Seeking advice - Escalante or Grand Gulch after heavy rain?

[Janice]

I know Utah needs rain, so it's really good that Tropical Storm Rachel is doing its thing. BUT it's providing us with some challenges for our upcoming backpacking trip starting perhaps Thursday 10/15. I could use some advice.

Our original plan was to do the Silver Falls / Choprock route (plus some extra explorations) that I've been wanting to do for a few years now. But you can only access it from dirt roads which can be difficult or even impassable when wet, and there's 1-2 inches of rain forecast for the next few days. I talked to a ranger at the Escalante Visitor Center who said sometimes the dirt roads take a long time to dry out, depending on how much rain there is and the temps. So I don't know when we'd be able to get ourselves to the TH. Plus, based on what the ranger said, the Escalante River might be a big mess and have quicksand, due to the combination of the current storm and the flash flood that went through there last month. So this might not be a good time for us to do this hike.

So I'm thinking of alternatives and am interested in Grand Gulch, especially since we weren't able to go as planned in 2025 due to a death in the family. I know that Kane Gulch Ranger Station is at a paved road so getting there wouldn't be an issue, and we could do an out-and-back to avoid dirt roads (or try to arrange a shuttle to Bullet or other TH or maybe even overcome our East Coast upbringings and try to hitch a ride). So accessing a GG trailhead isn't a problem. But if we pivot to GG, we need to find out about likely conditions, and I haven't gotten through to the Monticello BLM office yet. If the rain comes as expected, I assume there would be enough drinking water, but maybe that's an incorrect assumption? Also, if additional rain comes while we're in there, how great is the flash flood risk? Is this a good (safe) option for us?

I'd really appreciate advice / info from those of you who have experience with these roads and canyons, especially if you've been there during or shortly after big rains.

Thanks!

 

[cweb]

Geez, sorry, Janice! Your timing is really a bummer, but we need the rain for sure. Unfortunately, Grand Gulch is not a better alternative; in fact I might argue it's worse. GG after heavy rains will be soupy and full of quicksand. Yes, you could hike in easily from the ranger station, but getting a shuttle out to you could prove difficult. Filtering the muddy water will be a big problem, especially without alum or Water Wizard. Rain is forecasted through Wednesday, so there won't be any time for things to dry up really. And yes, both areas flash flood, but so far it looks like it's going to stop before you get out here. Can you pivot to do something up high on sandstone instead of down in the canyons? What about something in Capitol Reef, Glen Canyon, etc. up high where the potholes will be full of cleaner water?

 

[Janice]

Thanks so much for your reply. Very helpful and important, albeit disappointing! Any specific recommendations for routes in Capitol Reef or Glen Canyon?

I'm wondering about the Maze via jet boat down the Colorado. I'm thinking water would be more available than usual. But maybe the same difficulties would be present as in GG? I'm going to make some phone calls. If anyone has thoughts about that, I'd love to hear.

Assuming we figure out something, we assume we won't start until Friday at the earliest.

Any other suggestions for a longish (5-7 days) route that could work right now???

 

[napatony13]

Thanks so much for your reply. Very helpful and important, albeit disappointing! Any specific recommendations for routes in Capitol Reef or Glen Canyon?

I'm wondering about the Maze via jet boat down the Colorado. I'm thinking water would be more available than usual. But maybe the same difficulties would be present as in GG? I'm going to make some phone calls. If anyone has thoughts about that, I'd love to hear.

Assuming we figure out something, we assume we won't start until Friday at the earliest.

Any other suggestions for a longish (5-7 days) route that could work right now???

My son and I did the Maze about this time last year after a rainy week...had plenty of pothole water but no issues other than that. Temps were pleasant but that boat ride was brutally cold. That hike up to the Doll House was no fun at all...quite steep and an hour of misery for this 67 year old!

 

[b.stark]

I'll be headed out to Southern Utah later this week also, just going to take it as it comes... by strange luck I actually moved my trip back a week or I'd be there now dodging storms and floods.

Can confirm, the jet boat ride for the Maze can be absolutely frigid.

 

[SEAlpine]

A couple of weeks ago, I spent about a week on and around Cedar Mesa and Comb Ridge during a three-day rain event. The dirt roads on the mesa were impassable during and for a few days after the rain stopped. Although I was initially disappointed, I found plenty of day hikes accessible from paved roads to keep me busy.

I was able to access Todie Canyon by parking a quarter-mile down the dirt road at the corral and walking the remaining mile through the mud. The Todie Canyon Rim hike is great, and you can easily climb down into the canyon from there. Other easily accessible trails include both forks of Mule Canyon, the Mule Canyon towers, upper Butler Wash, and the Butler Wash interpretive trail (where you can hike off-trail onto Comb Ridge). You can also jump onto Comb Ridge where Highway 95 cuts through it, explore numerous trails in Natural Bridges, or head toward Hanksville to get out on the slickrock above Sandthrax, where you can hike for miles. Hog Spring Canyon is also a nice long hike. Hopefully, these give you some good alternatives!

 

[RyanP]

I think Canyonlands in general is a great option, and by taking the jet boat to the Maze, you don't need to worry about road conditions. I would personally be more worried about water availability than anything else. I've never been to the Maze in the Fall, so I'd normally be worried about the water availability--so going right after rain sounds like a great idea, and you'll likely be fine on that front. Most of the "springs" there are really just big puddles anyway. I'd definitely recommend trying to get a hold of the ranger station to inquire about the current water conditions (in my experience, I've gotten good info from rangers if I ask the question the right way--say exactly which water sources you're enquiring about, so that they know you've done your homework, and maybe relate it to previous trips you've done... if they can instantly tell that you're not a first-time desert backpacker, they're much more likely to give you good info instead of trying to talk you out of it). On my last trip to the maze, we went a few days after they got a bunch of rain, and there were a lot of potholes with water, which was awesome... but after a few days, most of them were dry (although the regular, well-known water sources were still good). So you'll probably want to save the more reliable water sources for the end of the trip.

Also, I agree with the above comments that the boat ride in the morning can be way colder than you might expect. The operators warned us about it, but we didn't take the warnings seriously. It was fun, but have some layers handy to bundle up!

 

[ColoradoFrosty]

I'll be headed out to Southern Utah later this week also, just going to take it as it comes... by strange luck I actually moved my trip back a week or I'd be there now dodging storms and floods.

Can confirm, the jet boat ride for the Maze can be absolutely frigid.

The Escalante river gauge spiked to over 400 cfs yesterday. Let us know how it goes out there.

I was also planning on heading out to the Escalante area later this week. However, the forecast for next week is now showing a couple days of rain/cool conditions. With all the moisture over the last month I am also looking other options, or just delaying a week. Hopefully things will dry out some.

With Rachel I don't think the GG area has gotten hammered like the Escalante area?

I know the Bullfrog Creek Crossing for the Burr Trail / Notom-Bullfrog Road has been shut down for some time with water. I just went to check for an update and saw this below:

Road Name	Condition	Updated on
Notom-Bullfrog	Unknown, likely impassable	10/12/26
Burr Trail	Unknown, likely impassable	10/12/26
Strike Valley Overlook	Unknown, likely impassable	10/12/26
Halls Creek Overlook	Unknown, likely impassable	10/12/26
Bullfrog Creek Crossing	Unknown, likely impassable	10/12/26

Capital Reef Conditions: https://www.nps.gov/care/planyourvisit/conditions.htm