Escalante canyons

[2065toyota]

We are heading over to Escalante for the rendezvous on Mar 10. I know there is plenty of info on this, but I'm on my phone and its harder to search and I'm lazy sometimes :-)

Just curious if I could get some input on what canyons we should shoot for. We've done a lot in zion, but I've actually never been to the escalante canyons.

Thx in advance

Also, the forums are pretty slow lately so this could give some people some time to start thinking about canyons again

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[Slot Machine]

Just curious if I could get some input on what canyons we should shoot for. We've done a lot in zion, but I've actually never been to the escalante canyons.

Also, the forums are pretty slow lately so this could give some people some time to start thinking about canyons again.

Hey Kody,

Escalante tends to be cold and windy in March. And I mean REALLY windy; 50+ MPH is not unusual. So account for wind chill and eye protection when planning. Bring a bombproof tent setup if camping.

But the weather might be good. So I'd make a couple sets of plans. Something like,

Moderate to extreme cold/wind:
Spooky/Peekaboo/Dry Fork/Brimstone
Red Breaks
Egypt 3
Zebra and Tunnel
Egypt 1
Sad Cow
Lewellen Gulch

Perfect weather:
Neon
Micro Death
Spencer
Headless Hen

To avoid needless suffering, and because you have never been out there, I recommend resisting the urge to to anything more difficult than the lists above. These canyons are very satisfying and will help you learn how to navigate across Escalante terrain.

And don't bother with E2, it is a waste of a day. The only good part is the huge rap at the top. And Coyote Gulch is a classic, if you have 2-3 days to burn. And, and, AND .... there is a LOT of good stuff out thataway. :mrgreen:

Hope this helps.

-Bob

[TommyBoy]

I did a trip out there in March two years ago and did Headless Hen, Raven, Neon, Choprock, and East Baker. It was great, the wind wasn't bad at all, and the daytime temps were in the low 50's. The only problem was at night it dropped below freezing so in the morning we had to thaw out our stuff by dipping it in the river before we could get it on.

This time of year you just have to be very flexible in your canyon planning and have lots of alternates just in case you have to move somewhere else.

[Iceaxe]

All of southern Utah has a tendency to be extremely windy in the spring. I had some friends that used to refer to Moab as Blowab in the spring. The best thing about Utah is if you don't like the weather just hang around for 10 minutes and it will change. Some flexibility is a wise move for canyoneers any time of year.

[ScottM]

Spencer Canyon (AKA AFC + Pirates of the Caribbean) is a great one. Make sure you do the lower section, where it really slots up at the intersection.
If you want to take on E2 for the big rap, E2 can be combined with E3. The slotted sections of E2 are wee bit better than Bob gives it credit for.

[badwobot]

Does anyone have more info on this Escalante rendezvous? a link to the conversation perhaps?

[2065toyota]

Does anyone have more info on this Escalante rendezvous? a link to the conversation perhaps?

It's only posted through the ACA group on meetup.com or the meetup app

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