote Gulch on the people factor. Like Steve said, check out the trip reports. Lots of inspiration in there.
Click to expand...

This, pretty much. Something to consider is the towns of Torrey, Boulder, and Escalante offer great support for resupply a prepared hot meal, or a shuttle of some sort.
 
We went through Coyote Gulch late Sept/early Oct and just saw one group of 3 guys and 2 researchers in 3 days. Only thing is you'd need a shuttle, although there are firms in Escalante that do it. It was well worth it.
 
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