Mid-April Trip Questions

[heronwheels]

I'll be heading out for about 12 days in mid-April with my two dogs camping and hiking in southern Utah and have a couple of quick questions. Originally I was planning on staying in Green River on the way out but I'm hoping to see pictographs north of I-70 (Black Dragon and Petroglyph Canyons) and thought maybe dispersed camping somewhere near one of the canyons might be a better option. Any suggestions for camping in that area? Also, I remember some primitive campsites along Temple Mountain Rd. (before and after the picnic area) are all of these pretty decent? I'll be sleeping in my Jeep and carrying my small tent so I don't require a ton of space.

As for hiking, I'm planning on spending a few days in the Escalante area then heading to Kodachrome Basin and down Cottonwood Canyon Rd. if weather allows. I've not been out to Calf Creek Falls yet so I plan on doing that but I'm looking for other non-technical (no ropes etc.), dog friendly hikes in the area. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!
Stacey

 

[Nick]

There's a bunch of great spots in the vicinity of I-70 where it cuts through the reef. There are sites right there between where you get off the freeway (not really an exit) and Black Dragon as well. I'd definitely stay out there over Green River. Some really pretty stuff and great camping. The sites along Temple Mountain road are okay, it's just usually really busy. I'll work up a little map later today when I have a bit more time.

Escalante is a great area for hiking with dogs. Are you just looking for day hikes or longer backpacking routes? Here are a few day hikes:

Sand Creek from the Boulder Mail Trailhead is good and not too long. Dry on the approach but then you have good flowing water for them to play in.

The Escalante River Gorge can be great. The top part coming from the town trailhead is more scenic, IMO but coming up canyon from Highway 12 also has it's perks like some arches, dwellings and rock art if you know where to look. In high water, crossings on the lower section by Hwy 12 could be problematic but it's easy to find out before getting far into the hike. The trail fords the river in the first 100 yards.

Some good choices on the east side of the monument as well. In fact, if I were you, I'd consider connecting The Swell and Escalante by driving through Capitol Reef. Sure, you won't be able to do any good hiking there with the pups, but it's still an incredibly awesome drive to go down the Notom-Bullfrog Road through the Waterpocket Fold and then take the Burr Trail through the reef and into the monument. There's plenty of dog-friendly exploration and good camping in that area. Little Death Hollow and Wolverine Canyons are probably the most dog suitable. They are mostly dry canyons but there are seeps and wet stretches, especially that time of year.

Moving further west from there, The Gulch is a riparian oasis that beckons exploration. The walls aren't narrow or as grand as a lot of canyons nearby, but there is water, shade and plenty to explore.

On to Hole-in-the-Rock. Dogs are allowed in any of the canyons there except the dry fork slots (Peekaboo & Spooky) and Coyote Gulch. Some of the canyons are in the Glen Canyon NRA and leashes are required. On the upper end of the road, you could check out Devil's Garden for a leg stretcher. Harris Wash is good for dogs but not high on my list otherwise. Bighorn Canyon might be good although there is a bit of scrambling down climbing that dogs might not like. Zebra and Tunnel slots are also a decent option.

A really fun, longer day hike would be to go out to the Egypt Trailhead and hike out to The Golden Cathedral in Neon Canyon. You can do it via the b-line route or through Fence Canyon. Definitely check with the visitor center on water levels though. The river can get pretty swift down there in the spring.

Further down the road, Willow Gulch is excellent.

On the Cottonwood Road, be sure to stop and check out the Cottonwood Narrows. Willis Creek is also a must-see and good for dogs. It's on the Skutumpah Road just off of the Cottonwood Road on the north end.

If you have specific questions about any of these suggestions, feel free to ask. I can probably link you to a bunch of trip reports too.

 

[Udink]

Originally I was planning on staying in Green River on the way out but I'm hoping to see pictographs north of I-70 (Black Dragon and Petroglyph Canyons) and thought maybe dispersed camping somewhere near one of the canyons might be a better option. Any suggestions for camping in that area? Also, I remember some primitive campsites along Temple Mountain Rd. (before and after the picnic area) are all of these pretty decent?

I'll echo what Nick said--there are some great spots near Black Dragon and Temple Wash. Spring Canyon, which is a couple of drainages south of Black Dragon Wash, is an excellent place and I've camped there half a dozen times. Beautiful scenery, relatively secluded, big cottonwood trees.

Near the Temple Mountain/Goblin Valley road junction, there's a nice spot where I usually camp. It's just past the Goblin Valley turnoff, but before the big graveled BLM campground. There are only a few junipers around there, but it's somewhat sheltered by some sandstone hills to the west, and far enough from the main roads to be pretty secluded.

Here's a map showing these and a few other decent sites in both areas:

[parsehtml]<iframe width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&amp;msid=215439384761462846178.0004d59e7f94e24d4a3a3&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;t=h&amp;ll=38.766933,-110.56366&amp;spn=0.513961,0.878906&amp;z=10&amp;output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&amp;msid=215439384761462846178.0004d59e7f94e24d4a3a3&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;t=h&amp;ll=38.766933,-110.56366&amp;spn=0.513961,0.878906&amp;z=10&amp;source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">San Rafael Reef Campsites</a> in a larger map</small>[/parsehtml]

 

[heronwheels]

Escalante is a great area for hiking with dogs. Are you just looking for day hikes or longer backpacking routes?

