To Do in 2015

My wife, who is my usual backpacking partner for my bigger trips, is expecting in May so she'll be MIA for most of the year and I'm not sure how much I'll be able to get out as a result, but here's some of what I'm shooting for...

Backpacking
Overnighter: Grove Creek & Battle Creek Loop (May/June)
Overnighter: Slate & Slide Canyon Loop with a summit of Provo Peak (June)
Multi-day: Red Castle - King's Peak - Henry's Fork Loop (June/July/August)
Overnighter: Timp (August)
Overnighter: Rock Canyon - Little Rock Canyon Loop (May/June/July/August)
Overnighter: Deseret Peak (June/July/August)
Overnighter: Capitol Reef - Spring Canyon, Frying Pan Trail, or Pleasant Creek (April/May or September/October)

Most are local because I know I can more realistically do those. Anyone keen to come along on any of the backpacking trips are welcome. Let me know and we can compare open dates later, or I may just post some invites in the meet ups as I get my work schedule, time off and family stuff worked out. In fact, of what's listed above, I will only do Red Castle - King's Peak and Deseret Peak if I have others to come with.

Car Camps:
TBD

Day hikes:
Lake Blanche, Spanish Fork Peak, Lone Peak, Santaquin Peak, Mt. Nebo, Capitol Reef - Golden Throne & Capitol Wash, Upper Calf Creek, Devils Garden & dino tracks, Willis Creek

I'd love to throw in some other multi-day trips near and far (i.e. Winds & San Juans), but I have to be realistic based on the probability of staying closer to home with a new baby on the way and all, except for the routine family trips down to Torrey, Capitol Reef, and Escalante areas.

Of course, If any meetups/invites open up for trips/hikes that others plan that coincide with times I can get away from work and when my wife doesn't mind, I'd probably be happy to tag along myself.
 
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DrNed said:
If you're open to suggestions do this the opposite direction. Going from WFBF to Highline you get all the goods in the beginning. Also, if I can make another suggestion do the upper rock creek basin trail. I don't know the bloom time for the uintas flowers but when I was in late July 2014 it was awesome.
I LOVED this trip!
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I have to admit I prefer the goods up front and being a fisherman by day 4 I will have had my fill of it.
We (my twin and I) were planning on getting to Deadhorse lake by dark, head over to reconisince lake (and many other stops) on day 2, and over to Uintah/Brinkley on day 3, with a lunch stop at Caroline on the way out on Day 4.

So my biggest question is which way feels the most downhill, WFBF to Highline or Highline to WFBF?
 
Erf. So much to do and with some things in the works I'm not sure where I'll be or to what extent I'll be free.

Winter-Spring
  • Visit The Wave again
  • Backpack Buckskin Gulch through the Paria to Lee's Ferry
  • Various canyoneering in The Swell, Robber's Roost, North Wash
  • Finally do some amount of exploring in the Escalante country
Summer
  • If I return to the Bighorns
    • Return to the Powell Lakes when not raining
    • See the Chill Lakes, Wilderness Basin, Elk/Mead/Diamond/Glacier Lakes
    • Lots of fishing
    • Blacktooth Peak?
    • Take a trip to the Wind Rivers
  • If I stay in Utah
    • Uintas, nothing specific, I just want to get out there
General wishes to happen sometime in 2015 with no schedule
  • Explore IN the Grand Canyon
  • Take a nice long adventure trip to Colorado
  • Spend some time in Death Valley exploring
  • Spend some time on a boat
  • Spend lots of time fishing and taking pictures
So many wishes. If I knew for sure what my employment situation will be it'd be so much easier to plan it all!!!
 
So they say there's not a lot of options for backpacking in Capitol Reef with most hikes being doable in a day. That may be true, but what about when you combine a number of day hikes into a loop? I just came up with the following idea I'd like to add to my to-do list and try to find a good time to fit it in next year if I can get someone to go with. The route would start at Chimney Rock Trailhead and proceed through lower Spring Canyon, Grand Wash, Frying Pan, Cohab, Fruita, and return to Chimney Rock via Sulphur Creek. Measured on CalTopo, it amounts to about 25 miles, give or take a bit, not counting any little side trips to other landmarks and viewpoints (e.g. Butch Cassidy Arch). I figure it could be done in 3 days and 2 nights with the final day being the longest at about 10 miles.

