Grand Gulch

[Scott P]

Backpacked Grand Gulch: Kane to Bullet Canyon over Memorial Day weekend with my four year old son and his six year old cousin. It took three days. Here are some photos.

[stefan]

Nice!! looks like he liked it too.

That's a great canyon!! i only wish i could have had the pleasure
of experiencing that place at such an age!!

[accadacca]

Hey great pics Scott. Looks like a cool hike.

[Shan]

Yeah, I wish my dad took me on cool hikes like that! Way to go little dude!

[rockgremlin]

Hey Scott - I'm considering going from Kane Ranger Station down to the San Juan River in 1.5 days (3 days total). Is this doable? I'm looking at doing it solo in Mid-March.

[stefan]

rock,

it's a long trip. you're not gonna have hardly any time to spend with the ruins or exploring any side canyons of which there are TONS.

i took 9 days down to the san juan and then out collins canyon, exploring many of the side canyons in the process.

i would have preferred 12, but was limited by friend's schedule. the side canyons in the lower canyon are great, and would have like to have spent even more time down there.
but i'll be going back to the lower canyon again.


personally, i think 3 days is a little short to really enjoy all that there is in the canyon. but i know for sure it can be done, but you need to charge

WAIT ... you're talking 3 days round trip, 1.5 each way?
nah ... 3 days one way is possible, but you're charging BIG TIME

i mean kane to san juan is 52 MILES!!

[rockgremlin]

Wow! 52 miles! (feeling a bit sheepish for even having asked now)

Thanks Stefan!

[stefan]

definitely worth making the trek some day.

i had quite an odd experience. we were nearing the mouth of grand gulch. at this point the downward tilted slab of cedar mesa ss ends and the halgaito shale breaks away and the canyon really opens and deepens rapidly with relief. my buddy took out his camera to get some shots, then asked me to zip the pocket when he put his camera away.

then i turned around ... and was aghast at what i saw. from this point you stare straight to the mouth of grand gulch and you see the san juan canyon. and literally a couple moments after i turn around, an enormous military jet, complely flying within the canyon banks a turn up grand gulch and then flys over us, very very close to us. i am not sure which it was, but it was LARGE, bigger than an F-14 and black. darked the sky. it was like encountering an alien ship it was so strange.

of course my friend had JUST put his camera away.

we hung out at the san juan for a while. one group of boaters, pulled up. they were oldschool patrol and employees from alta (naturally they enjoyed commenting on my alta cap) and told us how freeky it was when that jet flew right above them in the canyon, since they didn't see it until it was in front of them.

wild stuff.

[JP]

I like this pic I could see the little ones right now, "Hey, what's taking you guys so long?"

[DiscGo]

That really seems awesome. I am with whoever said they wished their Dad took them on cool hikes like that.