Our first trip to Escalante

We are headed to Escalante next week. We are planning on doing canyons Thurs-Sat. As this will be our group's first time doing technical canyons down there, we obviously want to make the most of it. After many hours of studying Tom and Shane's websites and Steve Allen's book, here is what I've come up with: Neon on Thursday, Coyote on Friday, and Egypt 3 on Saturday. Any suggestions, favorite hikes or canyons? Choprock is on the list to be done with a different group (the boys I've done Heaps with), later this summer. Thanks.

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Originally Posted by Taylor

We are headed to Escalante next week. We are planning on doing canyons Thurs-Sat. As this will be our group's first time doing technical canyons down there, we obviously want to make the most of it. After many hours of studying Tom and Shane's websites and Steve Allen's book, here is what I've come up with: Neon on Thursday, Coyote on Friday, and Egypt 3 on Saturday. Any suggestions, favorite hikes or canyons? Choprock is on the list to be done with a different group (the boys I've done Heaps with), later this summer. Thanks.

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Davis Gulch is one of our favorites. Coyote is a nice canyon, but perhaps better as a leisurely 2 day back pack trip, with it's nice riparian atmosphere. Davis is more interesting slotwise.

Nat

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Originally Posted by Taylor

Neon on Thursday, Coyote on Friday, and Egypt 3 on Saturday. Any suggestions, favorite hikes or canyons?

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We did Coyote Gulch a few weeks ago; 3 days, 2 nights. There is SO much in there to enjoy... yes, it can be done in a day, but it would be like sprinting trough an art gallery. Coyote really is that good, don't cheat yourself. (I'm assuming you haven't been there of course) :mrgreen:

Davis Gulch seems like a pretty good alternative to Coyote. :iagree:

I have not done Neon, but am familiar with the area. It seems like a really long hike to do in a day from the Egypt parking lot. Just so people can answer your question a little better, were you planning on camping Wednesday night by the mouth of Neon?

Bob

I did Neon a few weeks ago. We did a round trip from Egypt TH and dropped in at the tree entrance. It took us 11.5 hours round trip and we had plenty of time in tthe canyon. Make sure you do not descend down Fence canyon, rather head straight for the Neon dome and cut across the bench. This cut a fair amount of time off our approach. The exit hike is a slog, but worth it!

A great short side trip is to Zebra and Tunnel Slot canyons. Not technical at all, just pretty cool

Thanks for the replies. We are staying in town (creature comforts) and plan to drive down HITR road early each morning. One of the group is worried about getting stuck in Egypt 3 so maybe we'll swap for Davis. The plan for Coyote is to go down the Crack in the Wall and see the lower canyon, exiting at JH arch. Someday I will go back and backpack the whole thing, taking a few days.

Just back from Escalante: http://www.canyoneeringcentral.com/rave/

Here's the best thing to do in Escalane: take the highway West until it intersects Route 89 and turn South. An hour later, turn right onto route 9. Go through the tunnel. Before the south entrance to the Park, turn left and park for the V Center, find the Wilderness Permits desk and get a permit for a canyon...

Seriously, you serious? It is mighty HOT out there. We hit the trail for Neon at 7 am and it was already getting hot. We were camped part way down the Egypt road, so a good 40-50 minutes closer to the trailhead than 'town'. Davis is great, but it is a long way down the road, and a long day to boot.

When you come to your senses, may I recommend a little trip I call Jungle Love - the best thing in Escalante in the Heat. http://canyoneeringusa.com/rave/0507esca/index4.htm and

http://canyoneeringusa.com/rave/0709esca/index.htm

More info here: http://www.canyoneeringcentral.com/i.../uppercalf.pdf

I don't necessarily mean rapping the falls, which is REAL Class-C canyon action - to be undertaken with skills. It is also a rope-eater. But the walk from the Upper to the Lower Falls is divine.

I think you underestimate the pain of the driving involved. Incidentally, for Neon, we each drank six quarts of water. Pumping at the Cathedral was a good plan.

Tom

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Originally Posted by ratagonia

Seriously, you serious? It is mighty HOT out there.

...I think you underestimate the pain of the driving involved. Tom

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:iagree:

Yeah, 6-8 weeks ago, if you were camping, I'd say "Sounds sweet! That is a lot of miles, but it's possible."

