Willow Gulch / Broken Bow Arch

[brettyb]

Any first hand accounts of this hike? I'm mostly concerned about the difficulty. I've seen some inconsistency in distance estimations, though 4 miles R/T seems to be the most common number. Our 7 and 4 year olds have handled Corona Arch, Delicate Arch, Chimney Rock (Capitol Reef), and Upper Calf Creek Falls on recent trips. Is there something resembling a constructed trail in Willow Gulch? How uneven and/or sandy is the surface? (These are the things that make the hike quite a bit more strenuous for the little ones.)

Any input is welcome. Thanks. We're scoping it out for a trip the first week of April.

[Scott P]

There isn't an established trail but the walking is easy. It's mostly sand, pebbles and wash bottom.

Be aware that if you only hike down Willow to the arch, you will miss the best parts of the hike. The canyon isn't as interesting above the arch.

Here is a photo trip report of a trip we did covering the 40 Mile/Willow Loop:

http://www.summitpost.org/adventures-in-escalante-photo-trip-report/637939

Our kids just turned 6 & 8 at the time. I wouldn't have hesitated to take them at age 4, but they were used to walking long distances and scrambling by then.

If you are worried about the difficulty, but still wanted to see some really good stuff, take a backpack down Willow Creek and set up camp near the arch. Explore down canyon as far as you would like, perhaps even exploring lower 40 Mile too. Doing that part has no major obstacles. Early April might be too cold though.

Hiking down Willow to the arch and back would be a good day hike for you, but it's not as fun or scenic as the lower canyon. Also consider Peekaboo and Spooky. There is some scrambling, but kids absolutely love that hike.

[brettyb]

Thanks for the info, Scott. Your track record of getting your kids out on adventures is genuinely amazing. Not sure we'll be up for backpacking this time...but will try to get the kids motivated to hike below the arch too. Based on their track record, I think the arch will be a reasonable goal. And, of course, having a tangible goal like an arch is a good motivator.