SE Utah NPs in April

[saltybird]

What I'm currently thinking of doing:

Day 1: Some flexibility this day - get up early, drive from SLC to Arches (timed entry secured), do Devil's Garden and maybe Fiery Furnace, head to campground outside of Moab.

Day 2: Some flexibility this day - (maybe) drive to Island in the Sky, do Mesa Arch and Aztec Butte. Could swap those day hikes out for something else I guess. I have a Murphy point overnight permit, so hike up there this night.

Day 3: Non-negotiable - get up early, back to Murphy Point trailhead, drive to Needles campground, park and do Chesler Park + Druid Arch (permit secured to camp at BS1, so stay there overnight).

Day 4: Some flexibility - Get up early, short hike back to Needles campground parking lot, then drive back to SLC. I like the idea of driving back through Capitol Reef and doing a day hike or two there, but not sold on this idea. According to google maps, I could get to Capitol Reef in 4 hours. It'd be a long day of driving for sure.

Would love to do some stuff in Escalante/Grand Staircase but worried I'll be time crunched. I'm also driving what I expect to be a 2WD SUV rental so long dirt roads to get to trail heads are probably out of the question.

Any suggestions? Things I could change? Thanks.

 

[TrailScot]

Hi @saltybird,

This looks like a great itinerary ... you've definitely put a lot of thought and preparation into this trip already

For Arches, the late afternoon and evening views of Delicate Arch are magnificent ... maybe substitute this for Fiery Furnace

For Island in the Sky and Needles, your day-hiking options sound great

I think Capitol Reef is definitely worth the long drive ... even if your visit is short, the views are wonderful ... I realize the route via Blanding is longer, but Highway 95 is a very scenic route, if you can spare the extra time

 

[saltybird]

Hi @saltybird,

This looks like a great itinerary ... you've definitely put a lot of thought and preparation into this trip already

For Arches, the late afternoon and evening views of Delicate Arch are magnificent ... maybe substitute this for Fiery Furnace

For Island in the Sky and Needles, your day-hiking options sound great

I think Capitol Reef is definitely worth the long drive ... even if your visit is short, the views are wonderful ... I realize the route via Blanding is longer, but Highway 95 is a very scenic route, if you can spare the extra time

Thanks @TrailScot. I like your sunset Delicate Arch suggestion. Hopefully I can find parking there.

Assuming I arrive at Capitol Reef at around 11AM on the last day (I suppose route 24 would be easiest) -- any recommendations for day-hikes? Chimney Point looks good.

 

[regehr]

April is a perfect time of year for an itinerary like this, and a 2WD SUV rental is totally fine for many of the roads in the Escalante area.

If you do one hike in Capitol Reef I think I would recommend the Navajo Knobs trail, but no need to go all the way to the knobs since the views are very good fairly early in this hike, just go as far as you have time for.

 

[TrailScot]

April is a perfect time of year for an itinerary like this, and a 2WD SUV rental is totally fine for many of the roads in the Escalante area.

If you do one hike in Capitol Reef I think I would recommend the Navajo Knobs trail, but no need to go all the way to the knobs since the views are very good fairly early in this hike, just go as far as you have time for.

Yup, I'd 100% agree with @regehr on his suggestion for a day-hike ... head to this point (38.29527, -111.25495) on the Navajo Knobs trail, for great views in all directions ...

Oh, and don't forget to buy some apple pie from the small store next to the campground ... it's delicious !

 

[RyanP]

If it were me I would definitely skip Arches, Island in the Sky, and Capitol Reef in favor of spending those days in the Needles... but it is probably too late to change that. Even just adding a day to dayhike something like the Peekaboo trail would be better than what you'll see in Arches or Island in the Sky in my opinion. But either way, you have a good itinerary lined up and I'm sure you'll have a great time

 

[Bob]

Id skip Delicate and do fiery Furnace area......

 

[saltybird]

Yup, I'd 100% agree with @regehr on his suggestion for a day-hike ... head to this point (38.29527, -111.25495) on the Navajo Knobs trail, for great views in all directions ...

Oh, and don't forget to buy some apple pie from the small store next to the campground ... it's delicious !

Thanks @regehr. I expect my appetite for Navajo Knobs (and, for that matter, Capitol Reef overall) will be dependent on how tired I am on my last morning. This is a great suggestion, and if I do it I'll make sure to update with some pictures from @TrailScot's point

If it were me I would definitely skip Arches, Island in the Sky, and Capitol Reef in favor of spending those days in the Needles... but it is probably too late to change that. Even just adding a day to dayhike something like the Peekaboo trail would be better than what you'll see in Arches or Island in the Sky in my opinion. But either way, you have a good itinerary lined up and I'm sure you'll have a great time

Thanks @RyanP. My trip came together only in the last two weeks or so, campsite availability was a little thin! I'm lucky I got BS1.