We'll be doing day hikes only. I'm on the fence on whether my lab will be joining - I'm working on some newly cropped up dog reactivity issues with him and I'm agonizing over whether I should leave him home with my boyfriend. If he comes I have to be careful on length and scrambling (he's afraid of running up steep slickrock and the like, ex. I had to carry him up the steps at Corona Arch where my aussie ran up without thinking).

You gave me a great start on which trails to focus on, thanks for including trails with sources of water, definitely a bonus with the dogs! We drove the Burr Trail last year and loved every minute of it - that's a really nice drive! I'm planning on driving as far down Hole-in-the-Rock Rd. this year as I can so the suggestions for leg stretchers are appreciated! Is Cottonwood Canyon Rd. typically in good shape that time of year? I was hoping to do Cottonwood Narrows and didn't realize Willis Creek was so close to the route - we'll definitely go there.

Udlink - those campsites are exactly what I was looking for (especially the first pic at the mouth of Spring Canyon - perfect)...thanks for the map. Any thoughts on campsites at the south end of Cottonwood Canyon Rd near Big Water? Debating on whether we'll have time to hike out to the Wahweap hoodoos but it's definitely on the list.

Thanks for setting me in the right direction!

 

[Nick]

Udink - what's Spring Canyon like? Do you by chance have any trip reports from hiking in it?

 

[Udink]

Udink - what's Spring Canyon like? Do you by chance have any trip reports from hiking in it?

If you hike up from the bottom, it's really short and pretty easy, but with a little bit of potentially ugly bushwhacking on the way. You'll be stopped by a dryfall about half a mile up the canyon, and there's always a big pool at the bottom of it. I spent a few hours finding a way into the canyon above the dryfall (trip report here), then found an easier way out of the canyon on my way down the Reef. I returned another day to rappel the dryfall (details are buried about halfway through this TR).

 

[Nick]

Is Cottonwood Canyon Rd. typically in good shape that time of year? I was hoping to do Cottonwood Narrows and didn't realize Willis Creek was so close to the route - we'll definitely go there.

...

Any thoughts on campsites at the south end of Cottonwood Canyon Rd near Big Water? Debating on whether we'll have time to hike out to the Wahweap hoodoos but it's definitely on the list.

Thanks for setting me in the right direction!

Cottonwood Canyon road can be all over the place. Definitely check in with the BLM people in Escalante or Cannonville for current road conditions before attempting it. The trouble spot is usually on the south end of the road where the Paria has a tendency to wash it out.

There aren't great campsites in the lower section but there is in the middle section. There's a particularly nice one just north of the Cottonwood Narrows on the west side of the road. I don't recall exactly but I'm sure there are more further south near Yellow Dome and Hackberry. Once you're down to Hwy 89, I imagine there is decent camping on some of the other side roads. House Rock Valley Road has plenty for sure. I imagine some of the others in the area do as well.

 

[heronwheels]

Cottonwood Canyon road can be all over the place. Definitely check in with the BLM people in Escalante or Cannonville for current road conditions before attempting it. The trouble spot is usually on the south end of the road where the Paria has a tendency to wash it out.

There aren't great campsites in the lower section but there is in the middle section. There's a particularly nice one just north of the Cottonwood Narrows on the west side of the road. I don't recall exactly but I'm sure there are more further south near Yellow Dome and Hackberry. Once you're down to Hwy 89, I imagine there is decent camping on some of the other side roads. House Rock Valley Road has plenty for sure. I imagine some of the others in the area do as well.

Thanks again! I've been going through trip reports (drooling at everyone's great photos) and have my plans narrowed down a bit. I hope Cottonwood Canyon Rd. is in good shape, Cottonwood Narrows and Willis Creek are pretty high on the list of hikes I want to do while I'm out there!

 

[Michael]

... Cottonwood Canyon road.
Nice CS are near the Box of Paria River, in the range between Yellow Rock and Gouldings trail, Brigham Plains road a couple of yards from Cottonwood road. Nice hikes in this area: Red Top, Yellow Rock, also possible as loop via Yellow Rock valley, Castle Rock but the first part is to hard for dogs (IMO).

 

[heronwheels]

Only a few days before I get to point my Jeep west for our southern Utah vacation. I'm looking forward to exploring the hiking/camping options you all provided in response to my question! Once last concern seeing as a lot of you have dogs here, are there any veterinarians in the Escalante or Boulder area? Hopefully we won't need one but it doesn't hurt to plan for the worst case scenario I guess. I did a Google search and didn't find much. Thanks again for the great suggestions!

 

[heronwheels]

I've been meaning to stop by and thank those of you that gave me advice on camping spots and places to see on our visit to Utah. The dogs and I had a great time (despite being cold-it was around freezing every night we camped). Willis Creek was great, the dogs had a blast and there were hardly any people there when we visited. Thanks again - I would have been on here sooner but a friend from Nebraska gave me a fly rod and reel on the way out to Utah and I've become hopelessly addicted!


Mr. Brownie by heronwheels, on Flickr