Help with a 3 to 4 night backpacking trip in early September

Hi guys,

I found this forum while looking for information on hiking in Southern Utah and it's been really helpful. The problem is that there seem to be so many great spots that it is hard to pick one. Here is the plan.

Me and two friends are heading down to Southern Utah from Oregon at the beginning of September for a 3 to 4 night backpacking trip. I've never been down there and one of my friends has done day trips in Arches. We have experience hiking and backpacking mostly in the Northwest. We are looking for some slot canyons, maybe some water features, and getting away a bit.

From what I have seen around here Grand Staircase-Escalante seems to be the best candidate. Coyote Gulch and Hackberry Canyon both seem very interesting.

I guess the last factor is the heat. What do you think about that?

Thanks

It could be hot but totally bearable. My first trip back to Escalante last year was 2nd week of September and it was fantastic. It will be particularly nice if you pick something really wet and perhaps a bit higher in elevation. The temperature difference between the stuff at the end of Hole-in-the-Rock Road vs. the stuff up by the town of Escalante can be pretty significant. Escalante is one of my favorite backpacking destinations and I have a good amount of trips there on my blog. Take a look. Happy to help if you have more specific questions. http://backcountrypost.com/?cat=149

Thanks a lot for the info Nick. I've been looking at your trip reports and they are great. I am leaning towards Coyote Gulch right now. Besides looking incredibly beautiful it also looks like there is plenty of places for playing in the water.

Are there any slot canyons down there? Or would it make more sense to spend a day around the Dry Fork area to explore the ones up there?

How crowded does Coyote Gulch get? Would it be ok to set up camp and leave things there to go exploring or is there a lot of traffic?

Thanks again

+1 for coyote gulch. Went there as well in May. As far as the crowds, that's a just depends answer. We saw a few different groups, but didn't have an issue with finding camping spots or enjoying the solitude. You should be okay leaving a base camp and exploring, that's a just depends answer as well.

Here is my trip report:

http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...t=Coyote+gulch

I plan on taking my varsity scout group there next year.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In Coyote Gulch you'd likely want to set up a basecamp or overnight camp at Jacob Hamblin Arch. The alcove area would provide plenty of shade. Maybe another camp spot down by the river. You could go for a wade around Stevens Arch. If any of you have Steve Allen's Canyoneering 3 book; plenty of good ideas in there.

Best bet would be to spend an afternoon on the drive in or out to get your fill up of Pee-a-Boo, Spooky, etc. There's also the nearby Egypt slots. Haven't been to them, but I believe they would require canyoneering gear.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ikostic

Thanks a lot for the info Nick. I've been looking at your trip reports and they are great. I am leaning towards Coyote Gulch right now. Besides looking incredibly beautiful it also looks like there is plenty of places for playing in the water.

Are there any slot canyons down there? Or would it make more sense to spend a day around the Dry Fork area to explore the ones up there?

How crowded does Coyote Gulch get? Would it be ok to set up camp and leave things there to go exploring or is there a lot of traffic?

Thanks again

---

Coyote Gulch can be pretty busy but I didn't find it problematic. I did it in late May on a weekend, what I would suspect to be peak season and other than near Jacob Hamblin Arch we had our pick of great campsites and didn't see that many people passing through. I really like the loop route that starts at the water tank and comes out at crack. You probably already saw my TR but if not, there is a map of the route we took in it. http://backcountrypost.com/?p=61

There aren't any non-technical slots in Coyote that I'm aware of. Dry Fork would be a good option if you want to hit something like that on the way in or on the way out. Another option is the Forty Mile Gulch+Willow Gulch Loop just a little further down the road from Coyote Gulch. It made for a nice 2-night trip for me but is also doable as a long day hike and has great narrows with lots of water. I did it in May: http://backcountrypost.com/?p=775

Pics:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5147/...65c33a14_z.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2137/...db2b3aeb_z.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5023/...7d02fc29_z.jpg