Having not been down Spring Canyon myself, I have to question how reliable are any water sources in Lower Spring Canyon? Google Satellite makes it look like there's a good flowing spring about half way down but park literature says the most reliable spring is in upper Spring Canyon. Another question is how solid is the bypass trail around the narrows in Lower Spring?

Anyone else keen?

 
WasatchWill said:
So they say there's not a lot of options for backpacking in Capitol Reef with most hikes being doable in a day. That may be true, but what about when you combine a number of day hikes into a loop?

Having not been down Spring Canyon myself, I have to question how reliable are any water sources in Lower Spring Canyon?
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Will, I've backpacked Spring canyon. Water is the issue. One reliable spring as you know and then the river at the end. We did it in early spring and had a little poor water from snow melt. There are many backpacks that can be done elsewhere in the park and are documented here at BCP.
 
@WasatchWill - I think @Cody did a similar route to the one you have laid out a year or two ago. Not the same for sure, because I know he still had to do some road walking, but maybe he can chime in. I know Spring was part of it.
 
WasatchWill said:
So they say there's not a lot of options for backpacking in Capitol Reef with most hikes being doable in a day. That may be true, but what about when you combine a number of day hikes into a loop? I just came up with the following idea I'd like to add to my to-do list and try to find a good time to fit it in next year if I can get someone to go with. The route would start at Chimney Rock Trailhead and proceed through lower Spring Canyon, Grand Wash, Frying Pan, Cohab, Fruita, and return to Chimney Rock via Sulphur Creek. Measured on CalTopo, it amounts to about 25 miles, give or take a bit, not counting any little side trips to other landmarks and viewpoints (e.g. Butch Cassidy Arch). I figure it could be done in 3 days and 2 nights with the final day being the longest at about 10 miles.

Having not been down Spring Canyon myself, I have to question how reliable are any water sources in Lower Spring Canyon? Google Satellite makes it look like there's a good flowing spring about half way down but park literature says the most reliable spring is in upper Spring Canyon. Another question is how solid is the bypass trail around the narrows in Lower Spring?

Anyone else keen?

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I've done that loop. Its a really cool trip. I highly recommend it.

I made the loop slightly longer, by starting (and ending) at Holt's Draw just outside the park boundary. I did it in 3 days. I hiked into Upper Spring Canyon, and went all the way down to the Freemont River. Besides the river, there are 2 springs along the way (which you mentioned - both are reliable in spring). One is about a mile up canyon from where the Chimney Rock route intersects with Spring Canyon, and the other is several miles down canyon from the intersection. The bypass trail in Lower Spring is easy to navigate.

I crossed the river, hiked a few minutes on the road, and went up Grand Wash and up Frying Pan. This was the long stretch with out water. I then dropped down to the Visitor Center, and went up Sulfur Creek. Instead of turning off at Chimney Rock, I continued up Sulfur Creek, and hiked all the way back to my car. The last few miles where through cow pastures.

Sulfur Creek was fun. I had been looking at that route for several years. I finally did it this spring, and enjoyed Sulfur Creek so much I took friends up it the following weekend. You will want water shoes, and there are 3 small waterfalls to navigate. Nothing technical.
 
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Joey said:
I've done that loop. Its a really cool trip. I highly recommend it.

I made the loop slightly longer, by starting (and ending) at Holt's Draw just outside the park boundary. I did it in 3 days. I hiked into Upper Spring Canyon, and went all the way down to the Freemont River. Besides the river, there are 2 springs along the way (which you mentioned - both are reliable in spring). One is about a mile up canyon from where the Chimney Rock route intersects with Spring Canyon, and the other is several miles down canyon from the intersection. The bypass trail in Lower Spring is easy to navigate.

I crossed the river, hiked a few minutes on the road, and went up Grand Wash and up Frying Pan. This was the long stretch with out water. I then dropped down to the Visitor Center, and went up Sulfur Creek. Instead of turning off at Chimney Rock, I continued up Sulfur Creek, and hiked all the way back to my car. The last few miles where through cow pastures.

Sulfur Creek was fun. I had been looking at that route for several years. I finally did it this spring, and enjoyed Sulfur Creek so much I took friends up it the following weekend. You will want water shoes, and there are 3 small waterfalls to navigate. Nothing technical.
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Awesome! What month did you do it? Torrey has a reputation for being cold, wet, and windy in April. I took my wife and girls down Sulfur on Memorial Day and we enjoyed it with my father-in-law serving as shuttle. The only stretches of the route I've yet to do are from Chimney Rock through Spring Canyon and the Frying Pan trail connecting Grand Wash and Cohab. I'm familiar with everything else.
 
