Fold Canyon Middle Exit

[Stickerbumper]

Hey,

it's been a while that I've been active here, mostly because I have moved back to the other side of the big pond. Not unsurprisingly, the desert is drawing me and my better half back and we are planning to spend a week in the Escalante region on an upcoming trip to the States. Initially we had planned on doing either Steve Allen's hike #21 or #22, but due to the exceptional snowpack this year, we fear that the runoff in the lower Escalante might be too high to safely cross it (we will be there end of March - Mid April).

So instead of coming from the SW, we are now considering doing a loop from Halls Creek, up the Baker Route into upper Stevens and into Fold Canyon. From there we would.d need to cross into Georges Camp Canyon before heading back up towards cliff, hike NW, drop into Moody canyon and get back to the car via Red Slide. Most of the route is solid, but there is one particular spot (the exit out of Fold Canyon) where the beta is relatively sparse. The goal is to hike up to what I've marked with a flag in the map below. From what I was able to gather, there are two possible routes out of Fold Canyon. One uses Moqui steps described by Amy and James in their Waterpoeckt Fold hike (https://doingmiles.com/2019-04-waterpocket-fold/) and the other is described in SAs Overland route (Descending into Fold Canyon via a Hole). Has anyone here used either exit route and would be able give some pointers/beta (especially on exposure) and in case of the "hole exit" on the location as this one might be tricky to find from below.

Thanks you!

 

[Janice]

I don’t know anything about Fold Canyon, but I do know that James and Amy were helpful when I reached out with questions related to one of their other trips. So you might want to contact them directly if you haven’t done so already.

Have a great trip!

 

[futurafree]

When in doubt, look to the legend. Towards the end of this clip, it clearly shows what kind of climbing skills you'd need to go up the hole, as well as the landscape nearby for reference points when trying to find the hole from below.
If you really want to do #21 or #22, yes the river would probably be too high in late March, but likely fine by mid-April. Someone here will be able to reply if you ask a couple of days before the trip starts, or check the USGS site:

Escalante River Near Escalante, UT

Monitoring location 09337500 is associated with a Stream in Garfield County, Utah. Current conditions of Discharge and Gage height are available. Water data back to 1910 are available online.

waterdata.usgs.gov

And the aforementioned clip:

 

[Janice]

Oh my - just watched the video. Very cool that it worked! But I do find myself wondering how many people have tried other things that didn't work and were never heard from again???

 

[James and Amy]

Per your inquiry concerning the Fold exits. I watched the video and in my opinion, the hole exit appears much safer than our moqui step exit; however, I have not done this exit. It is difficult to fall out of a narrow slot and there are usually various holds to be found given how much stone is around you. Our step exit is up a smooth slab with old rounded steps and is not protectable from below. If you slid off the steps, the landing would be a bit awkward and could result in a twisted ankle. If your climbing skills are good, the steps would not be considered difficult. Getting your packs up through the slot might be more difficult than handing them up over the steps, perhaps a rope could help with that. I know nothing about getting from the top of the slot to the pass crossing into George's Camp Canyon.
It is fabulous terrain in those canyons and well worth the trip; have a great time.

James

 

[Stickerbumper]

When in doubt, look to the legend. Towards the end of this clip, it clearly shows what kind of climbing skills you'd need to go up the hole, as well as the landscape nearby for reference points when trying to find the hole from below.
If you really want to do #21 or #22, yes the river would probably be too high in late March, but likely fine by mid-April. Someone here will be able to reply if you ask a couple of days before the trip starts, or check the USGS site:

Escalante River Near Escalante, UT

Monitoring location 09337500 is associated with a Stream in Garfield County, Utah. Current conditions of Discharge and Gage height are available. Water data back to 1910 are available online.

waterdata.usgs.gov

And the aforementioned clip:

Thank you for this. That helps quite a bit as it's easy to see features in the wash!

 

[Stickerbumper]

Per your inquiry concerning the Fold exits. I watched the video and in my opinion, the hole exit appears much safer than our moqui step exit; however, I have not done this exit. It is difficult to fall out of a narrow slot and there are usually various holds to be found given how much stone is around you. Our step exit is up a smooth slab with old rounded steps and is not protectable from below. If you slid off the steps, the landing would be a bit awkward and could result in a twisted ankle. If your climbing skills are good, the steps would not be considered difficult. Getting your packs up through the slot might be more difficult than handing them up over the steps, perhaps a rope could help with that. I know nothing about getting from the top of the slot to the pass crossing into George's Camp Canyon.
It is fabulous terrain in those canyons and well worth the trip; have a great time.

James

I was just about to reach out to the two of you via eMail, but you beat me to it. Thank you for your assessment, this makes me quite confident we will be able to pull it off. I'm confident that my climbing skills good enough to get past the steps from where I should be able to assist the other two if needed (though I doubt they'll need much help). I agree that the hole exit seems like the safer option, and we will probably go with that (if we find it). The hole should allow us to access the shelf above the canyon floor. From there we should be able to route find a way up towards the "pass". If anyone has beta on this section, it would still be much appreciated.

Thank you for the inspiration and the many useful info I was able to gather from your trip reports.

 

[brianlitmans]

I am looking at a similar route and was curious which option you took. Any recommendations on the hole vs the steps?
Thanks, Brian

 

[Kullaberg63]

I’ve done both. Hole for sure is safest

 

[brianlitmans]

Excellent. Thanks!