Quick trip to Coyote Gulch via Red Well

[Stephanie]

Hey guys. I'm thinking of heading down to the red well trailhead tomorrow just for a quick overnight stay. However, I'm a little concerned on how cold it may be. My sleeping bag is rated at 35 degrees and the weather in escalante is only showing a high of 68 tomorrow with a low of 40 degrees. Am I crazy to go? Also, I have never been to this area. Is 4 wheel drive needed to get to the trailhead?

 

[Stephanie]

Also, do you get service at the trailhead?

 

[LarryBoy]

Call the Escalante Interagency for the latest conditions on Hole in the Rock Road. They should also be able to tell you what the spur road to Red Wells is like right now. I was only on that spur road once, a couple years ago. It was sandy and I was glad to have a Subie over, say, a Camry, but it wasn't that big of a deal.

But seriously, call them up. Given the amount of rain recently, I wouldn't be surprised if the road were in rough shape.

 

[Deleted User]

However, I'm a little concerned on how cold it may be. My sleeping bag is rated at 35 degrees and the weather in escalante is only showing a high of 68 tomorrow with a low of 40 degrees.

What is the R-Value of your sleeping pad?

 

[LarryBoy]

Also, on the whole "weather in Escalante" bit, make sure you take a close look at where, exactly, they're forecasting for - Escalante itself is at like 5-someodd thousand feet and at least on Weather Underground, the default weather station for Escalante is Bryce Canyon, at 7k feet. So do some research into what elevation they're forecasting for vs where you're actually planning to go.