 

[canadug]

Hopefully winter will be gone by then.......I was hoping to get to Escalante area again in Mid-March but there is more snow on the way Much needed moisture for sure but not worth driving down from Vancouver, Canada. We had fabulous weather last March.

 

[canadug]

The Hite area has endless potential with very few people around........We saw 4 people in the 8 days we spent wandering the canyons around Hite....So so Amazing!

 

[Janice]

Hope you’ll have a great trip!

We loved Navajo Knobs last April and Devil’s Garden (with all the side spurs) years ago.

Unless I’m missing something, I don’t notice any slot canyons. We love them; we’re not able to do anything technical but have really had fun exploring some non-technical ones. Do you want to consider adding one?

 

[saltybird]

I managed to fashion an all-Needles-District itinerary after a few changes! excited to hit the trails.

I'm staying in Elephant Canyon, Red Lake / Grabens zone, and BS1 over three nights.

For those still monitoring this thread, have you any recommendations of Red Lake / Grabens zone sites in its at-large area? Cool spots to see? I'm excited to check out Cyclone Canyon and take the trail down to the Colorado river.

Capitol Reef and the southern roads to get there from Needles District are now on the menu

@Janice - I appreciate your thoughts! I'm hoping the Joint Trail near Chesler Park will fit the bill.

 

[Janice]

I'll be on the Joint Trail soon, too. Looking forward to it!

 

[saltybird]

Updating this post a year later -- I've found this forum to be very helpful for planning and I want to make sure others have some information about what to expect if they're planning a similar Needles trip to my own. So glad I managed to get these permits and stay in Needles the whole time.

I ended up getting three Needles backcountry permits in mid-April:

EC3 - night 1
EC1 - night 2
CP1 - night 3

I started my hike at the Elephant Hill trailhead. Parking was tight, and I had to do a few loops around before settling for a parking spot on the side of the road leading into the parking lot proper. Try to get there as early as possible!

I started on the route to EC3. This was a great hike and a great introduction to the desert!
I took it slow and hiking poles were very helpful here. I consider myself pretty fit but managing those rock scrambles, especially as you descend into Elephant Canyon, is tricky to say the least. A few drops requiring me to take off my pack and lower it down first.

I followed Elephant Canyon to EC3 - I missed the campsite marker at the side of the trail, it'll be on your right if you're travelling south along Elephant Canyon. The campsite was nice, elevated and away from the trail, although I could still see people below me from the site. That night it got down to 3°C but no wind, I slept with the rain-fly off my tent and stared at the stars. The most silent place I've ever been -- it was eerie not hearing tree branches swaying in the wind or a lake lapping the shoreline as I was falling asleep.

The next morning, I was up very early and hiked to Druid Arch. This was the highlight of the trip! Challenging scrambling on this trail, especially near the end as you're climbing up to the viewpoint (be very careful ascending the ladder). I had the whole arch to myself, no one else on the trail that early. Just magical.

I returned mid-morning, packed up, and backtracked to EC1, where I set up camp again. EC1 is north of the split in the Elephant Hill and Elephant Canyon trails, and I reached it by continuing along the Elephant Canyon riverbed until I saw the EC1 campsite marker. This campsite was nice, albeit a bit more exposed to other hikers than EC3 -- I could see people descending the last section of the Elephant Hill trail into Elephant Canyon from the site. Overall a nice site with lots of space for multiple tents if you're with a big group.

I then set out on the Chesler Park loop, passing through the Joint Trail. I got totally turned around when I entered the joint -- I reached the hall of cairns and progressed through, but couldn't quite tell which direction to go. Finally realized it was a left turn after the hall of cairns, and made it out into the sunlight. Looped back through to the edge of Chesler Park and descended back into Elephant Canyon to EC1.

Day 3, I was feeling very tired and decided to hike to CP1 and call it a day. I hung out around CP1, took some pictures, read a book and relaxed. Was considering a push to Cyclone Canyon and back to my site but it was too much for my blistered feet.

Day 4, packed up and hiked back through Elephant Canyon to the Elephant Hill trailhead parking lot.

Altogether, the best multi-day I've done. Got very lucky with permits. Glad I was able to see the highlights and experience the desert. Make sure you train for this considering the water weight you'll be carrying -- I packed in 13L of water and was glad I didn't experience super-high temps. I'm still craving the sense of solitude I felt on this hike, something about that desert silence.