Now... staying in Escalante, 90+ degrees with 2-3 hours of driving each day... yeah, Tom is right. Way too much pain. I'd save those hikes for this fall. (I am in fact :naughty:).

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Originally Posted by mcweyen

A great short side trip is to Zebra and Tunnel Slot canyons. Not technical at all, just pretty cool

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Cool, in March. A long hike in soft sand in the full sun, these days.

Tom

Thanks again for the input. We will see how it goes tomorrow and adjust accordingly.

Jungle Love looks fun. We have done the normal hike to the lower falls but weren't aware of the goodies upstream. If one does rap the lower falls at Calf Creek, do you hike out the lower trail and hitchhike/shuttle back up the road? Or is there a trail from the bottom of the falls to return to the upper trail head?

Recommendations for your favorite place for a late meal? We won't want to cook every night, I'm thinking.

In addition to Calf Creek, Boulder Creek (has a technical slot route in) and Death Hollow (especially lower) are good this time of year (except for biting flies along the river-wear long pants) and not that long of a drive from where you will be staying. Both are great in hot weather. Pine Creek too, but non tech as well.

40 Mile/Willow is a good one in hot weather too, but a long way down Hole in the Rock Road.

90's for that area, with the sun angle and length of daylight? Way too hot for me.

Way too hot for most people, I'd suspect, to trudge across the flats to get to and from Neon.

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Originally Posted by Taylor

Thanks again for the input. We will see how it goes tomorrow and adjust accordingly.

Jungle Love looks fun. We have done the normal hike to the lower falls but weren't aware of the goodies upstream. If one does rap the lower falls at Calf Creek, do you hike out the lower trail and hitchhike/shuttle back up the road? Or is there a trail from the bottom of the falls to return to the upper trail head?

Recommendations for your favorite place for a late meal? We won't want to cook every night, I'm thinking.

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There is good eating in Escalante (Circle D) and Boulder (Hell's Backbone Grill, and others).

The rap of the Lower Falls is serious Class C canyoneering. Even if hot out you will need at least a raincoat, two 200' ropes and 40' of webbing and a big rapide to set the rappel up. No, there is no return trail. Yes, you hike out the bottom then hitch to the top.

Tom

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Originally Posted by Taylor

Recommendations for your favorite place for a late meal? We won't want to cook every night, I'm thinking.

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The pizza from Escalante Outfitters (the restaurant in there) is very good. It's some of the best pizza we have ever had.

I did the Jungle Love with pool jump plus lower falls rappel & hike out during the afternoon of Thurs May 24. Temps were likely much cooler on that day than they would be currently due to a brief low temperature snap. The webbing was in good shape & well-extended. I knew this to be the case due to my experienced partner having done it a few days earlier; nonetheless I brought a bunch of webbing plus a rapide. I personally had a great deal of fun staying right in the heart of the pummeling falls & surfing down the moss on the last third of the drop. While I am not remotely a class C savvy canyoneer, I have done a few such canyons (Subway in the spring plus Ouray) so perhaps I just failed to notice any concerns, or perhaps I was just fortunate. Fun day! In any case, great times & a beautiful rest day, but I have to believe the general Escalante region would be smoking hot now.

I did the Neon Sport route Sunday May 27 from a base in Boulder, returning to the same, Boulder-to-Boulder 11.5 hours, 7 AM to 6:30 PM. I had the good fortune of a very knowledgeable team, some pretty darned fit hikers who busted out the direct descent (rather than the Fence canyon descent) in 1 hour 15 min to the mouth of Neon...and it was still a solid slog up Fence in the afternoon. I'm thinking it would be pretty brutal currently. As an aside, as of that date, Neon was dry, dry, dry, no neoprene for sure! I was definitely sad to have carried a shorty. Crotch deep wading 2 or 3 times (I'm 6 feet tall) was it. And did I mention that I agree with Tom that it would be really hot? That said, it was my first trip down lower Neon, and while it was fantastic, I would without hesitation add more meat to the canyon in the future by hiking up to Triborough bridges before dropping in; ymmv.

Cheers, be safe & have fun,

Wayne