WasatchWill said:
Awesome! What month did you do it? Torrey has a reputation for being cold, wet, and windy in April. I took my wife and girls down Sulfur on Memorial Day and we enjoyed it with my father-in-law serving as shuttle. The only stretches of the route I've yet to do are from Chimney Rock through Spring Canyon and the Frying Pan trail connecting Grand Wash and Cohab. I'm familiar with everything else.
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I did it in April :). There are some great spots to camp up on the Frying Pan Trail. At the top you can work your way to some nice overlooks.
 
Nick said:
@WasatchWill - I think @Cody did a similar route to the one you have laid out a year or two ago. Not the same for sure, because I know he still had to do some road walking, but maybe he can chime in. I know Spring was part of it.
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I did a loop similar to Joey with Upper/Lower Spring, Grand, and the Frying Pan, starting at Holt Draw, but minus Sulphur Creek at the end. I regret not finishing through Sulphur; road walked instead attempting and failing at hitch hiking back to Holt. Very nice route.
 
I finally had a bit of time, so I could plan most of my trips for next year.
I will probably add a few more short weekend trips throughout the year, but the summer will be used for quite a few trips between my semesters.

January: Bluff Balloon Festival
Februrary: Little Finland
March: Spring Break in Death Valley
May 11-18: Galapagos with Dixie State University as a field trip :):):)
Memorial Day: probably Salt Creek Canyon
June 20-July 14: Big Island and Kauai with backpacking Kalalau trail
July 18-August 23: road trip to the Black Hills, North Dakota, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and Cirque of Towers in the Wind River Range
Labor Day weekend in Moab
October: Fall Break in Escalante
November: annual Subway hike , Thanksgiving somewhere in the desert
December: no planned yet, but something with snow would be nice
 
I'm applying for a JMT thru-hike permit in a couple of weeks for mid-July. Nervous and excited in equal measure! Being based in the UK, there's a good chance that'll probably be my only big trip this year. I'm usually more of a desert rat but i've had the Sierras on the brain for the past six months or so and have been watching a lot of JMT vids/reading a lot of books. It'll be far and away the longest trip i've done but i'm planning on changing jobs in the summer & figure I can wangle a month or so of time off. It could be now or never.

Although an entire year without any time in S. Utah sounds terrible to me. Might see if I can get back out there for a week or so in October!
 
The Presidentials
Pemigawasset Loop
Lye Brook Wilderness
maybe the 100 mile wilderness (Not on the AT though)

Long Trail (sections)

Fishing: Moosehead, Sebago, Champlain, Winnipesaukee
 
To do in 2015

With family:
Visit arches NP
Hike around Yellowstone
Car camp In uintas

With the fellas:
Salt Creek early spring
Horseshoe Camyon
The Highline trail (025)
Hopefully a trip to escalante and another late trip In the uintas
 
My plans are still very tentative, but here's what I have so far:

April or early May: week-long trip somewhere in southern Utah. I may spend more time in the GSENM combined with some time at Capitol Reef, or move on the an area I haven't started exploring yet. I'm open to suggestions! I'm also considering taking one of the Intro to Canyoneering Courses offered near Arches or out of Escalante. 6-8 days?

June: long weekend with my husband in Nova Scotia following a training course for my work; 3-4 days

late August or early September: Glacier National Park with a friend and possibly my husband (he gets a week less vacation time than I do and doesn't love hiking as much as I do); 4-5 days?

mid-October: more southern Utah, depending on if I have enough vacation time left! I need to leave a few days to use around Christmas to see my family!

I also need to spend some time in the spring and fall visiting more of the state parks in Texas. We do have a little bit of topography a few hours' drive away outside Austin.
 
Just found out my wife is expecting in early September, so that has forced me to reevaluate my plans. I pretty much need to cram it all in June-August. At the moment I have a permit for the Chesler Park at the end of March, a 5 day trip planned for the winds, a 4 day trip into the Sawtooths, and 3 trips into the Uintas, for Red Castle, Deadhorse, and Allsop. Other then that I will probably squeeze in a few weekend day hikes and maybe one other mutli-day trip to southern Utah in the early spring/summer. Who knows though, it seems whatever I plan never happens, so I just wing it most times. I am determined to make the Winds trip happen though.
 
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