Escalante East 2021
In Oct 2021, I joined Steve Cochrine and Harlan Suits on a 7-day backpack in the upper part of Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument. The Escalante area is one of the best backpacking destinations anywhere. The hiking is off trail and takes lots of map work to find the route and water. But the scenery is spectacular and the hikes are often a real adventure. We followed the instructions in Canyoneering 2 by Steve Allan.
We did a big counter clockwise loop starting at the trailhead for The Gulch which is on the Burr Trail. We headed across slickrock country to the junction of Deer Creek and Boulder Creek and camped nearby. We hiked east to the Gulch, followed it for awhile, and then went east again to Horse Canyon. We then did a smaller clockwise loop up Wolverine Canyon (great petrified wood) and down Little Death Hollow (very good slot canyon). Our camps were selected to be near water which usually consisted of potholes. However camps 3 and 5 were both in Horse Canyon and were close to a reliable spring. We finally hiked back up The Gulch to the trailhead. The first image is a map of the route which will be easier to follow than my description.
I had done this trip in Oct 1999 with Rena but I didn’t remember that much about it. It was very nice to do it again.
ITINERARY
DAY - DATE - ACTIVITY - TIME - SLEEP
1 - 10/3 - Hiked slickrock south to the confluence of Deer Creek and Boulder Creek - 8 ½ hr - Tanks Drainage
2 - 10/4 - Hiked to line shack near Escalante River and then east to the Gulch - 10 hr - In The Gulch
3 - 10/5 - Hiked east to Horse Canyon in the rain and descended on old cow trail - 4 hr - Near Horse Canyon Spring
4 - 10/6 - Hiked up Wolverine Canyon, saw petrified wood, and descended half way down Little Death Hollow - 9 ½ hr - On Bench near Cow Canyon
5 - 10/7 - Finished hiking down Little Death Hollow. Took it easy in afternoon - 4 hr - Same as Camp 3
6 - 10/8 - Exited Horse Canyon on old cow trail and hiked west to the Gulch in the rain - 6 ¼ hr - In The Gulch
& - 10/9 - Hiked up The Gulch to trailhead - 3 ⅓ hr - Trailhead
Read MoreWe did a big counter clockwise loop starting at the trailhead for The Gulch which is on the Burr Trail. We headed across slickrock country to the junction of Deer Creek and Boulder Creek and camped nearby. We hiked east to the Gulch, followed it for awhile, and then went east again to Horse Canyon. We then did a smaller clockwise loop up Wolverine Canyon (great petrified wood) and down Little Death Hollow (very good slot canyon). Our camps were selected to be near water which usually consisted of potholes. However camps 3 and 5 were both in Horse Canyon and were close to a reliable spring. We finally hiked back up The Gulch to the trailhead. The first image is a map of the route which will be easier to follow than my description.
I had done this trip in Oct 1999 with Rena but I didn’t remember that much about it. It was very nice to do it again.
ITINERARY
DAY - DATE - ACTIVITY - TIME - SLEEP
1 - 10/3 - Hiked slickrock south to the confluence of Deer Creek and Boulder Creek - 8 ½ hr - Tanks Drainage
2 - 10/4 - Hiked to line shack near Escalante River and then east to the Gulch - 10 hr - In The Gulch
3 - 10/5 - Hiked east to Horse Canyon in the rain and descended on old cow trail - 4 hr - Near Horse Canyon Spring
4 - 10/6 - Hiked up Wolverine Canyon, saw petrified wood, and descended half way down Little Death Hollow - 9 ½ hr - On Bench near Cow Canyon
5 - 10/7 - Finished hiking down Little Death Hollow. Took it easy in afternoon - 4 hr - Same as Camp 3
6 - 10/8 - Exited Horse Canyon on old cow trail and hiked west to the Gulch in the rain - 6 ¼ hr - In The Gulch
& - 10/9 - Hiked up The Gulch to trailhead - 3 ⅓ hr - Trailhead
