Can you loop hike Coyote Gulch in a day?

I have been to Steven's arch a couple of times from the Forty Mile ridge trail head but was wondering if it's possible to start there and head west over to Jacob Hamblin Arch then down Coyote Gulch to the confluence for a view of Stevens Arch and back to the trail head via the Sand hill in a day?

We'd be coming from Springdale so we'd have to get up at the but crack of dawn to maximize day light and I'm estimating that this is about a 9 mile loop (??) so it may not be possible Mid November.

If anyone has any experience with this please chime in, Only going to be in the area a week so not sure if it's doable.

We are making a day trip to Bryce one day so it may be possible to spend a night in Escalante from there.

I've done the daytrip loop a couple times from the low metal water tank aka the Jacob Hamblin Arch Trailhead. The last time there was a defined user trail that went all the way to the climb down into the gulch by the arch. There's likely a similar trail from the Fortymile Ridge Trailhead. Getting down into the gulch was the toughest part of the trip: easy class 3 and the last time there was a rope in place. Once in the gulch head east, enjoy the scenery, and head back out up the sand slide/hill and back to where ever you parked your vehicle.

Thanks Erial, any idea of the mileage for the loop or how long it took you?

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I have been to Steven's arch a couple of times from the Forty Mile ridge trail head but was wondering if it's possible to start there and head west over to Jacob Hamblin Arch then down Coyote Gulch to the confluence for a view of Stevens Arch and back to the trail head via the Sand hill in a day?

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You can do it, but do it in the opposite direction. It's much better to go down the sand hill than up and better to go up the route at Jacob Hamblin instead of down.

Last time I did the loop it took me 8 hours (7 a.m to 3 p.m.) which included visiting a couple rock art sites and scrambling up/into Cliff Arch. Scott's advice on doing the loop counter-clockwise is sound. Not only is the slog up the sand slope tiring, but more sand is encountered on the uphill road back to whatever TH you started from.

Since you've been on the crack route before getting down to the gulch will pose no problem. Finding the route back up/out shouldn't be too difficult as that route leaves the gulch just before the Jacob Hamblin Arch. I think your 9 mile estimate is on target. Should be somewhere between 8 and 9 miles.

Thanks guys, didn't think about doing it counter clockwise but yes, I've climbed up that sand hill twice and it sucks! I'll see what my group wants to do as we're staying in Springdale it's almost a 4 hour drive to get there so we'd be pushing it unless we spent the night somewhere close the night before.

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Originally Posted by Scott P

You can do it, but do it in the opposite direction. It's much better to go down the sand hill than up and better to go up the route at Jacob Hamblin instead of down.

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100% agree

Wife and I (we are 68) and a young friend did a day trip in and out via the direct route (near to the Jacob Hamblin Arch) and used a 147 ft rope to make it easier for us. An extra 20 ft would have been better still. Its a cathedral like location on a good day - and we had no other hikers to speak of.

Fortymile road is getting very rutted and sandy in several section due to over-use, and drive-arounds have appeared and are also turning into equally bad sections. BLM needs to add some gravel to the problem sections. We saw one Subaru Crosstrek that was stick getting pulled thru by a larger SUV.

Wow...this is an old thread.

Anyway...it's an easy day hike from Willow Tank down the drop at JH arch, down the canyon, up the slide and then the road walk back. Two cars would be nice. The whole thing can be down within 8 hours, with a few breaks...an hour shorter with another car.

I was in the area last October and the roads are pretty bad. Seems to me that the cowboys had a lot more pull with the county back before they turned it into a Monument...the roads were graded regularly back in the early 90s. It looked to me that anything beyond the pullout to Spooky, Peek a Boo is being ignored.